Chalk it up to Barack Obama catapulting his presidential campaign in Iowa, or to the recession switching travelers from vacations to stay-cations, or to nostalgia for the good old days, or to Americans’ new craving for “real food from real farms.” Whatever the reasons, agritourism has become a counter-cyclical big...

In his second article in a series on biodiesel, Iowa State University Biofuels Economist Dr. Robert Wisner provides a comprehensive analysis of factors influencing the profitability of biodiesel.

To track the profitability for typical soybean biodiesel production, Iowa State University has created an economic model of a northern Iowa biodiesel plant.

Following the collapse of crude oil prices, biodiesel’s future is in doubt.

Can anhydrous ammonia become an affordable fuel source?

The 11th annual National Value-added Agriculture Conference is set for June 2 to 4 at the Stoney Creek Inn and Conference Center in Moline.

The Agricultural Marketing Resource Center (AgMRC) is assisting producer groups in gathering information for use in applying for the USDA Rural Business and Cooperative Service (RBCS) value-added producer grants, announced in the Federal Register May 6, 2009.

California’s decision to launch the nation’s first Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) is definitely a blow to Midwest ethanol, according to economists at Iowa State University.

Blending steadily increasing levels of biofuels with gasoline and diesel is easier said than done, according to researcher Robert Wisner of the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center at Iowa State University.

If you’ve got a dynamite idea for new value-added farm products, your nearest U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) office may have money for you from a new round of Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) funding.

Memo to rural America: If you love the new jobs and new rural cash flow already created by corn-based ethanol plants, you’re going to adore cellulosic ethanol!

With nitrogen fertilizer imports continuing to climb and the cost of nitrogen fertilizer still taking a big bite out of most farmers’ budgets, Iowa State Extension’s Don Hofstrand offers an intriguing solution: harvest the wind for nitrogen.

Ethanol plant bankruptcies are increasing and a stark warning issued by ISU Economics Professor Robert Wisner suggests the future look bleak for more facilities if no additional government support is provided.

Growing table olives in California has been a constant struggle says Adin Hester, President of the Olive Growers Council (OGC) in Visalia, California. That’s why he puts out a regular newsletter with tips on pruning and new market opportunities – and that’s why this farmer-owned bargaining cooperative has taken full advantage of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Value Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program.

Like the farm sector itself, Iowa’s MaxYield Cooperative has had its ups and downs since its first stockholders met in 1915. But with plenty of local faith and investment, and support from various U.S. Agriculture Department (USDA) programs, MaxYield and its 18 locations across northwest Iowa are on a healthy growth curve.

Should investors and government invest in biofuels? Is it a safe investment? Are there better alternative fuels? Is Brazil’s successful ethanol program the best model for other countries? How is the current financial crisis impacting biofuels? Will climate change and expected carbon cap-and-trade legislation catapult biofuels to new heights?

Iowa State University agricultural economist Don Hofstrand and his colleagues at ISU’s Agricultural Marketing Resource Center (AgMRC) are trying to understand ethanol and the future of the biofuels industry.
 

MarketMaker on the web offers a free new tool to connect family shoppers with farmers – and with everyone in between including restaurants and grocery stores. That’s good for consumers who wonder where to find fresh local products and good for small farms with no marketing budget. For everyone, it’s Internet easy – just visit: www.agmrc.org and click the MarketMaker link.