Economic Impacts of the Nebraska Ethanol and Ethanol Co-Products Industry 2015 - 2017

Feb 19, 2019

By Kathleen Brooks, Tim Meyer and Cory Walters

This study estimates the overall economic impact of the Nebraska ethanol industry from 2015 to 2017. It uses a quantitative measure (IMPLAN) and fundamental economic analysis to assess the harder-to-measure outcomes of the industry.

The Nebraska ethanol industry remains an important market in Nebraska with a production capacity of 2.558 billion gallons in 2017, resulting in the value of ethanol production at $3.764 billion, trailing only corn and cattle. Between 2014 and 2017, the productive capacity of ethanol in Nebraska increased by 23% and the number of full-time employees increased by 11.7%. While the industry has realized weakened ethanol prices between 2014 and 2017, the Nebraska ethanol industry has shown resilience through continued expansion in total capacity and diversification into co-products.

Download this 21-page report for more information on ethanol's impact on the Nebraska economy.

Highlights

Output, Employment, Labor Income, Indirect Business Taxes (2017)

Ethanol Production - 2.076 billion gallons
Value of Ethanol Production - $2.872 billion
Total Value - $3.764 billion
Employees - 1,453 full-time equivalents (FTEs)
Labor Income - $109 million
Indirect Business Taxes - $13 million

Overall Economic Impact (2017)

Employment - 5,166 FTEs
Total Labor Income - $370 million
Total Output - $4.154 billion

Source:unl.edu

Video: Creating Pollinator Habitat From Farmland

Why did we turn this land in to pollinator habitat? We we rented this farm consisting of six fields this 23 acres was the most challenging. Nine acres of is a large sandhill with trees all along the North edge. Most years it wouldn't produce very much grain at all. So when we bought this farm we decided it was time to take that hill out of production and put it to good use. So we seeded it to pollinator habitat. Here's a look at it three years in, and it's looking better every year. There's a strong marestail seedbank out there, but the pollinator species are beating it back a little more each year. The grasses have really come on strong this year. And we have a neighbor who keeps some beehives on the habitat. Hope you enjoy taking a tour of our pollinator habitat!