The National Corn Growers Association gathered signatures from nearly 9,000 corn growers and advocates from 47 states on a letter that was sent this week to House and Senate leadership calling for legislative action to allow sales of E15 during the summer months.

“A legislative solution for consumers to access year-round E15 comes at no cost yet would provide critical support to our nation’s energy sector, overdue relief to American families, and provide necessary economic security to rural communities,” the letter said.

The letter was sent by the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).

The sheer number of signatures in the letter is testament to the strong sentiment about increased ethanol demand among farmers, especially as commodity prices drop and input costs increase.

“Standardizing year-round E15 will result in an increase in corn demand of about 2.3 billion bushels per year,” the letter stated. “Considering that about one-third of corn produced in the U.S. is used for ethanol production, this demand creation will result in an impressive improvement in profitability for operations across the nation – and rural communities will reap the benefits.”

Many farmers signed the letter during Commodity Classic in Nashville at the NCGA exhibit.