Steve says that smartphones have become so prevalent that they created both iPhone and Android versions of the app. You’ll need a DPP account to use the app but the app is free. He says producer feedback has been great. It allows ethanol plants a way to reach out directly to local farmers to purchase grain. No seed purchase is necessary btw. Steve Crowe Interview

2011 FEW Photo Album

Our coverage of the 2011 Fuel Ethanol Workshop is made possible by the Renewable Fuels Association.

I asked him to comment on the relationship with Pioneer and the Iowa Corn Growers. He said, “The fact that we’ve got a great title sponsor here with Iowa Corn Growers and that we run ethanol . . . this is the type of sponsor that we love to be working with because ethanol is a very important part of our business and next year we’re going to E85 to show pump relevancy.”

You can listen to my interview with Randy here: Randy Bernard Interview

2011 Iowa Corn Indy 250 Photo Album

Todd says the relationship with the Iowa Corn Growers in sponsoring the Iowa Corn Indy 250 has been very beneficial. As he puts it, “It’s a great event for the state of Iowa. It’s great for agriculture.” All of the cars racing this evening will be running on 100% corn ethanol showing how well the fuel performs in an engine. Pioneer brings in a lot of their customers for the event. In fact, I’ve heard that there will be approximately 2,500 farmers at the race track today. I’ll be out on location this afternoon in advance of tonight’s race. Let’s hope the weather improves. Todd Frazier Interview

2011 Iowa Corn Indy 250 Photo Album

In this edition of the Domestic Fuel Cast, we bring you some of the sounds and interviews from the Iowa Corn Indy 250 presented by Pioneer, and the Iowa Corn Growers Association. Our own Chuck Zimmerman had the chance to talk to Ron McQueeny, director of photography for the Indy Racing League and a nearly 40-year veteran photographer of the sport, who says the clean, green fuel has made a world of difference in clearing the haze that used to accompany the start of each race. In addition, we catch up with farmer and President of the Iowa Corn Growers Association, Don Elsbernd, and Todd Frazier with Pioneer Hi-Bred. They see the Iowa Corn Indy 250 as a great showcase for the green fuel and are glad that so many corn farmers are able to see the fruit… a very high-performance fruit… of their labors in corn-based ethanol in these fantastic racing machines.

It’s a great conversation, and you can hear more of it in the player below.
Domestic Fuel Cast

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I met Pioneer’s Joe Foresman, Senior Marketing Manager, Biofuels and MarketPoint Resource, during the Kum & Go E-85 pump promotion yesterday. He says the story this race tells for Iowa and for farmers is a very exciting one. It sends a great message to the state and the nation about how we can use the renewable fuel, ethanol. Pioneer has 3,000 employees in Iowa who are very proud of their involvement in the race. I asked him if he liked the analogy between the high tech engines powering the Indy cars and Pioneer’s seed technology. He did.

By the way, if you’re tweeting the race or want to follow the Twitter conversation then please use #indycorn in your tweets. You can use Twitter Search to see who’s tweeting.

You can listen to my interview with Joe below.

Iowa Corn Indy 250 Photo Album.

According to Craig Floss, CEO of the Iowa Corn Growers, the race is an excellent opportunity to inform the general public about the benefits of corn and ethanol. “Our reach has moved well beyond the state of Iowa to a national and even a global audience,” said Floss. “We are able to have the sponsorship opportunities on television this year which is a great way for us to talk about corn, all the places corn goes, and all the products that include corn.”

Pioneer Director of End Use Markets Russ Saunders says sponsorship of the Iowa Corn 250 is a great opportunity to show that support for ethanol and corn growers. “When we look at how fuel prices seem to be headed back up and we have economic challenges all around us, it’s more important than ever that we tell the story of ethanol,” said Saunders.

Saunders says Pioneer has been working to provide new technologies for growers to produce more and better corn to provide the food, feed and fuel needs of the nation and the world, including higher yielding varieties and grain that yields more ethanol per bushel. In addition, they are working on corn varieties that use less nitrogen fertilizer and less water and Pioneer’s parent company Dupont is actively involved in the development of second generation cellulosic ethanol.

The Iowa Corn 250 will be broadcast live on ABC starting at noon central time on June 21 with race time at 12:30 pm.