Outside factors affecting ethanol industry

    Perkins County certainly understands the impact ethanol makes on this region and Nebraska as a whole.
    Not only does having an ethanol plant within its borders at Madrid enhance corn marketing options, the wages and trickle-down impact of the plant’s presence looms large.
    The ethanol industry in Nebraska has come a long ways. In September, Mid America Agri Products/Wheatland L.L.C. celebrated the 12th anniversary of the Madrid plant.
    Since 2007, the plant has purchased more than 200 million bushels of corn and sold 570 million gallons of ethanol.
    As a state, Nebraska’s 25 plants produced 2.1 billion gallons of ethanol in 2018, compared to 2.2 billion gallons in 2017. That makes Nebraska the second largest producer for corn-based ethanol in the country.
    At full capacity, Nebraska plants possess the ability to produce 2.6 billion, according to the Nebraska Ethanol Board.
    The state’s ethanol plants have a significant impact on Nebraska’s economy, stable, excellent-paying jobs, taxes and by helping to build demand for corn.
    In 2017, the ethanol industry supported 5,166 jobs overall, with an average salary of $78,300 annually.
    This average salary amount is higher than similar jobs in other manufacturing industries. Those dollars go a long way in supporting rural Nebraska towns, helping to retain and attract new residents and ensure strong local economies.

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