It was a historic, significant and impactful day for the Wisconsin Soybean Association (WSA). For the first time, WSA joined forces with the Wisconsin Corn Growers Association (WCGA) and the Wisconsin Biofuels Association (WBFA) Feb. 26 in Madison behind one common goal: supporting farmers through expanding the state’s biofuels industry.  

“It’s the first time these three organizations have worked together, but they’re three organizations that really belong together because they all want to support Wisconsin farmers and the Wisconsin economy,” said Doug Rebout, WSA president. 

The group of around 30 farmer leaders and biofuels industry representatives teamed up and spanned all four wings and floors of the capitol building, encouraging their support of several polices, including:  

• Infrastructure grant program for biofuels fueling facilities 

• Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production tax credit 

• Consumer incentives for both ethanol, biodiesel and the Agricultural Road Improvement Program (ARIP).  

Thirty-seven of Wisconsin’s 132 state legislators (nearly 30%) are new to their offices, and only a few report agricultural backgrounds. Thus, the Hill Visits provided a unique opportunity for farmer leaders like former WSA President Sara Stelter to tell their story on why biofuels are important to Wisconsin’s farm economy.   

“It’s really important that, as farmers, we let our legislators know what’s going on at the farm,” said Stelter, who farms near Wautoma in central Wisconsin. “There’s actually only two legislators that have a recent farming background, so it’s crucial we show up and talk to them about how we farm, what we farm and how our farms play a significant role in contributing to the state’s economy.”  

Despite the fresh faces and lack of farming experience in the Legislature, supporting Wisconsin farmers still appears to remain a priority for legislators on both sides of the aisle.    

“Whether they were Republican or Democrat, all our conversations today were very positive,” said Rebout. “It’s evident agriculture is still very important to the state of Wisconsin.” 

Infrastructure Grant Program for Biofuels Facilities 

To help expand access to more fuel options, the group asked legislators to support legislation that requires new retail or wholesale fueling facilities to install equipment capable of storing or dispensing ethanol blends of at least 25% ethanol by volume and biodiesel fuel blends of at least 20% biodiesel by volume.  

“We’re not looking to take any current fuel options away, but we’re simply looking to increase access to biofuels,” Rebout said.  

The legislation is supported by the Wisconsin Fuel & Retail Association and would be funded by $8 million from the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) for the issuance of grants.  

SAF Tax Credit 

With most still unfamiliar with the concept of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), the legislators were intrigued and eager to learn about potential legislation that would create a SAF tax credit in Wisconsin. SAF is jet-fuel derived, at least in part, from renewable or nonpetroleum sources such as corn or soybeans. The credit being asked from WSA, WCGA and WBFA would provide $1.50 for each gallon of SAF produced in the state of Wisconsin. The credit would only be available for SAF produced using feedstocks that are grown or sourced domestically from within the U.S. and produced within Wisconsin.  

“Right now, there’s a $800 million soybean crush facility on hold in Evansville that could potentially provide the soybean oil for an SAF plant if a tax credit like this were to go through,” said Rebout. “An incentive such as this could help kick start the SAF industry in Wisconsin and provide some overall stability for biofuels as a whole.” 

Consumer Incentives for Ethanol and Biodiesel 

Wisconsin finds itself on a bit of islandas the only Midwestern state without state-level biofuels support, despite being a top-10 biofuel producing state. The group asked legislators to support the adoption of consumer incentives in Wisconsin for sales of ethanol and biodiesel. 

“These programs create a steady demand for crops like corn and soybeans, help stabilize prices and farm income, provide additional markets and drive investment into our rural farming communities,” said Adam Kask, WSA executive director.  

WSA is seeking a five-cent-per-gallon incentive for biodiesel blends containing 5-10% biodiesel, as well as a five-cent-per-gallon tax credit for higher ethanol blends like E15 and E85. Other area states offering similar consumer incentives include Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Nebraska, South Dakota and Ohio.  

Agricultural Road Improvement Program (ARIP) 

 Of all the requests the farmer-leaders presented during the hill visits, the most receptive by far was support for an additional $150 million in funding in the 2025-27 biennial budget bill to continue ARIP program. ARIP provides grants to municipalities to bring posted roads to non-posted status and prioritize roads that have the highest agricultural economic impacts. The program was first funded with $150 million during the 2023-25 biennium as the nation’s first agricultural-specific road funding program to upgrade local roads that shoulder over 10.8 billion pounds of ag goods annually.  

“This program is critical because the number of requests the state has received has totaled more than $500 million,” Stelter said, “which far surpasses even what we are asking.”   

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has funding for the ARIP program in his proposed budget, but his proposal only provides $50 million for the next biennium. Legislators on both sides of the aisle are strong proponents of the program and are eager to see it continue.

“Usually, we find ourselves wanting to cut things from the Governor’s budget, but in the case of funding for ARIP it’s just the opposite,” said District 15 State Senator Mark Spreitzer. “This is one of the things the Legislature is actually trying to one-up the governor on.”