“We’d rather be at the table, rather than not at the table or locked out of the room,” Paap told the lawmakers.

Several farmers wondered if the state might be able to increase the use of ethanol by promoting installation of blender pumps at filling stations. The pumps allow the owners of certain vehicles to select the mix of ethanol they want to put into their tanks.

“It’s something we’re looking at,” Rosen said.

Then she mentioned that reimbursing stations for some of the costs of switching to a blender pump would cost money. In 2009, Rosen said, that makes the prospects very questionable.