Farm and Ranch Guide reports that recent figures from the Nebraska Public Power District show that the ethanol industry in Nebraska has created nearly 700 permanent jobs at ethanol plants. An additional 1,500 have been indirectly created by the ethanol industry in related industries and from increased economic activity created by the ethanol industry.

Jobs at Nebraska ethanol plants average an annual salary of $49,000 according to a 2006 survey by the Nebraska Ethanol Board, well above the average Nebraska salary of $34,300, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“The ethanol industry not only provides employees with excellent compensation opportunities, it also generates wealth for entire communities, and by extension, all Nebraska,” said Todd Sneller, administrator of the Nebraska Ethanol Board.