Iowa ethanol stakeholders are sounding the alarm that if Congress fails to include E15 in the spending bill this month, it could be the last chance the industry has to make it happen for some time.
“We have an opportunity in the next couple of weeks and we won’t have another opportunity probably for years,” said Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Executive Director Monte Shaw during a press conference Wednesday unveiling a new corn supply study. “We view this as a now-or-never, a do-or-die situation. And with what’s at stake in the ag economy right now, we need to pull out every stop and get this done. Failure is not an option.”
As of Wednesday morning, legislation allowing nationwide, year-round sales of E15 was not included in the fiscal 2026 funding package, and neither was a new round of assistance for farmers. The study released by Iowa RFA and Iowa Corn underscores the drastic need for immediate demand drivers for corn to help farm profitability, and that includes nationwide, year-round E15 and access to ultra-low carbon ethanol markets.
“Iowa corn farmers are struggling. Many of us don’t know what the future holds without access to new markets,” said Iowa Corn Growers Association President Mark Mueller, who farms in Waverly, Iowa. “We farmers are working on very, very tight margins…we have high input prices, we have low commodity prices and we’re producing more corn all the time. We need more places to move our corn.”
Kevin Studer, Iowa Corn VP Government Relations, says there is no other option. “We need a market now….and E15 is that solution,” said Studer. “I have taken some calls from farmers, they’re in a very dark spot…in eight years at Iowa Corn, I’ve never taken calls like that.”
The study found that year-round E15 would provide robust near-term demand with the ability to return corn prices to profitable levels. However, corn supplies would soon exceed demand once that occurs. For the longer term, E15 buys time for corn farmers and renewable fuels producers to develop new markets in the marine and aviation sectors. “Globally, the marine fuel market is a 70-80 billion gallon a year market,” said economist David Miller, Decision Innovation Solutions. “If corn could take even 2-3 percent of that market with ultra-low carbon ethanol it would very much help close the demand gap.”
Listen to the press conference here:
Iowa Corn and Iowa RFA presser 45:46
Comments 1
E-15 has been at the point of approval several times despite the enormous amount of effort by farm groups. I have been in conservations about ethanol since the seventies, it made sense then and with all the advanced technology in the biofuel industry its time has come. Environmentally it’s a win for everyone and adds to our fuel security with a renewable source, corn for one. Other countries have seen the benefits, look at our exports. The time has come to rally around this resource for US agriculture, our farmers and country. Get this done!!!!