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POET ethanol expansion in Indiana expected to boost corn demand, help support farmers

The expansion of an Indiana-based bioethanol facility could help increase domestic corn demand.

Jason Lucas with POET BioProcessing tells Brownfield the updates will allow the facility to process 193 million gallons of ethanol each year.

“Right now, we buy about 35 million bushels of corn, that will turn into about 70 million bushels,” he says. “That will help drive basis in the area.”

Shelby County farmer Jim Douglas says ethanol accounts for nearly half of the state’s corn usage and continued growth remains critical.

“Added revenue in any form helps in today’s economy, so this will be a big help,” he says. “If you’re a farmer, the closer you live to an end user, the better off you are.”

Indiana Congressman Jefferson Shreve says agriculture continues to help drive economic development in the state.

“We need reliable, domestic energy,” he says. “We’ve got a great distribution system, we’ve got good highway infrastructure, and rail. We can grow it, we can process it, and we can move it.”

The facility will also double its dried distillers grains and corn oil output.

Construction on the project began in March 2026 and is expected to be completed by Q4 in 2027.

AUDIO: Jason Lucas, POET Bioprocessing- Shelbyville

AUDIO: Congressman Jefferson Shreve