Climate Changed

Tired of Waiting on Washington, Ethanol CEO Bets on Animal Feed

Green Plains’ Becker wants ethanol to be an ‘afterthought’
Company looks to proteins, corn oil, clean sugar for growth

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By Kim Chipman

January 15, 2021 at 11:03 PM UTC

Updated on

January 16, 2021 at 1:00 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Green Plains Inc. Chief Executive Officer Todd Becker is getting closer to his goal of never having to worry about U.S. ethanol policy again.

Instead of awaiting Washington’s next move in the industry’s battle with Big Oil for share of gasoline tanks, Becker is working to transform Green Plains into an agricultural technology company focused on extracting more oil and high-value proteins from corn, with ethanol merely a byproduct.