News Update

News Update
April 9, 2007

Enzymes Boost Ethanol Production Efficiency

As ethanol production increases, so does the demand for suitable feedstocks. Affordable, plentiful and easy to work with, corn is the feedstock of choice in the United States. So Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists at the Eastern Regional Research Center (ERRC) in Wyndmoor, Pa., are investigating ways to avoid overburdening the corn market as ethanol production expands.

Annual U.S. ethanol production is projected to increase from 5 billion gallons in 2006 to as many as 13 billion gallons in 2009. So what options will ethanol producers have? One solution is to increase conversion efficiency.

David Johnston, a food technologist in the ERRC’s Crop Conversion Science and Engineering Research Unit, is investigating new processes using protease enzymes from microbial and fungal sources to make ethanol more efficiently. He has found that the enzymes make more nutrients available for the yeast, expediting fermentation of sugars. Protease enzymes can also facilitate the process of dewatering the solids that remain after the ethanol has been extracted.

Working with Vijay Singh, an agricultural engineer at the University of Illinois, Johnston conducted a field trial at a small wet-milling facility in Panang, Malaysia. They soaked U.S. corn in water for several hours and then applied the enzymes. The scientists found that adding enzymes during processing increased starch recovery, just as it had in laboratory trials.

The starches can be used in more than 1,000 different products, from paper and sheet rock to high-fructose corn syrup and ethanol. Economic analysis will be the next step, and Johnston and Singh are planning to replicate the trial at several more commercial facilities.

This is one of many ERRC research projects related to improving understanding and production of biofuels. Read more about the research in the April 2007 issue of Agricultural Research magazine, available online at www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/apr07/petro0407.htm.

— release provided by ARS News Service

Multi-Species Grazing Conference and Field Day May 8-9 at Richland, Wash.

Washington State University (WSU) Extension will host a multi-species grazing conference May 8 at WSU Tri-Cities, Richland, and a related field day at the Barker Ranch near Richland on May 9.

At the conference, nationally recognized goat and cattle graziers will discuss management and marketing of meat goats; grazing and browsing principles; fencing, water and mineral needs; use of guard dogs; contract vegetation management; fee grazing; range monitoring; and creating wildlife habitat. The conference will be in Room 216 of the Consolidated Information Center Building. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. The conference begins at 9 a.m. and adjourns at 5 p.m.

The field day will be at the Barker Ranch and will include demonstrations of how to build and troubleshoot an electric fence; plant preferences of goats; body condition scoring of goats; internal parasite diagnosis; and range monitoring technique and browsing planning.

The ranch has been the site of a three-year study conducted by WSU Extension to evaluate the use of goats and cattle in conjunction with mowing and herbicides to control invasive plants. The research was funded by a grant from the USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program.

You can preregister or register at the conference site for one or both events. Fees vary. Visit www.ansci.wsu.edu and click on the link for the “Multi-Species Grazing Conference and Field Day” under the events heading.

Contact Don Nelson, WSU Department of Animal Sciences, at 509-335-2922 or nelsond@wsu.edu for more information on the events.

— release provided by WSU College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences

National Beef Ambassadors attend address by President Bush

President Bush addressed the National Beef Ambassador Team while they were in Washington, D.C., for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Spring Legislative Conference. The president spoke to the ambassadors and cattlemen from across the country about his trade agenda, taxes and the importance of agriculture to the American economy.

“President Bush made several points throughout his speech that reassured me he is on our side as cattlemen,” said JoAnna Strom, South Dakota National Beef Ambassador. “President Bush understands the importance of keeping farms in families for generations to come. This reassures me that he cares about future agriculturalists like me and millions of farm families across the United States.”

The National Beef Ambassador Program seeks to provide leadership training for the young beef ambassadors ages 17-20. The program was started and is managed by the American National CattleWomen Inc. (ANCW).

A grant from a private foundation enabled the ambassadors to experience firsthand a representative democratic system of government. Each of the beef ambassadors spent a day, along with their state cattlemen’s delegation, calling on their state’s members of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. They also made various agency visits within the Department of Agriculture.

“Since I am interested in becoming an ag lobbyist,” California’s Amanda Rankin said, “I really enjoyed being able to speak with my elected representatives and see what an influence lobbyists can have in politics.”

“Visiting with our elected officials on Capitol Hill was an excellent experience that allowed me to learn more about our legislative process and helped me become a more proactive spokesperson for the beef industry,” said Matt Peebles of Florida.

“These young ambassadors left Washington, D.C., with a renewed interest in our nation and a stronger belief in the democratic system, which will benefit them as they rise to future leadership positions in the beef industry,” remarked Program Manager Carol Abrahamzon.

Chris Molinaro, of Pennsylvania, sums it up like this, “My visit to Washington, D.C., opened my eyes to an entirely new aspect of the beef industry. Politics has always been a confusing topic for me. However, seeing the incredibly essential role of politics in the beef industry has helped me understand how important it really is and why I need to become more aware of the laws that affect me as a cattle producer.”

— release provided by American National CattleWomen Inc.

Multi-County Beef Field Day Set for May 5

The Connell Life Skills and Livestock Center at Boysville, 8555 E. Loop 1604 in Converse, will be the site of a multi-county beef cattle field day on May 5. The 2007 Bexar/Guadalupe/Comal County Beef Cattle Field Day, presented by Texas Cooperative Extension, will begin at 8:30 a.m. and end at 3:15 p.m. The cost of the event is $10, which includes registration and lunch.

Three continuing education units will be offered: two general units and one unit in laws and regulations. Program topics will include pasture management, beef cattle nutrient requirements and drought feeding strategies, economics of hay production, pesticide laws and regulations, and cattle market trends.

“This field day will give those in the beef cattle industry a good look at many important issues and challenges they face as producers,” said Jerry Warren, Extension agent for agriculture in Bexar County. “With the difficulties producers have — such as what happens to cattle production during times of drought — it pays for them to learn all they can about the factors affecting their industry. At this field day, attendees will be exposed to a lot of information and many strategies they can apply to their own operations.”

For more information and reservations, call Annette Pawelek at the Extension office in Bexar County, 210-467-6575. The deadline is May 2.

— release provided by Texas A&M University Agricultural Communications