News

Indiana farmers pleased with biofuels announcement

The president of the Indiana Corn Growers Association says Hoosier corn growers are pleased with the biofuels proposal to expand blending requirements in 2020.  

Sarah Delbecq, who farms in DeKalb County, says it’s a good first step.

“Some of (the proposal) looks to the future and it leaves you wondering what happens as far as what’s already been done, but there are good things coming in recognizing that granting an exemption to a refinery can have impacts all the way down the line to a corn farmer in terms for the price they get for their grain,” she says.

She tells Brownfield corn farmers rely on these markets.

“We can’t afford to have less grain used for ethanol,” she says. “It’s a big chunk of the Indiana pie in terms of corn usage and even for the whole country.”

The waivers have negatively impacted Indiana’s farmers. Through 2018, the EPA waived 2.6 billion gallons of ethanol, which nearly offset Indiana’s entire corn output from 2017. Indiana is the fifth largest producer of US ethanol, generating more than 1 billion gallons per year.

Audio: Sarah Delbecq, Indiana Corn Growers Association