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E15 – a common sense solution to increase demand for corn

Many in the ag industry continue to push for year-round E15.  

Nebraska farmer Jan tenBensel says, “There’s a lot of frustration that it seems so obvious that it should have happened already.” 

He tells Brownfield farmers need a steady and reliable market for their grain, and E15 is a common-sense solution. “For every one percent of ethanol we add to the national fuel supply, that’s almost half a billion bushels of corn that will be ground every year to provide that,” he says.  “Now, going forward, we just need to increase our grind, increase the amount of gallons of ethanol we’re using.”  TenBensel says year-round E15 has bipartisan support, and he’s hopeful Congress will take action sooner rather than later.  

AUDIO: Jan tenBensel, Nebraska, NCGA Biofuels Action Team

Bradley Schad, CEO of the Missouri Corn Growers Association, says access to year-round E15 is crucial as farmers face another year of incredibly tight margins.  “It’s another possible 3 billion bushels of corn that could be ground for energy,” he says.  “As we look forward, everything that’s going on around the globe, we need to make sure that we are energy secure, and we have that here at home producing jobs.” 

AUDIO: Bradley Schad, Missouri Corn Growers

Last month, bipartisan legislation was reintroduced in both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives to permit year-round, nationwide sales of E15 gasoline.  

Passing year-round E15 would help eliminate the existing patchwork of state regulations and provide consumers with consistent access to E15 throughout the year.