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Ethanol’s impact in Indiana

At the Indiana Ethanol Forum held on Tuesday, April3, Rosiland Leeck, Director of Biofuels for the Indiana Corn Marketing Council (ICMC) highlighted the results of a study the ICMC conducted looking at the economic impact of ethanol in Indiana.

“This has been a great investment opportunity for our rural communities, it’s also a great employment opportunity, it creates a larger tax base and we bring additional market opportunities for our corn farmers,” said Leeck. “There are a lot of statistics that can back that up, but it is truly and economic development success for our state and the nation.”

The 13 ethanol plants in Indiana produce 1.12 billion gallons of ethanol, which ranks Indiana 5th in the country with 7.7 percent of the country’s ethanol production and Leeck says the state is poised to take advantage of opportunities for growth, but she adds there are some educational barriers to overcome.

“It’s going to take a village, it’s going to take many different approached,” Leeck said. “I think corn farmers have an opportunity and quite frankly in some ways, a responsibility to try and educate what we are doing with ethanol and the value of it.”

Audio: Rosiland Leeck, Indiana Corn Marketing Council (3:55 MP3)