Brazilian farmers, like their U.S. counterparts, are starting to see that it makes economic sense to use corn to make biofuel.

Earlier this month, participants in the 2020 Iowa Farm Bureau Federation Market Study Tour got a clear view of the inroads that corn ethanol is making in the Brazilian market, which has long been dominated by biofuel distilled from sugarcane. They also saw that the new ethanol plants are providing a range of economic benefits, creating jobs and providing a local source of livestock feed. 

The Iowa Farm Bureau members toured the FS Bioenergia plant in Mato Grosso, opened in 2017 by Iowa-based Summit Agricultural Group and local investors. The ...