Web exclusive posted July 30, 2008 at 3:56 p.m. CST

The 18th Annual Ethanol Producers and Consumer's Conference was held July 20-22 in Kalispell, Mont.

Shirley Ball, executive director of EPAC, coordinated the three-day "Ethanol: Fuel AND Food" event. She said attendance numbers did not exceed last years, but the success was clear. "Everybody who attended made at least one strong contact," she said, noting that networking is a very large part why people attend.

The conference's theme took on the controversy surrounding food and fuel. "Ethanol and biofuels are being singled out for blame for the increased prices at the grocery stores, and in the case of ethanol produced from corn, taking food off the table and out of the mouths of hungry people," Ball said. It's a contemporary myth that ethanol and biofuels are creating the problem, she added, noting a Merrill Lynch analyst recently told the Wall Street Journal that oil and gasoline prices would be as much as 15 percent higher if biofuels weren't increasing their output. "Ethanol is actually helping to keep fuel and food prices from being even higher," she said.

One of the speakers during the event was David Vander Griend, founder and president of Colwich, Kan.-based ICM Inc. Vander Griend's presentation was titled "Food and Fuel, Guaranteed."

"We are talking about the ‘ethanol biorefinery of the future'…and very near future at that," he said in a news statement. "Fifty years ago, the U.S. fed the world. We will be able to do that again with a food supply brought about by the evolution of ethanol production."

Ball said one very interesting topic that was discussed was the use of distillers grains in the food chain. "There are a lot of things that are happening that haven't happened before," she said. "And it's time that they do happen." One of the speakers had a chart that demonstrated the nutritional value of distillers grains and showed what is happening in research and development labs. "You can have your food and your fuel from the same kernel of grain," Ball said, noting that the discussion was centered on wheat.

Research is showing that in small amounts, distillers grains can supplement food for humans. "You're actually able to gain some protein and fiber in your diet," Ball said, adding that distillers grains could be positively used for people with cardiovascular disease.
Other topics discussed at the conference included the ‘spirit' of ethanol, funding challenges and opportunities, marketing, and the renewable fuels standard.

The next EPAC annual conference is scheduled for June 29-30, 2009. The location has not been determined.