Kansas farmers annually produce more than 600 million gallons of biofuel and provide millions of tons of distillers grains to our country’s livestock.
Kansas’ biofuel plants purchase 27 percent of all corn, 30 percent of all grain sorghum and add 63 cents per bushel of soybeans grown in Kansas.
Biofuels support our state’s economy
By purchasing so much corn, sorghum and soybeans, our state’s biofuel plants produce more than 600 million gallons annually, worth nearly $1 billion, while each plant also employs an average of 45 workers at an average salary of $59,130. These plants are also some of the highest tax payers in the state, as the industry reported paying more than $10 million annually in property taxes to fund local rural schools and infrastructure.
Biofuels feed our livestock
Kansas’ 11 fuel-grade ethanol plants, spread out in rural areas across the state produce high-nutrient distillers grains used to feed livestock. Distillers grains are high in the protein, fat, minerals and vitamins these animals require, plus by drying the grain, it is able to have a longer shelf life which improves its ability to be transported longer distances.
Biofuel allows for productive harvests
Looking at corn and ethanol alone, Kansas boasts 11,684 farms growing 686 million bushels of corn annually, with 27 percent of it being used for ethanol production. The 11 fuel-grade biofuel plants in our state annually create more than half a billion gallons of biofuels, creating a market for millions of bushels of corn, sorghum and soybeans.