The Big River Resources ethanol plant at West Burlington, Iowa, about 120 km southwest of Davenport. (Steven Vaughn photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Biden backs ethanol industry on low-emission aviation fuel tax credits

Aviation is seen as one of the few routes to increase ethanol demand amid rising electric vehicle sales

Reading Time: 3 minutes Reuters - The Biden administration said on Friday it will recognize a methodology favored by the ethanol industry in guidance to companies looking to claim tax credits for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), a pivotal win for the politically powerful U.S. corn lobby.

Photo: Thinkstock

Bird flu spreads in Europe with a delay after warm autumn

Severe bird flu detected among Antarctic wild birds and mammals for first time

Reading Time: 2 minutes Paris | Reuters -- Bird flu is spreading fast in Europe but arrived later this year after a warm autumn delayed migration of wild birds, the main carriers of the virus that led to the death of millions of poultry in the past years, scientific agencies said on Thursday.





A DOT (now OmniPower) autonomous unit at work on the Olds College Smart Farm. (Olds College video screengrab via YouTube)

Smart farm competition encourages farmers to adopt technology

Competition will serve as opportunity to create and develop smart farm networks

Reading Time: 2 minutes The Canadian Agri-Food Automation and Intelligence Network (CAAIN) is seeking applications for a competition geared toward creating or developing new smart farm networks. Funding under this initiative will support collaborative on-farm tech innovations in hopes encouraging farmers to adopt emergent agriculture technology. CAAIN receives funding from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada to address challenges […] Read more

File photo of a desk in Canada’s Senate. (Dougall_Photography/iStock/Getty Images)

Twice-amended Bill C-234 clears Senate

The bill will return to the House of Commons for further debate

Reading Time: < 1 minute A bill to exempt fuel for grain drying from the price on carbon has cleared the Senate and returns to the House of Commons with two amendments.


Prairie forecast: Mild and dry weather right up to the holidays

Prairie forecast: Mild and dry weather right up to the holidays

Issued Dec. 13, covering Dec. 13 to Dec. 25

Reading Time: 3 minutes Here is the big picture: there are two current storm tracks across North America. The first, which is well to our north, is the storm track that would normally be across our region. So far this winter, it has been displaced to our north – one of the reasons we have been dry. The second storm track is well to the south across the southern U.S. This places us under a rather slack flow as we oscillate between pushes of warm and cool air with each passage of low-pressure to our north.




File photo of steam rising from the top of a grain dryer. (Diane Kuhl/iStock/Getty Images)

Senate votes to shorten sunset clause on beleaguered Bill C-234

NFU calls for bill to be passed, feds to incentivize clean heating technology for farm buildings

Reading Time: 2 minutes Senators voted by a 44-40 margin yesterday to shorten the sunset clause on carbon price exemption bill C-234. Senator Yuen Pau Woo introduced the amendment on Dec. 7, saying it would align it with the deadline on the Liberal government’s heating oil carbon price exemption.