Utilization

It might seem like field corn is primarily used as livestock feed. In reality, there’s much more to this versatile little plant!

Field corn is the main ingredient in ethanol, a cleaner-burning fuel. It’s also a key export commodity, invaluable to markets across the globe. Additionally, it’s used in thousands of products, from cereal and tires to crayons and biodegradable plastic.

Each year, Minnesota Corn works to build export markets and increase usage of corn-derived fuels, foods and consumer products. Read on to learn how the state’s corn farmers are supporting new markets and uses for their crop.

Ethanol

To promote opportunities for Minnesota’s corn farmers, Minnesota Corn invests in efforts to promote and increase usage of ethanol-blended fuels.

Exports

As part of its mission to increase profitability for Minnesota’s corn farmers, Minnesota Corn invests in multiple organizations that work to maintain and develop export markets.

New Uses

To create new markets for field corn and increase the sustainability of consumer products, Minnesota Corn invests in efforts to develop corn-based goods.

Ethanol

Ethanol, which in the U.S. is primarily derived from field corn, is a cleaner-burning fuel that reduces greenhouse gas emissions by nearly half compared to gasoline. It also contains higher levels of engine-boosting octane and costs less. Fuel containing 15% ethanol, which is also known as E15, or Unleaded 88, typically costs 5 cents to 20 cents less per gallon on average, for example.

Almost all gasoline sold in the U.S. contains 10% ethanol. All vehicles model year 2001 and newer are approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to use Unleaded 88. Additionally, automakers provide full warranty coverage for Unleaded 88 for more than 95% of new vehicles sold today.

Given the many benefits of Unleaded 88, the number of retailers carrying the fuel in Minnesota has skyrocketed in recent years. Minnesota has also seen sales of Unleaded 88 rise to record levels in recent years.

Some retailers sell fuel with even higher ethanol blends, such as E85, but those fuels can only be used in flex fuel vehicles.

Each bushel of corn produces 2.9 gallons of ethanol. The process of creating a gallon of ethanol also creates over 15 pounds of dried distillers grains, or DDGS, which are typically used as a protein-rich animal feed.

[More: Get the latest ethanol news on the Minnesota Corn blog]

Since 2008, Minnesota Corn has invested over $30 million to promote and increase usage of ethanol-blended fuels. Efforts supported by Minnesota corn have included:

To learn more about the benefits of ethanol-blended fuels, visit betterfuel.org.

Exports

Exports of U.S. corn help support countries across the world and create vibrant rural communities.

Each year, the U.S. exports billions of bushels of field corn, providing a valuable boost to farmers and the agriculture industry. A recent study found that grain exports supported over 12,700 Minnesota jobs in 2018 and accounted for $3.2 billion of the state’s economic output.

Minnesota Corn invests in multiple organizations that work to maintain and develop export markets, including:

Minnesota Corn thanks these organizations for their efforts to promote exports of corn, ethanol and corn-based products.

New Uses

Without the hard work of dedicated scientists, it’s quite possible that many corn-based products wouldn’t have been developed.

To facilitate this innovation, Minnesota Corn is proud to invest in a variety of new-use projects. In recent years, such investments have included:

Read the latest updates on these projects at mncorn.org/blog.

© 2024 Minnesota Corn Growers Association.