The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) is marking 15 years of grassroots ethanol advocacy on Capitol Hill this week at its 2026 DC Fly-In. Since launching the first event in 2009, more than 300 individuals from over 30 states have participated in ACE Fly-Ins, bringing firsthand perspectives from rural America to the policymakers and regulators responsible for shaping the nation’s …
Ethanol Report from 2026 NEC
The theme of the National Ethanol Conference this year was Ethanol Unleashed and the big topic of discussion was the continued lack of Congressional action to allow year-round, nationwide sales of E15. This edition of the Ethanol Report podcast features a review of the conference with many of the participants, including comments from Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Geoff …
ZimmCast 757 – 2026 National Ethanol Conference
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. I’m Chuck Zimmerman. In this episode of the podcast I’m going to share some audio from the National Ethanol Conference. While Laura McNamara worked with Syngenta Seeds at Commodity Classic, which overlapped with the NEC, yours truly drove to Orlando and took photos, interviews and session audio in a custom virtual ag newsroom on …
Secretary Rollins Launches ‘One Farmer, One File’ at Classic
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins unveiled USDA’s new “One Farmer, One File” initiative Thursday at the 2026 Commodity Classic, promising a single streamlined digital record that follows producers across all agency systems and slashes paperwork burdens. Rollins described the multi-year modernization as a direct response to decades of fractured IT infrastructure — 500 custom systems managed by 1,000+ contractors at …
RFA CEO Calls for Unleashing U.S. Ethanol
In a rousing address at the 2026 National Ethanol Conference this morning, Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) President and CEO Geoff Cooper drew parallels between the ethanol industry’s untapped potential and the inspiring underdog story of college football quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Cooper likened the sector to the overlooked athlete who, given the chance, achieved extraordinary success – a metaphor for ethanol’s …
Former Industry Leaders Warn of Farm Crisis
A bipartisan group of former leaders of America’s major agricultural commodity associations and biofuels organizations, farmer leaders, and former senior USDA officials, sent a letter to Congress this week sounding the alarm about the current state of the farm economy and the potential for “widespread collapse of American agriculture.” In a letter released today to the leadership of the House …
Congress Devastates Supporters as it Punts on E15
Supporters of nationwide, year-round E15 were once again kicked to the curb by Congress, after weeks of negotiations between farm, ethanol, oil and refinery interests to craft wording that would have included it in the funding bill. Instead lawmakers have opted to create a new “Rural Domestic Energy Council” to develop potential legislative proposals on E15. It’s just too much …
Ethanol Report on 2025
2025 marked the 20th anniversary of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and showed just how far U.S. ethanol has come – and how much more it could accomplish for the world with just a little more freedom. Nationwide, year-round E15 spends another year in limbo, but California catches up with the rest of the country by unanimous passage of legislation …
Sen. Fischer Addresses Farm Crisis on Senate Floor
During a speech on the Senate floor Monday, Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE) addressed the economic crisis facing ag producers across America, stressing the need for long-term solutions for farmers and ranchers. “Producers of corn, soybeans, and other top commodities are under crushing pressure. Rising input costs and uncertainty have driven farm finances to levels reminiscent of the 1980s crisis, which …
ZimmComm Recognized for Ethanol Reporting
ZimmComm was honored to receive the media award from the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) last week for our “decades of dedicated reporting on the people, policies, and progress shaping the U.S. ethanol industry.” This means a lot to us because the ethanol industry was instrumental in our company’s success and we have been able to cover the most consequential …