2025 American Coalition for Ethanol Conference Presentations Available

August 22, 2025

Print This Article Share it With Friends

(AgNewsWire) The American Coalition for Ethanol’s (ACE) 38th annual conference is being held August 20–22 at the new Canopy by Hilton in downtown Sioux Falls, South Dakota. This year’s theme is “Homefield Advantage,” focusing on the countless benefits ethanol delivers and how ACE is working to help its members unlock new market opportunities.

Photos

2025 ACE Conference photo album

Interviews/Audio

Preview interview with Katie Muckenhirn, ACE Vice President of Public Affairs
Play 2025 ACE conference preview - Katie Muckenhirn (4:55)

ACE Leadership Panel: Homefield Advantage – Brian Jennings, Dave Sovereign, Ron Lamberty
Play 2025 ACE conference - opening panel (44:15)

Interview with ACE Board president Dave Sovereign, Golden Grain Energy
Play 2025 ACE conference - Dave Sovereign, Golden Grain Energy (6:31)

Interview with Brian Jennings, ACE CEO
Play 2025 ACE conference - Brian Jennings, ACE (16:19)

Interview with Ron Lamberty, ACE Chief Marketing Officer – 25 years with ACE
Play 2025 ACE conference - Ron Lamberty, ACE (15:05)

Remarks from Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD)
Play 2025 ACE conference - Rep. Dusty Johnson remarks (23:38)

45Z Outlook and Implications panel:
Faith Larson, Mickelson & Company, Vice President Renewables & Legal Counsel
Dana Jackson, RSM US LLP, Partner, Clean Energy Incentives
Rebecca Johnson, CPA, Christianson PLLP, Tax and Research Senior Manager
Play 2025 ACE - 45Z Tax Credit panel (54:26)

Driving Global Ethanol Market Acceleration – Linda Schmid, U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council, Multilateral Ethanol Policy Manager
Play 2025 ACE - Linda Schmid, USGBC (27:48)

Advancing Ethanol From Tax Incentives to Long-Term Markets
Jessica Monserrate, BASF, Head of Sustainability North America
Ron Alverson, Lake Area Corn Processors/Dakota Ethanol, Board Member
Thomas McKay, BASF, Program Manager – Circular Economy
Linda Schmid, U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council, Multilateral Ethanol Policy Manager
Martin Baker, Anew, Senior Director, Natural Climate Solutions (Project Origination)
Play 2025 ACE - Long-Term Markets panel (48:19)

Interview with Michael Franco, Fluid Quip Technologies president
Play 2025 ACE - Fluid Quip Technologies (3:39)

READ MORE

Related articles

ACE’s 38th annual conference kicks off in Sioux Falls with ‘Homefield Advantage’ theme (Ethanol Producer Magazine)
The ‘Homefield Advantage’ (Ethanol Producer Magazine)
Four Important Takeaways from the ACE Conference (American Coalition for Ethanol/Ethanol Producer Magazine)

Excerpt from Ethanol Producer Magazine: The American Coalition for Ethanol welcomed attendees of its 38th Annual Conference to Sioux Falls this week, bringing together ethanol producers, farmers, retailers, researchers, policymakers, and other industry leaders to advance ethanol’s role in strengthening rural economies, cutting carbon emissions, and expanding market opportunities.

The conference launched with a leadership “Fireside Chat,” setting the stage for the Homefield Advantage theme by spotlighting the top issues and opportunities facing the industry. ACE CEO Brian Jennings, ACE CMO Ron Lamberty, and ACE Board President representing Golden Grain Energy, Dave Sovereign, who is also an Iowa farmer and fuel retailer, began with the implications of a projected record corn crop, underscoring the need for near-term demand drivers—like year-round E15, strong Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) volumes, and export growth—while also exploring longer-term opportunities through low-carbon farming practices and the 45Z tax credit.

“Year-round E15 is the single most impactful step Congress can take right now to strengthen the farm economy by driving greater demand for ethanol,” Jennings said. “At the same time, the Administration can do its part by finalizing robust RFS volumes and making sure those volumes aren’t undercut by excessive refinery exemptions—reallocating any that are granted. Expanding ethanol demand is a better long-term solution for managing a surplus corn crop than short-term government assistance.”

“From the RFS to expanding exports, we have the tools to keep American ethanol competitive at home and abroad,” Sovereign said. “As a grower and a plant board member, I see firsthand the difference these policies make in our communities.”

“Low-carbon farming and tax incentives like 45Z can transform ethanol’s long-term value,” Lamberty said. “We’re working to ensure both producers and farmers get full credit for the carbon reductions they deliver.”

Following the Fireside Chat, attendees listened to a series of general session panels covering:

• The Clean Fuel Production Tax Credit (45Z), what it means for ethanol producers, and what steps are needed now to position for eligibility and success.

• A global perspective on ethanol trade and market development, with a focus on overcoming tariff, policy, and regulatory hurdles to expand international demand.

• Advancing ethanol opportunities into new markets such as chemical value chains and ensuring farmer premiums and carbon intensity accountability endure past 45Z.

At Thursday’s luncheon, U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-SD) delivered a keynote address.

“We’ve been working together a long time on E15; it’s the biggest no-brainer policy in the history of American government,” Congressman Johnson said. “I’m proud to partner with you to unlock more opportunities for homegrown American fuel.”

The conference concludes tomorrow with an awards ceremony and sessions covering:

• State-led initiatives to expand ethanol use, including Nebraska’s E30 demonstration and South Dakota Corn Utilization Council’s latest E15 consumer campaign.

• Plant-level innovations improving efficiency and corn oil recovery.

• New research on ethanol’s potential role in reducing cancer risk.

Full agenda and conference coverage are available here. READ MORE

Excerpt from Ethanol Producer Magazine: The 38th American Coalition for Ethanol Conference celebrated ethanol’s “Homefield Advantage” and discussed strategies to leverage that edge moving forward. Brian Jennings, CEO of ACE, explained that this year’s theme was born out of the organization’s work with farmers to make changes at the field level that could help ethanol producers reach new markets in the future. The name was also a reference to this year’s location—Sioux Falls, South Dakota—ACE’s homebase.

ACE’s leadership held a panel to open the general session on Aug. 20, which included Jennings; Dave Sovereign, ACE’s chairman of the board; and Ron Lamberty, chief marketing officer with ACE. The group addressed the possibility of a record-breaking corn crop, projected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to reach nearly 17 billion bushels, 188 bushels per acre. The conversation circulated around identifying potential market opportunities that could allow ethanol producers to grind more corn. Sovereign cautioned against reading too much into this prediction before harvest, saying severe weather events could still reduce corn yields significantly.

“The corn is exceptionally tall this year, it’s got exceptionally big ears and we’re going to be pretty susceptible to some wind damage that could really slow down the harvest process,” Sovereign said. “But what are we going to do with these bushels? Fortunately, we live here in the Midwest. Our governor[s] signed a waiver and we’re able to bring E15 into our Midwest states. And that sets a big example for the rest of the country.”

The discussion also touched on the possibility of leveraging the large corn crop to put pressure on policymakers to finalize E15 policy and alleviate farmers’ financial burden in the midst of low corn prices.

Getting E15 year-round is a priority because many fuel retailers want to avoid dealing with the uncertainty caused by reliance on waivers, Lamberty explained. This lack of clarity fuels retailers’ hesitation to invest in the infrastructure needed to offer it to their customers. Lamberty added that he thinks most of the hurdles in the way of E15 adoption have been removed. “I think it’s going to go big fairly quickly now, and I’ve never said that before.”

Sovereign and Lamberty both talked about the market interest in E15 and E85, with Sovereign saying around 30% of his sales at his gas station, Cresco Fuels, located in Cresco, Iowa, come from E15. “I recently saw a study where they said 85% of people buy their fuel based on price, and I think the other 15 lies,” Lamberty joked. He emphasized that although the industry wants consumers to understand the benefits to rural communities and the environment, the purchasing decision often comes down to cost savings.

Beyond E15, the trio addressed a variety of topics, including renewable volume obligations (RVO) and their impact on renewable identification numbers (RIN) values and trade dynamics.

Sovereign expressed optimism about the trade deals being made with other countries, saying they might help open the door to further opportunities. Lamberty added that there is not a lot of fearmongering in these countries, which is a good sign for the fuel’s growth. The acceptance of higher blends by U.S. trading partners is another encouraging element, Jennings noted.

The Section 301 investigation initiated by the Trump administration into Brazil’s unfair trade practices, such as the country’s 18% tariff on American ethanol, is “critically important,” Jennings explained. Despite its tariffs, Brazilian sugarcane ethanol receives favorable treatment under California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard and the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard. “We’re hoping that we can get this issue rectified, and that market can once again be something we are looking at,” he said.

Demystifying 45Z

...

Trade and Markets

...

Clear Top Priority
Looking toward the end of 2025, securing new markets and expanding existing ones are the key talking points. In an interview with Ethanol Producer Magazine at the conference, Jennings singled out E15 as “the first, second and third priority” in ACE’s advocacy work in Washington D.C.

“We’ve got to finally get this bipartisan bill across the finish line and give the certainty to the marketplace that it needs for those retailers that are still standing on the sidelines, that are unwilling to get into the E15 market in conventional gasoline areas where you have that summer restriction,” Jennings said. READ MORE

Excerpt from American Coalition for Ethanol/Ethanol Producer Magazine: 1. E15 legislation is a top priority in Congress. We have put great effort into the bipartisan bill to allow retailers to sell E15 year-round in all parts of the country, and Congress seems to have finally gotten the memo, which means the grassroots advocacy we have mobilized is paying off.

...

2. 45Z buzz is real, yet clarity is needed. A big thank you is owed to the outstanding panel of experts from RSM, Christianson, and Mickelson & Company who provided valuable insight on the 45Z Clean Fuel Production Tax Credit during our conference. These companies explained the changes Congress made to 45Z and helped our ethanol companies make plans to maximize returns on investment. Hallway discussions during our event were almost entirely about 45Z.

...

3. RFS blending volumes send strong signal for 2026 and 2027, but small refinery exemption (SRE) reallocation questions remain.

...

4. Sioux Falls’ homefield advantage. This was the first conference we have hosted in Sioux Falls in more than 20 years, and based on the overwhelming positive feedback we received from attendees, rest assured, Sioux Falls will become part of our regular rotation for conference sites. READ MORE