Stories

There has long been a debate over whether ethanol is an environmentally sound alternative to gasoline. Critics contend that due to the amount of fossil fuel used to harvest and create ethanol it actually releases more greenhouse emissions than fossil fuels. But a new University of Minnesota study adds health costs to the mix, especially when ethanol is made at coal-fired production facilities.

If the economic stimulus package currently being debated in the U.S. House includes a boost for investment in biofuels when it is passed, it may be thanks in large part to Rep. Bruce Braley.
Braley worked with Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) to pass an amendment that would make biofuel projects eligible for the “Temporary Program for [...]

During his two terms as Iowa governor, Vilsack endeared himself to both the left and the right. But the Democrat who was both the first to enter and the first to leave the 2008 presidential campaign had his critics.

Voters concerned about federal agriculture policies will gravitate toward Barack Obama, said Nebraska senator Ben Nelson at the Iowa State Fair Thursday.

The Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University released a report this week recognizing the value and potential of liquid biofuels, but also urging a cautious approach to further biofuel development.

The idea that biofuels are causing food shortages is a “phony issue,” according to Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, raised a lot of eyebrows Tuesday when he said that those who blame food price increases on the use of corn for fuel should also consider blaming the Chinese appetite. Grassley went so far as to rhetorically ask if it is legitimate to ask the Chinese to “go back and eat [...]

The rapid growth of the biofuels industry has played a part in increasing demand for corn and soybeans. But are biofuels to blame for world hunger? Not so much.

TEMPLETON – The Templeton Area Development Corp. has inked a deal for an option on 114 acres outside of the community that it hopes to market for value-added, industrial or other business use.

The land, which the Carroll Area Development Corp., and Western Iowa Advantage will help promote, is one-half mile west of U.S. 71 on [...]