Ethanol Blog

OMAHA (DTN) -- Nebraska Ethanol Board Vice Chairman Scott McPheeters spent time talking to agriculture journalists on all things farming and biofuels, during an Agricultural Communicators Network workshop in Omaha last week.

McPheeters is a Gothenburg, Nebraska, farmer who was appointed to the board in 2017 by then Gov. Pete Ricketts and grows food-grade white and yellow corn for Frito-Lay, as well as soybeans and alfalfa in the western part of the state.

Also, McPheeters is a founding member of Kearney Area Ag Producers Alliance, a farmer-owned ethanol plant and has been involved in the ethanol industry since 2000.

With the re-election of Donald Trump as president, McPheeters said last week he's waiting to see what a second Trump administration will mean for the ethanol industry.

"That's a great question and the answer is, depends, like all good answers, but there's no doubt that some administrations are more friendly towards environmental things or less friendly," McPheeters said.

The first Trump administration approved more than 80 small-refinery exemptions to the Renewable Fuel Standard, https://www.dtnpf.com/….

The new Trump administration is faced with finalizing the next round of already-late RFS volumes, https://www.dtnpf.com/…, and the completion of U.S. Internal Revenue Service guidance on the 45Z Clean Fuels Production tax credit.

That credit is considered to be a key to the future of sustainable aviation fuel.

Trump announced the appointment of former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin as the next administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, https://www.dtnpf.com/…, raising questions about the biofuels future.

Will this Trump administration continue with efforts to cut carbon emissions?

So, what will happen with biofuels in the new administration?

"Boy, that is a great question," McPheeters said. "I know that the people's track records in the past and the biases or opinions they've held are being scrutinized very carefully. Well, has anybody ever changed their mind when they learned the facts and learned what was really at stake? Have they changed their mind? Absolutely. So that's what we like to do is make sure there's good education out there. And I would submit that if everybody knew the truth about biofuels, especially ethanol and renewable diesel are two of the biggest ones, they would be so much in favor of them that they really couldn't contain it."

COVER CROPS FUTURE

One of the keys to ethanol producers and farmers becoming a part of a future sustainable aviation fuel future is the ability to track and reduce carbon emissions on the farm.

The use of cover crops is considered to be one way for producers to reduce emissions. McPheeters told ag journalists there are several ways to cut emissions on the farm.

"What should we do if I don't like cover crops or, better said, cover crops are not relevant on my operation," he said.

McPheeters said cover crops may not be a viable option for some farmers because they may require more inputs than some producers can afford.

"So, when you plant a cover crop -- our area is so arid -- because we irrigate we have to water the cover crop up," he said.

"But there's an inefficiency reason we use more water than we would if we didn't plant it. And then, second of all you've gone over to pass with some type of machine using diesel fuel, and well, you've had to have seeds. Somebody else had to grow that seed, whether it's turnips or whatever it is. So, somebody else has been expending a lot of resources to make this seed. And sometimes the seed is really expensive because it's kind of hard to come by, because it's hard to grow, because it's small."

McPheeters said in some areas of the country cover crops can be helpful to prevent wind and water erosion. However, he said he believes there are some areas where cover crops should not be allowed.

"In some places it's very helpful to help with wind erosion or water erosion," he said, "and it ought to be against the law not to have a cover crop on some ground. But by the same token, that ought to be illegal to have cover crops on some other ground because it's not needed and it's really a waste of resources. On our farm we have level ground and it's not highly erodible for wind or water. Actually, we have so much residue, so much carbon out there, that it's just there and we don't really need to plant another crop or cover."

McPheeters said there are a number of programs including those offered by the Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service, that provide cost-share options to farmers, including improving irrigation systems, cover crops and other conservation tools.

Todd Neeley can be reached at todd.neeley@dtn.com.

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