AgriNews Day!!! (A weekly feature)
Regular readers know I love my AgriNews for its weekly collision of agricultural and environmental news. Here’s what’s on tap for this week.
Cargill takes cautious approach to ethanol investment (attention Cargill conspiracists)
Cargill is dipping a cautious toe in the ethanol boom, upping its investment in production of the corn-based alternative fuel but keeping its focus on serving other firms that operate ethanol plants instead of building its own.
That’s in contrast to agribusiness giant Archer Daniels Midland, which created waves earlier this year by announcing it would stay atop U.S. ethanol production by building two giant refineries aimed at increasing its 1.1 billion-gallon annual capacity by half.
Special Designs Architechts on the cutting edge
Tom Hurd built a solar-powered radio when he was 10, and he has been working on renewable energy systems ever since.
Today the central Iowa farm boy is a Mason City architect and owner of Spatial Designs Architects and Consultants.
Farmer goes whole hog with corn burning alternative
John Derickson of rural Lamberton has taken burning corn as heating fuel to the next step.
Sure he heats his 2,800-square foot farm home with corn, but he also heats two hog barns with the biomass fuel to keep his 2,000 head of hogs toasty warm all winter long.
Major advances in renewable fuels technology seen
LANESBORO, Minn. — Major advances in renewable fuels technology were outlined in a recent program at Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning center near Lanesboro.
They included a new fuel called butanol, made from various biomass materials, and cellulosic ethanol, which is produced from a number of plant materials other than corn.
(editor’s admission – I haven’t even heard of butanol)
Minnesota Gardening Calendar now available
The award-winning Minnesota Gardening Calendar 2007 is available.
The calendar is filled with timely tips for lawn, garden and houseplant care and a two-page special feature focuses on attracting birds to your garden.
Maps of average frost-free dates and USDA Plant Hardiness Zones for Minnesota are also included.
The calendar is available from county Extension offices.
This concludes our AgriNews coverage, for this week.