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E15 brings more profitability for corn farmers

A leader in the ag industry says the U.S. EPA’s emergency waiver allowing sales of E15 this summer will help increase profitability for corn farmers.

Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig says over half of the corn produced in his state is first processed at an ethanol plant. “You take that away, or reduce that, and it has an immediate impact on the price of corn, which impacts every supplier to a farm, which impacts the value of our land, which impacts the communities that surround our farms. It’s all connected.”

He tells Brownfield producers need long-term certainty for year-round sales instead of annual waivers that offer a short-term fix. “I’m certainly appreciative of the fact the waiver was granted by EPA. I just wish we weren’t in the situation where we need an emergency waiver. What we need is permanence here, and what we need is predictability.”

U.S. sales of E15 are estimated to have hit a record 1.11 billion gallons in 2023, and Naig says that trend can continue with an increase in accessibility.