New low carbon standards approved in California may shut Nebraska ethanol producers out of a major domestic market.  27% of Nebraska's ethanol heads to California and even more is sold to other west coast states who may adopt similar standards.  Critics claim the policy is based on outdated and unscientific figures.

 

 

Looking back to his days with Continental Grain at the Minneapolis Grain Exchange, Ron Olson is probably the most highly regarded grain merchant still working from before the Staggers Act (rail deregulation).  To see Olson speak about "sustainability" before a national gathering of commodity dealers was eye opening.  However, as one reflects on how firms like Cargill have tried to add value to it commodity fungibility, it should not be surprising that the topic of sustainability would also be of importance to the renewable fuels industry.
 
What environmental facet of your business can you take the lead on before it gets incorporated in the "Wal-Mart Sustainability Index"?  Olson warns of the difficulties of quantifiying a product's "sustainability."

 

 

General Mills' Ron Olson is not the only one thinking about sustainability. The USDA, in an effort to make production agriculture more profitable, has a nationwide funding program that seeks to move beyond traditional husbandry.