Iowa regional trucking firms say Iowa’s ethanol industry is fueling good business. Hundreds of trucks are hauling thousands of bushels of corn to the ethanol plants, then hauling away the fuel once it’s made.
According to the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, Iowa’s 21 plants produce more than one billion gallons of fuel, making it the nation’s largest producer. That will grow by at least 600 million gallons by the end of the year.
At Pine Lake Corn Processors near Steamboat Rock in eastern Iowa, close to 70 semis and tankers bring about 50,000 bushels of corn a day. In turn, they haul away 70,000 gallons of ethanol and 178 tons of distillers’ grain.
