Future of Grain
HIGHLIGHTING THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY IN GRAIN PRODUCTION AND UTILIZATION
US approves higher ethanol blend
The US Environmental Protection Agency recently raised the amount of ethanol that can be blended into fuel from 10 percent to 15 percent (E15) for all vehicles built in the last decade. The decision to permit E15 for 2001 to 2006 model year vehicles follows an October decision by EPA to permit blends up to E15 in vehicles from 2007 or newer.
Canada has also recently approved E15 for all cars manufactured since 2001 and announced the five percent Renewable Fuels mandate. “This is certainly a validation for the benefits of ethanol. Questions once raised about ethanol have been answered and there is stronger support than ever to continue to build the ethanol industry to reduce our reliance on oil,” says Debra Conlon, spokesperson for GreenField Ethanol.
According to Conlon, this move to E15 in the US could help create as many as 136,000 new jobs and eliminate as much as eight million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from the air in a year – the equivalent of taking 1.35 million vehicles off the road. •
Roundup Ready patent expiry
With talk of RoundUp Ready going off patent, there is a lot of misleading and incorrect information swirling around. As a farmer, it’s important to know your rights and responsibilities in this transitional time.
The patent on this first generation of RoundUp Ready soybeans will expire on August 28, 2011. However, because of the nature of the soybean growing season and the law surrounding the patent, this date is not the only one farmers need
to remember.
Seed planted or grown before August 28, 2011 cannot be saved without breaching the Technology Use Agreement and intellectual property law. A patent gives the owner exclusive right to manufacture, use or sell a particular invention.
Stockpiling is not allowed under the law. Therefore, any seed bought and/or planted prior to the patent expiry is still protected by the law regardless of when it is harvested.
RoundUp Ready soybean seed bought after the August 28, 2011 date can be saved and replanted. Therefore, the earlier a farmer could replant RoundUp Ready soybean seed from the bin would be 2013 from seed saved in 2012.
Monsanto has launched a website outlining all of the details of the patent expiry. Visit www.soybeans.com for more information.•
