Expanding ethanol sales nationwide would support farmers, strengthen fuel supply and lower prices. 

Iowa Farm Bureau President Brent Johnson and American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall met with Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and other cabinet members and senior officials from the Trump administration at the White House last week to discuss year-round E15.

“Year-round E15 would be a win for everyone — lower prices for consumers while supporting rural America and long-term domestic demand for U.S. agriculture,” said Duvall. 

Farm Bureau supports legislation that would authorize year-round E15 sales in all 50 states, eliminating annual uncertainty regarding federal limits on fuel volatility that restrict the sale of E15 in many parts of the country each summer. 

Nationwide year-round E15 authorization would create new demand for ethanol, providing a reliable market for U.S. corn while strengthening domestic fuel supplies and saving consumers money at the gas pump.

“Iowa leads the nation in biofuels production, and Iowa farmers stand ready to meet the growing demand for biofuels,” said Johnson. “Iowa’s 42 ethanol plants are running below capacity, so they can ramp up production as E15 expands, provided the right policy and infrastructure are in place.”

Iowa plants accounted for about 28% of U.S. ethanol output in 2024, producing 4.6 billion gallons of ethanol. Ethanol represents the largest market for Iowa’s corn crop, utilizing 1.56 billion bushels or nearly 59% of the state’s corn crop. 

Nationally, ethanol production consumes about 5.6 billion bushels of corn each year, roughly 33% of total U.S. corn production. 

According to the National Corn Growers Association, a 5% increase in the average ethanol blend rate from E10 to E15 would translate to 6.8 billion gallons of ethanol, or roughly 2.4 billion bushels of corn a year.