Little Falls drivers line up at the pump for Better Fuel Initiative
Written by Jonathan Eisenthal
More than 100 drivers filled up with higher ethanol blends during a recent fueling event at Coborn’s gas station in Little Falls sponsored by the Crow Wing-Morrison County Corn & Soybean Growers.
Drawn in by fuel discounts, the drivers learned the benefits of putting higher ethanol blends in the tank. They also learned more about Unleaded 88, or E15, a 15% ethanol blend gasoline that is the focus of the Better Fuel Initiative.
“It’s a win-win-win, and we found people receptive to that information,” said Kennedy Janssen, District 3 Field Manager for the Minnesota Corn Growers Association (MCGA). Janssen serves as a liaison between eight local grower groups in central and southern Minnesota and the Minnesota state corn organizations.
“The advantages of Unleaded 88 are three-fold. It’s cheaper than 87-octane gasoline, usually by 5 or 10 cents per gallon,” she said. “The higher level of ethanol means reduced emissions and cleaner air. On top of that, purchasing Unleaded 88 supports your local farmer, and it’s better for your engine.”
Janssen acknowledged the challenge to the fuel initiative: “When it comes to fueling, it’s a habit, and you typically fill up with what you have always filled up with. Changing that can take some effort. We find people to be receptive and to want to learn more about Unleaded 88, and people are often surprised, because they didn’t know that Unleaded 88 contains 15% ethanol and ethanol has all those benefits.”
The June 17 event also represented a partnership among farmer groups. While the corn growers volunteered at the pumps and inside the store, local dairy producers were offering hamburgers and ice cream and talking to shoppers about where their milk, cheese and butter comes from. The simultaneous promotions brought out more people than either event might have on its own.
During the three-hour event, Coborn’s offered cookies to drivers who came to find out more about Unleaded 88, and they discounted the price of all the higher ethanol blends. E85 was 85 cents off per gallon, E30 was 30 cents off per gallon, and Unleaded 88 was 15 cents off per gallon.
The Better Fuel Initiative is a statewide effort by Minnesota’s corn growers to move to Unleaded 88 as the state’s standard gasoline blend. Currently, Minnesota’s standard gasoline blend is E10 or 10% ethanol.
Janssen said drivers were appreciative of the information and loved the discounts. In upcoming fall ethanol promotions, MCGA will once again employ the Twin Cities Road Crew, a professional events team, to survey drivers on their awareness of Unleaded 88.
