WEBVTT CYNTHIA: IOWA FARMERS ARE EAGER TO GET OUT IN THE FIELDS, AND CORN GROWERS ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO PLANTING THIS YEAR WITH NEW OPTIMISM. >> IT’S ALWAYS EXCITING TIME TO GET OUT THERE AS A FARMER AND PLANT THE SEEDS. CYNTHIA: ROGER ZYLSTRA IS GETTING HIS TRACTOR READY. >> OK, CYNTHIA: WAITING FOR THE SOIL TO WARM UP >> I NEED TO GET A CLAMP, TO CLAMP THAT TOGETHER. CYNTHIA: TO PLANT 400 ACRES OF CORN ON THE FARM WHERE HE GREW UP. >> OUR CORN PRICES HAVE BEEN DEPRESSED LAST 3-4 YEARS, ANYTHING TO BUILD DEMAND IS REALLY CRUCIAL. CYNTHIA: ZYLSTRA COULDN’T BE HAPPIER TO LEARN THE US WILL NOW PROVIDE JAPAN WITH 44% OF THEIR BIOFUELS DEMAND. >> 35 THIS IS REALLY BIG BC THRU BECAUSE FOR ABOUT THREE YEARS NOW, WE HAVE REALLY BEEN WORKING ON TRYING TO DEVELOP ETHANOL EXPORTS. IT IS A GOOD WAY TO USE OUR CORN. CYNTHIA: THE IOWA CORN PROMOTION BOARD ESTIMATES THE US WILL EXPORT 96 MILLION GALLONS TO JAPAN, MUCH OF IT COMING FROM HERE, THE NUMBER ONE ETHANOL -PRODUCING STATE. >> THE SEED WE USE IS PERFORMING PHENOMENALLY FOR US. SO WE END UP WITH A SURPLUS OF CORN, AND THE BEST THING WE CAN DO WITH IT IS DEVELOP IT INTO ETHANOL. CYNTHIA: JAPAN HAS A NEED FOR THE HIGH OCTANE, LOW CARBON FUEL SOURCE TO REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS AND IMPROVE AIR QUALITY. >> IT ALSO CLEANS UP THE AIR IN THE WORLD, EVERYONE’S WORRIED ABOUT POLUUTION. CYNTHIA: JAPAN HAS A POPULATION OF 190 MILLION PEOPLE, AND CORN GROWERS OF HERE IN RURAL IOWA ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO HELP IT MEET THEIR NEED FOR FUEL. CYNTHIA FODOR,, KCCI 8 NEWS, IOWA’S NEWS LEADER.