09/06/23 Doing the Hard Stuff That Needs Getting Done

It was not an easy thing to build a US ethanol industry from scratch. As with anything worthwhile there will be naysayers, dissidents and opposition to it. That was certainly the way it was with building the ethanol industry. It requires a group of committed individuals with determination, vision and tenacity to absorb sticks, stones and arrows that are inherently part of the grueling process where green shoots eventually grow into something meaningful. Thus was the process of building an ethanol industry. I have a lot of respect for people who build things and disdain for those who by nature put their energy into tearing them down. Building an ethanol industry delivered on the vision of adding a value-added component to corn-belt agriculture. It was worth all that had to be gone through to get it done. The demand created for over 5 bln bushels of corn by the ethanol industry was the greatest wealth creator for the corn-belt economy since the green revolution. This ethanol contributed to US energy independence. That was the prime motivation as to why George W Bush pushed the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) as part of his energy agenda despite being an oilman. Prior to…