Ethanol keeps Nebraska running in tough financial times

The headline of this post comes straight from CNN, where John King, CNN's chief national correspondent, produced a good article highlighting the importance of ethanol to Nebraska's economy.

For those of you on Twitter, John King is @JohnKingCNN. He Twittered and posted several picture during his trip to Nebraska.

The article features the Shaner family near Fort Calhoun, Nebraska, as well as the Advanced BioEnergy ethanol plant in Fairmont, Nebraska. The plant directly employs 45 people.

It talks about how the ethanol industry -- and agriculture in general -- have helped Nebraska have one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country.

Here's a great line from Jeff Shaner on the economic impact beyond another market for corn:

"Absolutely. Whether it be truck drivers, machine shops, people that are at the plant, maintaining the plant, hauling the garbage away from the plant," is Jeff Shaner's partial list of the economic impact. "It is a tremendous ripple effect."

Importantly, the reporter also got a tour of the ethanol plant, where he learned about the process of converting corn into ethanol and distillers grains, which he called a "prized byproduct" for feed.

The article also features some thoughts by University of Nebraska agricultural economist Dick Perrin.