Fate of US Corn Farmers Hinges on Future of Green Air Travel

For US corn farmers, the rise of green jet fuel is their best hope of staving off an existential threat.

With battery-powered cars poised to slash gasoline demand by 2040, corn-ethanol makers need to find new markets, and fast. After all, roughly 40% of the country’s output of the grain is used to make the biofuel that’s blended into gasoline.

That’s why some producers are betting on a nascent technology that promises to use ethanol to power planes.

“It’s a lifeline,” said Patrick Gruber, chief executive officer of renewable fuels producer Gevo Inc., which is building an $850 ...