An analysis by the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) shows how corn farmers and ethanol producers helped send Donald Trump to the White House.
RFA map shows counties that flipped to Republican between 2012 and 2016 with a big portion being in the corn belt
“(T)hese 218 counties were won by President Obama in 2012, but went to Trump in 2016,” writes Dinneen. “It is these “swing counties” that were ultimately responsible for tipping the scales and securing Trump wins in the battleground states of Iowa, Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania—states that voted for Obama in 2012.”
RFA’s analysis shows there are 33 ethanol plants located in the swing counties, which account for a substantial share of the nation’s corn and ethanol production, growing 1.97 billion bushels of corn and producing 2.8 billion gallons of ethanol in 2015. RFA found that 133 of those countries produced more than 1 million bushels of corn and are responsible for producing about 15% of the nation’s corn and nearly 20% of its ethanol.
Interesting analysis – read more here.