May is Renewable Fuels Month, and it is the perfect time to reflect on the journey of the ethanol industry and its roots in farming communities.
Todd Brown, Chairman of Dakota Ethanol, recently shared a story with Ag News Wire about how South Dakota’s corn growers were instrumental in the creation of the state’s first large-scale ethanol plant in 1999.
“The ethanol industry was just becoming new. There were a few private plants, but when I look back, the South Dakota corn growers were so all in and so dedicated, and when you think about it, we were going to be the first plant and we were going to be a 40 million gallon brewing plant and so it was going to take $15-20 million worth of equity. That hadn’t been done. It definitely hadn’t been done in South Dakota, and so the South Dakota corn growers were very instrumental and they did a lot of things that really tipped the scale,” he explained.
Today, Dakota ethanol produces 100 million gallons of eco-friendly ethanol annually, sourced from 33 million bushels of locally grown corn.
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller joins us with an update on the most recent case of New World screwworm 90 miles from the U.S. Southern border.
April 15, 2026 11:40 AM
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Study looks at how triazine chemistry impacts effectiveness against resistant weeds
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With fewer young people entering agriculture and farmers nearing retirement, industry leaders warn of challenges ahead while working to keep farming profitable and sustainable.
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A late-season freeze in northeast Louisiana has forced farmers to replant thousands of corn acres, adding costs, straining seed supplies, and raising concerns about shifting to soybeans.
April 14, 2026 03:50 PM
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March 15 of each year is the application deadline for the Pima Cotton Trust, and March 1 of each year is the application deadline for the Wool Trust. The law mandates trust payments by April 15. More information about these programs is available at www.fas.usda.gov/programs.
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Superior Livestock Auctions markets more than 1.7 million head of cattle nationwide while also building long-term relationships between both cattle raisers and beef producers.
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