This issue focuses on coproducts: corn oil and feed. But don’t be fooled, these are not your grandfather’s coproducts…

I don’t need to tell Ethanol Producer Magazine’s readers that as ethanol margins have dipped, coproducts have become increasingly more essential to revenue streams and bottomlines. I don’t need to tell EPM’s readers that production of high-protein feed and extraction of more corn oil are at the top of producers’ lists of goals. You already know that.

But let’s talk about those strategies. In our cover story starting on page 14, “Making A Splash,” Walter Cronin of Green Plains Inc. dives into the technologies and methods that have led the company to purchase a fish feed company and install Fluid Quip Technologies’ feed system at five of its plants. Green Plains recently purchased a majority stake in Fluid Quip, so it’s not surprising that Cronin sees the technology as a straight path to markets and money. The separation of elements the system accomplishes is what has allowed Green Plains to tailor its feed products to specific species, he says.

Still, traditional livestock and poultry are the dominant distillers grains markets, and ethanol producers would do well to understand them thoroughly, nutritionists say. Hire or contract with a nutritionist, form partnerships with industry, they advise. One such team effort has highlighted Ireland’s swine industry as a potential growth opportunity for DDG exports. This feature is packed with feed information and advice for producers.

In corn oil, the rumblings of a burgeoning renewable diesel industry and the implications it would have on DCO markets and pricing have producers on the edges of their seats. There’s no denying the opportunity this lays out, and no ignoring the sky-high DCO prices driven in no small part by that expected demand. It’s a fascinating story and it starts on page 28.

To round out this issue, we step away from coproducts and deliver some coverage on bacterial control. All aspects of our industry are evolving and that prompts necessary changes in infection control. Ethanol’s ability to constantly improve, taking into account downstream and side effects, never ceases to amaze me. I love this industry. “Keeping Bacteria at Bay” starts on page 22.

I am so pleased, and impressed, to see the ethanol industry rebounding and moving forward, forging into new markets, better catering to existing ones and adapting as necessary. The full coverage in this issue of EPM highlights these successes clearly, and I’m eager to release it to you.
Stay safe and be well.


Author: Lisa Gibson
Editor
lgibson@bbiinternational.com