Publication offers overview of SD ethanol industry

Publication offers overview of SD ethanol industry The 13 ethanol plants currently operating in South Dakota produce 726 million gallons of ethanol per year, or 8.5 percent of the nationâ�?�?s supply of ethanol. In addition there are two plants under construction and one undergoing an expansion. Those projects will add 240 million gallons of ethanol per year when complete, bringing the stateâ�?�?s total production capacity to about 966 million gallons annually. Those figures are from a new publication from South Dakota State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture that offers a brief overview of South Dakotaâ�?�?s ethanol industry. SDSU Extension Fact Sheet 945, â�?�?The South Dakota Fuel Ethanol Industry,â�? is available online at this link: http://agbiopubs.sdstate.edu/articles/FS945.pdf. Or ask at your county Extension office. The publication also reports that, according to the South Dakota Corn Utilization Council, the ethanol industry generates about 10 cents of new local income for every dollar of ethanol produced, which translated into more than $340 million of total added wealth during the year 2004. The industry also generates more than $1.1 billion in economic activity in the state each year. Authors are agricultural engineer Kurt Rosentrater of the USDA Agricultural Research Serviceâ�?�?s North Central Agricultural Research Laboratory, associate professor Kenneth Kalscheur and Extension Dairy Specialist Alvaro Garcia of SDSUâ�?�?s Dairy Science Department, and Extension Beef Specialist Cody Wright of SDSUâ�?�?s Department of Animal and Range Sciences. The publication also lists SDSU publications discussing use of ethanol co-products in livestock diets and gives the online addresses at which to download the publications. Separate publications deal with beef, dairy, sheep, swine, storage and mycotoxins. Consult the publication for more information.