The American Petroleum Institute is challenging the EPA’s Renewable Fuel Standard 2012 final rule. On Friday – six biofuel trade associations filed a motion to intervene in support of the rule. The groups are standing with the EPA in its implementation of the requirements under the RFS – including cellulosic biofuels volumes. The groups noted in the joint filing that their members have investments in equipment, research and development to supply the necessary renewable fuel. They believe API’s challenge would deprive members of the benefits of these investments – made in reliance on Congressional policy choices – by reducing the standards set by Congress and EPA.

The groups seeking intervenor status in the API versus EPA case are the Advanced Biofuels Association, the American Coalition for Ethanol, the Advanced Ethanol Council, the Biotechnology Industry Organization, Growth Energy and the Renewable Fuels Association.

Courtesy: NAFB News

A study conducted by a student at the University of Arkansas shows Lean Finely Textured Beef improves fresh color, reduces spoilage and increases tenderness. Cattle Network reports the study was conducted last fall on LFTB at levels up to 20-percent in ground beef. In addition to the shelf-life advantages and enhanced eating quality – Meat Science Professor Jason Apple says adding LFTB reduces the cost of a pound of ground beef by about 20 to 25-cents. Apple supervised the research.

Courtesy: NAFB News

National Pork Producers Council President R.C. Hunt is warning of the high stakes in the hen-cage debate. Oregon 5th District Representative Kurt Schrader has introduced a bill that writes an agreement between the United Egg Producers and the Humane Society of the United States to nearly double the cage size for laying hens into federal law. Hunt says approval of this bill would set a dangerous precedent of allowing the federal government to dictate how livestock producers operate. In the end – he says all corners of animal agriculture could be affected.

Hunt says it’s the egg industry’s business if they want to agree with HSUS on hen-housing standards – but when they attempt to put those rules in federal law – it’s the business of everyone in food animal production. He says NPPC’s concern is that if the bill does become law – pressure will mount to set similar federal standards for other species and even for crop farmers. Hunt says it’s possible a broad law under the guise of animal welfare could take away the freedom for producers to operate in ways that are best for their animals – or perhaps farmers who raise corn would be prohibited from using genetically modified seeds.

According to Hunt – H.R. 3798 is an unnecessary, costly and dangerous federal intrusion into day-to-day farm operations that has no benefit to the public or animal health.

Courtesy: NAFB News

Bayer CropScience is countering scientific reports from European studies that suggest bee disappearance is a result of the neonicotinoid family of insecticides. Bayer Environmental Toxicologist David Fischer says a French study overdosed the bees by 20 to 30-percent in comparison to real world field exposure levels. Concentrations in a British bumble bee study – he says – were probably three to six times above typical field exposure levels. Fischer notes Bayer registered some of the first neonicotinoid insecticides following testing that the EPA accepted as having appropriate pollinator safety. The company has also established a Bee Health Center for research in Europe – and another is being established in North Carolina.
While people are suggesting the new studies show neonicotinoids are responsible for the bee colony loss problem or the pollinator decline problem – Fischer says they don’t really show that at all. He says Bayer would have expected the effect seen in the French study because of the dose level they tested. Fischer is confident the bees would not have strayed from the colonies at the lower dose of product used in real agricultural settings. What’s more – the particular chemical they used was not a Bayer CropScience product.

Fischer says varroa mites and disease vectors associated with the mites are the main problems causing health problems in honeybees.

Courtesy: NAFB News

More than 100 organizations that represent a broad range of renewable energy, farm, ranch, commodity, environmental and other groups have joined together to ask leaders of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees to reauthorize and fund energy title programs from the farm bill that revitalize rural America and improve national security and the environment. According to the letter – the Rural Energy for America Program, Biomass Crop Assistance Program, Biorefinery Assistance Program and Biobased Markets Program strongly support American agriculture and ensure broad public benefits to the entire country – including creating or saving thousands of direct and indirect jobs.

National Farmers Union is among the groups that signed the letter. NFU President Roger Johnson says these programs need support. He says they provide rural Americans with a level of certainty for their investments in renewable energy so they can be guaranteed at least some return.

Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa, Kent Conrad of North Dakota, and Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken of Minnesota recently introduced energy title legislation providing more than 1.2-billion dollars in funding over the next five years for these programs.

Courtesy: NAFB News

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will use a Kansas City convenience store as a stage to talk about combatting high gas prices with biofuels.

Vilsack plans to use Monday’s speech to highlight a step the federal government has taken toward wide distribution of gasoline mixed with 15 percent ethanol by allowing manufacturers to register as suppliers.

While the Environmental Protection Agency is moving the process forward by allowing the registration, E15 still must clear another set of federal tests and become a registered fuel in individual states. Ethanol makers then must convince petroleum marketers to sell it at gas stations.

The new blend would be restricted to 2001 and newer vehicles.