Farmers Union Oil of Portland, ND recently renewed its membership with Growth Energy. Formed in 1930, the locally owned cooperative has been providing bulk fuel, propane, and farm supply services to Portland and neighboring communities for the past eighty years. Besides these services, the Portland Farmers Union Oil also maintains a 24-hour convenience store in neighboring Mayville and cardtrol sites in Galesburg and Clifford.
According to the manager of Farmers Union Oil of Portland, Ken Kornkven, their primary interest in joining Growth Energy Market Development was to continue supporting ethanol. “We’ve been avid supporters of ethanol since the 70’s and we have been selling ethanol enhanced gas for over 40 years. About five years ago, we put in E85 and a year and a half ago decided to offer more choices at the pump, by installing blenders that offer E20, E30, E40 and E85.”
As part of a Midwestern cooperative, Kornkven recognizes the importance of maintaining the connections between fuel providers, farmers, and the ethanol industry, “We want to support the organizations that support us.” They were the second in the state to install blender pumps.
As more flexible fuel vehicles appeared on the road, Farmers Union of Portland wanted to support local farmers and continue their support of ethanol. They decided to switch over to blender pumps and put in a product that the farmers were growing.
The transition to Ethanol blended product has not been an easy one over the years as Kornkven can attest. “Unfortunately, there are a few obstacles, challenging the growth of alternative fuels and E85. There is a loss in mileage with E85. However, when we installed the blender pumps we were pleasantly surprised; E30 doesn’t affect mileage and is very close to the mileage from E10. Sometimes it is challenging when big oil and big ranchers lash out at ethanol, it can be hard to overcome the negative feedback nationally.”
In light of the challenges with ethanol, Kornkven sees promise for the future. “I think we’ve overcome a lot with consumer education. Over the past ten years we’ve been able to address consumer backlash by dispelling many of the myths surrounding Ethanol. When you are producing your own fuel it’s easier to sell and to support local communities. As FFV vehicles become more widespread, we need to continue to educate the public about the benefits of ethanol.”
