Ethanol ruling could open new door for farmers
As hundreds of farmers across Buchanan County ramp up work in April for the start of another season of raising corn, a recent announcement in Washington, D.C., will open a long-awaited door for a farm industry facing projected downturns in income.
Eight Midwest states, including Missouri and Kansas, received the green light to sell 15% ethanol year-round beginning next April after a final ruling from the Environmental Protection Agency, eliminating a previous ban on summertime sales. Almost 98% of gas sold in the U.S. is currently mixed with the lower 10% ethanol, a biofuel produced largely from corn.
With roughly 40% of corn in the U.S. going to ethanol production, the EPA’s ethanol ruling could provide a noteworthy boost to the profits of corn farmers as demand increases for the biofuel.
“It’s going to impact demand. It’ll also impact home bases a bunch,” said Reid Atha, part-owner of Atha Brothers Agriculture Service. “The more aggressive ethanol plants get needing corn to process it, then all your other elevators will kind of follow suit.”
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