Joining Forces: This unlikely duo is being tasked with deciding U.S. biofuel policy

The soy complex ended trading yesterday holding strong, supported by talks of biofuel policy on the horizon.

The Trump Administration has asked the oil industry and biofuel groups to come together and work it out themselves. Once they come up with an agreement, it would be presented to the EPA, allowing the Agency to make it the rule.

StoneX’s Arlan Suderman tells us this could be good news for farmers.

“It’s that lack of a policy that has severely hurt our crush margins, our crush demand here of late. We’ve seen liquid biomass diesel production drop by over 50% from December levels in January and February because we don’t have a tax credit policy right now.”

Suderman says this all could happen relatively fast. He is expecting oil and biofuel groups to wrap talks by the end of the month. From there, he expects the EPA to take one to two months to get a final policy returned.

LATEST STORIES BY THIS AUTHOR:

Higher freight rates and potential service disruptions are key concerns for agriculture, which relies heavily on rail to move commodities.
Wyoming cowboy and Dusty Vaquero Days founder J.B. Zielke joins us to preview his upcoming event in Gillette and to highlight the festival’s celebration of cowboy culture through music and community events.
Members from across the state will gather for competitions, workshops and leadership opportunities.
DOJ and USDA investigate beef industry concentration, with Big Four packers under scrutiny and a major settlement announcement expected later this week.
Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor joins us to discuss the uncertain path for year-round E15 sales and the next steps as the issue heads toward a standalone House vote after it was stripped from the Farm Bill.
Nebraska cattle rancher Joe Van Newkirk joins us to discuss wildfire recovery in Nebraska’s Sandhills athe challenges ranchers face restoring basic infrastructure after the fire.