Answers Needed to Boost Domestic Ethanol Markets

Over the past two years, ethanol trade has not only grown the industry but also kept it afloat. In 2024, 35 to 40 percent of United States Ethanol was exported to Canada, and David Zimmerman, CEO at Big River Resources, expects to see another record year in 2025.
“Those are good things. The bad thing is that our domestic inclusion rates have not increased, so we are more and more reliant on an export market that may or may not be affected by tariffs,” says Zimmerman. “What we’re seeing in the ethanol industry, and in the in the farm industry as well, is we are in a recession. You’ve seen farm prices drop 26-30% on corn at least over the last year, and we’re seeing something similar in our ethanol margins right now.”
The implementation of year-round E-15, says Zimmerman, would not only help boost the ethanol industry but also the farm level.