The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is back on as a co-title sponsor of the Crappie Masters Tournament for the second consecutive year. The first of 18 tournaments for the 2018 trail begins Friday, Jan. 26 in Deland, Fla., between Daytona and Orlando, at St. Johns River.

“We look forward to the continued education of the tournament Anglers, along with the general public, with an aggressive approach utilizing national television, social media, print, and grassroots face-to-face conversations,” said Crappie Masters President Mike Vallentine. “E10 is safe to use in outboards, as highlighted that in the past three years, every Crappie Masters tournament winning team has safely used E10 fuel with no reported engine issues.”

Listen to an interview with Mike from one of last year’s tournaments to learn more about his support of ethanol and farmers. Interview with Mike Vallentine, Crappie Masters

RFA Vice President of Industry Relations Robert White says last year’s sponsorship really helped boost public awareness of ethanol use in marine engines. “For nearly 30 years, 10 percent ethanol has been used in all types of marine engines and the fuel blend is approved for use by all major marine engine manufacturers, helping to clean the air and water,” he said. Additional funding for the sponsorship came from the National Corn Growers Association.

Crappie Masters Television will also highlight each tournament on a weekly show that can be viewed on the Pursuit Channel, which is on DIRECTV 604, Dish Network 393, Verizon, CenturyLink and Roku. The next Crappie Masters Tournament Trail event is Feb. 2-3 at Lake Talquin in Gadsden County, Fla.

The 2018 Crappie Masters Tournament Trail season runs through Oct. 20.