NASHVILLE, TENN. (RFD NEWS) — With fuel prices approaching new records, the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is again pointing to year-round E15 as a key tool to help lower consumer fuel costs while strengthening demand for U.S. corn. The group says expanded E15 access would not only provide a more stable market for farmers but also give fuel retailers greater certainty when making infrastructure investments.
A new read on inflation was released this morning with the Producer Price Index. The report measures inflation at the wholesale level before costs reach consumers. In March, PPI rose 0.5 percent, coming in below expectations of a one percent increase. On the year, prices are up 4 percent, also below forecasts. Energy led the gains, increasing 8.5 percent during the month. The data suggests some easing in price pressures at the producer level, though energy markets remain a key factor.
NCGA is closely monitoring energy markets, where volatility continues to heighten concerns about fuel availability and costs. While the EPA has approved temporary summer E15 sales to help ease potential fuel supply pressures, industry leaders say it is only a short-term solution.
NCGA Biofuels Director Lane Howard, along with Kentucky Corn Program Director Adam Andrews, joined us on Tuesday’s Market Day Report to discuss the outlook for year-round E15 policy and what it means for producers moving forward.
Howard says regulatory clarity is the missing piece preventing broader adoption.
“To give retailers certainty to make very costly investments in their facilities and to make these decisions to adopt this fuel, they need—we’re not looking for market certainty, we’re looking for regulatory certainty so that these retailers, these purveyors of our fuel to the customer, can feel comfortable making these large investments and portfolio adjustments.”
Lawmakers are also renewing calls for permanent year-round E15 sales. During a recent call with reporters, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) said discussions continue around adding additional assistance funding to the upcoming defense spending package to help offset high input costs for farmers.
But Grassley says he would rather see structural policy changes instead of direct payments.
“Put E15 in that instead of more money for farmers, because farmers want their money from the marketplace and not from the U.S. Treasury. And the economists for the Iowa Corn Growers say that’s going to bring $14 billion more into the farmers’ pockets from the increased price of corn if we make E15 year-round.”
Despite multiple working groups and legislative efforts, a long-term, year-round E15 solution has yet to be finalized, with key deadlines repeatedly missed in Congress.
Fertilizer Cost Survey Shows Growing Farmer Concerns
A new National Corn Growers Association survey finds producers are increasingly worried about input costs not just for this planting season, but heading into 2027 and beyond.
An NCGA task force says fertilizer pricing dynamics are placing significant strain on farm operations.
“You’re going to put your consumers out of business if you don’t stop gouging this, because we can also see that they are not hurting. In fact, some of those companies are making record-breaking profits, and we’re not seeing this here at the farm gate, so we’ve got to get something figured out here.”
The survey included roughly 1,600 farmers nationwide. It found:
- Urea prices are up 37 percent since the escalation of the Middle East conflict
- Other nitrogen products are up more than 20 percent
- 9 out of 10 farmers report higher local fertilizer prices
NCGA says the goal is to present policymakers with clear, data-driven evidence of market stress.
“Here are the numbers. This isn’t just, you know, a feeling or how’s our gut feeling — what’s the vibes out there. It’s like, no, this is what’s happening. These are hard numbers. And the, so we have that, and I think it paints a very clear picture. We’re going to the companies, and we’re showing them these numbers.”
While many (but not all) farmers have secured fertilizer for this year’s crop, the organization warns supply chain disruptions could still ripple into late summer and fall import windows.
