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October 13, 2003

Michigan Corn Educates Drivers about Ethanol

DEWITT, Mich. – Car enthusiasts from across the state converged in Midland, October 10-12 and heard the ethanol message from the Corn Marketing Program of Michigan (CMPM) who was on hand to educate consumers about the environmental and economic benefits of ethanol-blended fuels.

Ethanol, 200 proof alcohol, is a renewable fuel made from fermented corn. Ethanol is used as an additive in gasoline at either the ten percent or for some specially produced vehicles at 85 percent levels. All vehicles are warranteed to burn 10 percent ethanol and flexible fuel vehicles are warranteed on up to 85 percent ethanol blends. For a complete listing of those vehicles, visit www.e85fuel.com.

“We are proud to be farmers and we’re proud that Michigan is the ‘Car Capital of the World’, so it is even more exciting to think of the two industries coming together in Michigan to help consumers,” said Richard Godfrey, CMPM President and a corn producer from Jonesville. “It’s great to think about how much we, as farmers, could do to help fuel vehicles in this state and across the country by simply growing more corn that is then fermented into ethanol. Take for example, that one bushel of corn can be processed into nearly 2.8 gallons of ethanol,” Godfrey explained. “When you take into account that we as Michigan corn farmers produce over 240 million bushels of corn annually, you can see that we can really make a dent in our dependence on foreign oil.”

“When we attend events like this our goal is to educate as many of the 50,000 event attendees as possible about ethanol-blended fuels,” said Jody E. Pollok, CMPM Executive Director. “This international auto show is the largest new car outdoor auto show in North America and it provides us with a great opportunity to share information to those who are interested in their vehicles and care about performance. The three-day event on the campus of Northwood University showcases the newest vehicles and we are showcasing a premiere fuel to be used in these vehicles.”

“Even though Americans drive billions of trouble-free miles using ethanol-blended gasoline every year, there are still many myths about ethanol-blended fuels,” Pollok added. “The fuel has changed since it was used in the 1970s and today vehicle manufacturers include ethanol blended fuels in their vehicle warrantees.”

In addition to showcasing ethanol for vehicles such as cars, one of CMPM’s partners, Kettering University, was also present at the event to showcase the work of their students in developing an ethanol-powered snowmobile. Kettering students displayed their ethanol-powered snowmobile to the delight of many winter sport enthusiasts and explained how they developed a fuel system that runs on both a ten and 85 percent blend of ethanol.

Headquartered in Lansing, CMPM is a legislatively-established statewide program that utilizes one-cent per bushel of Michigan corn sold. Investments are made in the areas of research, education, promotion, and market development in an effort to enhance the economic position of Michigan corn producers. CMPM works cooperatively with the Michigan Corn Growers Association, a grassroots-membership association representing the state’s corn producer’s political interests.

 

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