Demand for ethanol grows, prices surge

Growing demand for ethanol has boosted prices for the corn-based fuel additive, worrying ethanol supporters just as they’re making inroads getting motorists interested in the alternative fuel.

Greg Boesch, who owns Fred’s Mini Mart in Shadeland, said that when he began selling a fuel that contains a high percentage of ethanol, it was between 30 cents and 40 cents a gallon cheaper than gasoline.

Now, he’s only able to keep the price of both products at $2.57 a gallon by losing money on sales of E85, a blend composed of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline.

Fort Wayne