Ethanol supporters shouldn’t shy away from better fuel economy standards, a panel of industry leaders told corn growers recently at the Commodity Classic in Anaheim, California.

Instead, they need to emphasize the biofuel’s octane advantage to convince automobile manufacturers to build engines that optimize fuel economy with the use of higher-level ethanol blends.

“We see our growth opportunity around high-octane fuel engines,” said Bob Dinneen, president and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association. “Auto companies...