Biofuels
EPA’s Set 2 RFS rule drives a surge in biofuel demand while also boosting feedstock markets. Matt Upmeyer with Montana Renewables explains why it could spark major gains for U.S. agriculture.
The RFS Set 2 rule is projected to increase net farm income by $4 billion and create a $31 billion market for corn and soybean oil while supporting 100,000 new rural jobs.
President Trump said, while speaking to reporters at a cabinet meeting on Thursday, U.S. farmers had been mistreated by some countries.
The nation’s farm groups are pushing for increased demand through biofuels and trade.
At Commodity Classic, analysts say a slower rollout of EPA’s pending RVO decision, or even delayed clarity, could leave spring planting decisions hanging in the balance.
The proposed rule sets up farmers to participate in the opportunity created by these biofuel producer tax credits, but questions remain.
Monte Shaw with the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association says the president’s direction to Congress could be the game changer to pass E15 legislation after a decade-long fight.
Jamie Gieseke with Paradigm Futures says soybeans were also getting a push from South American weather, with wheat adding risk premium on U.S. weather concerns.
Preceding President Donald Trump’s visit to a Clive, Iowa, farm, several groups sent a letter asking him to support biofuels policy that would provide certainty for corn and soybean farmers.
During his trip to Clive, Iowa, Trump reaffirms support for year-round E15, backing corn growers and ethanol, while announcing John Deere’s expansion of two new domestic production and distribution facilities.
Soybeans and soybean oil saw a higher day on Tuesday driven by hopes President Trump would make a biofuels policy announcement regarding 45Z or the RVO proposal while speaking in Iowa after the market close says Naomi Blohm with Total Farm Marketing.
Geoff Cooper with the Renewable Fuels Association says it appears Congress is going to kick the can again on getting the E15 legislation done.
The December Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor shows the farm economy will likely stay strained into 2026. As crops face tight margins, biofuels policy — especially E15 and biomass-based diesel — could influence recovery.
USDA’s Brooke Rollins says the financial details will be unveiled next week. Some groups estimate payments could total in the neighborhood of $12 billion. “There’s people that can really use them. Everyone can use them…but we’re not getting real solutions,” says one Iowa farmer.
Is EPA Reversing Course on RFS Proposal? Agency Pushes Back on Rumors as Ag Sector Awaits Final Rule
EPA’s frustration was on full display when asked about a media report suggesting the administration is considering delaying proposed cuts to incentives for imported biofuels — a key piece of EPA’s June proposal that was intended to prioritize domestic production.
Indonesia will start road safety tests for its planned B50 biofuel program early next month.
Most of the slowdown was due to a deceleration in production capacity in renewable diesel and other biofuels.
University of Minnesota soybean breeders are working to increase oil content in soybeans from around 22% to closer to 30%, a crop with higher oil that could cater to emerging demand.
If EPA allows these waivers and the backlog of SREs from 2023 to 2025, without increasing the volumes in 2026 and 2027, it will mean lower biofuels production.
Steve Censky, CEO of the American Soybean Association says, “China imports more soybeans than the rest of the world combined and so you can’t make up the loss of the China market by gaining a little bit here or there.”
The agency is acting on a backlog of more than 175-petitions from 38-small refineries dating all the way back to 2016.
The National Corn Growers Association has issued a call to action to Congress and the Trump administration to help find demand for the 16.7 billion bushel corn crop.
EPA has released a proposal to void it’s 2009 endangerment finding that declares greenhouse gas emissions no longer be a threat to the environment. Under the Trump administration, the move signals EPA is going to de-emphasize carbon in energy and environmental policies.
As soybean exports face increasing uncertainty, the United Soybean Board says it’s focused on drumming up more domestic demand.
The tax credit unlocks new value in your grain. But the ticket to entry is getting on-farm data ready to share
The House and Senate reconciliation bills both propose major changes to the 45Z Clean Fuel Production Tax Credit, aiming to extend and reshape federal support for biofuels.