Photo: Jeff Easter / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Iowa leads the country in ethanol, with more than 40 plants that together make roughly a quarter of the nation’s supply. The plants use more than half of the state’s corn crop.
For farmers around Clarion, an ethanol plant within trucking distance means a nearby buyer and often a better basis. The plants also sell distillers grains, a cattle feed, and corn oil.
Year-round E15 sales have been a long fight for the industry. Federal rules limited summer sales of the 15 percent blend for years, though emergency waivers allowed it in several recent summers. Iowa requires most new and upgraded gas stations to offer E15 under a 2022 state law.
Plant profits swing with corn and gas prices. A good year can mean dividends for local investors, many of them farmers who backed the plants in the early 2000s.
Curt Hanneman writes for Clarion News Online.