The South Dakota Farmers Union will host an educational meeting about ethanol blender pumps on Thursday, Feb. 28, in Pierre.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. CST at the VFW, 401 S. Central Ave.

The public is invited, and no pre-registration is required.

The meeting is aimed at consumers interested in the economic and environmental benefits of using higher blends of ethanol, according to a Farmers Union news release.

Topics to be discussed include a general overview of ethanol blender pumps, flex-fuel and nonflex-fuel engines, higher blends of ethanol, new technologies in the ethanol industry, myths and facts about ethanol, blender pump operation and blender pump installation.

Speakers will be South Dakota Secretary of Agriculture Bill Even; Al Kasperson, a former instructor at Lake Area Technical Institute; Steve Kleepies from Westmor Industries, a blender pump installer; and Owen Jones with the American Coalition for Ethanol.

SDFU President Doug Sombke will talk about his extensive knowledge about ethanol use. Sombke has been using a 30 percent blend of ethanol and gasoline in all of his vehicles for many years by custom mixing the blend himself on his farm. He has found that this higher blend of ethanol can be used in nonflex-fuel vehicles to improve fuel efficiency with no adverse effects.

For more information, contact Mitch Fargen at 695-0705 or mfargen@sdfu.org.