NORTHBROOK, Ill. — You may have caught the blue and green “e” ethanol logo on the #17 IndyCar Series entry during the Indianapolis 500 this summer. Or maybe you’ve seen it during one of the “pump tours” during which hundreds of drivers line up to purchase ethanol-enriched fuel at a discounted price.
Now, that “e” is coming to the Village of Northbrook and the rest of Illinois.
The Illinois Corn Marketing Board (ICMB) is working with the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC), the American Lung Assoc. of Illinois and the Illinois Petroleum Marketers Assoc. to introduce a voluntary statewide brand initiative for ethanol, including E10 (10 percent ethanol-enriched fuel) and E85 (85 percent).
ICMB and EPIC chose Northbrook to announce the program because of the village’s long history of support for E85 and flexible fuel vehicle technology. Northbrook adopted E85 and began converting its vehicle fleet to E85 a decade ago, making them the first municipality in Illinois to make a commitment to renewable fuel. Illinois has labeled E10 pumps with plain black and white stickers for years; however, the new labels are brighter and will offer a higher profile.
According to EPIC Director of Operations Robert White, significant developments such as the Renewable Fuels Standard in the Energy Bill, higher gasoline prices and positive media coverage of ethanol have created a high level of consumer interest.
This interest provides the opportunity for retailers to position themselves as responsive to consumer demand and build on the growing interest in E85. Formed in 2005, EPIC has quickly gained traction in its quest to create a national brand for ethanol, including consumer promotion, auto technician training, educational workshops – even convincing the IndyCar Series to run on 100 percent ethanol.
Farmers appointed to serve on U.S. Soybean Export Council ST. LOUIS, Mo. — In an effort to continue to increase U.S. soybean farmer profitability through international exports, the United States Soybean Export Council (USSEC) announced director appointments to its board at a recent meeting.
The United Soybean Board (USB) appointed seven soybean checkoff farmer-leaders to the 19 member board, which was created in 2005 to strengthen relationships with foreign buyers and increase exports of U.S. soy.
These appointments come at a time when the U.S. soybean industry is coming off a record-breaking year. Figures recently released by USDA show U.S. soybean exports grew to an all-time high of 1.1 billion bushels.
The following soybean checkoff farmer-leaders have been appointed to serve on the USSEC board of directors for the 2008 fiscal year: Greg Anderson from Newman Grove, Neb.; Ike Boudreaux from Lebeau, La.; Phil Bradshaw from Griggsville, Ill.; Ken Dalenberg from Mansfield, Ill.; Secretary Terry Ecker from Elmo, Mo.; Eric Niemann from Nortonville, Kan.; and Chairman Mark Pietz. Many of these board members have been reappointed to the USSEC board and bring years of experience. Not only have they established the international marketing arm of the soybean checkoff, they’ve also helped build the U.S. soybean industry abroad. New board members bring a wealth of experience and perspective from working with their state checkoff boards and with other facets of the soybean industry.
This experience will be channeled into positively impacting U.S. soybean farmers’ bottom line by continuing to develop the international relationships with soybean buyers.
In addition to organizing its board for the next fiscal year, USSEC recently launched new marketing strategies with a shift in marketing focus. Soybean checkoff international marketing efforts, which were previously focused on geographic regions abroad, will now be focused on different product categories to better serve international customers’ needs.

Ceremony to honor Harvest Award winners Oct. 22
COLD SPRING, N.Y. — Glynwood Center, the not-for-profit organization whose mission to support community stewardship is advanced through educational and community-based agricultural initiatives, will honor the winners of its 2007 Harvest Awards with a ceremony at Beacon restaurant in New York on Oct. 22. The luncheon will showcase a menu of locally-produced ingredients prepared by top chefs across the country.
Glynwood Center received more than 60 nominations from more than 20 states to consider for its fifth annual Harvest Awards.
This year saw a trend toward efforts designed to encourage strengthening of the infrastructure that small farmers need if they are to remain viable in a changing and consolidating marketplace. There was also an increase in projects designed to encourage urban agriculture.
The Glynwood Farmer Harvest Award went to the 1,000-plus Family Farmers of the Organic Valley Family of Farms, La Farge, Wis. In 1988, seven farmers founded a cooperative that became the largest farmer-owned cooperative in North America in fewer than 20 years, selling more than 130 premium products under the brand name Organic Valley.
The farmers from 29 states and one Canadian province who own and control this cooperative have taken a visionary approach to working together to benefit themselves and, in so doing, provide a prime example of how small and mid-size farmers can work together to remain viable in a changing marketplace.
The awards were created by Glynwood Center in 2003 to highlight the creative work by individuals and organizations from across the country who do an exceptional job of supporting local and regional agriculture and increasing access to fresh, healthy food.