The Environmental Protection Agency released the long-awaited Renewable Volume Obligations for blending renewable fuels in 2026 and 2027. Brian Glenn, director of government affairs for the American Farm Bureau Federation, said the new numbers provide some very good news for U.S. agriculture.

"They included record-high obligations for those blending requirements. So, that essentially means, for the American farmer, that will help drive increased demand for our crops," Glenn said. "And this also helps spur development of additional domestic processing capacity for these homegrown biofuels."

Farmers are facing significant economic challenges, and this action should help bolster the farm economy by driving strong domestic demand for crops.

"A strong Renewable Fuels Standard, with these record-high Renewable Volume Obligations, does just that," Glenn said. "It increases domestic demand for our American-grown crops, and this means additional support and resources and money in the farmers’ pockets."

Glenn said Congress can further support the farm economy by quickly passing year-round E15.

"This is an immediate fix. It should be something that we can get done, and relatively quickly, get support in additional domestic demand drivers to farmers," Glenn said. "If year-round E15 gets passed by Congress, it can lead to an additional 2.4 billion bushels of corn, per year, in demand."