Farmer cooperative GROWMARK announced this week an investment in West Burlington, Iowa, ethanol plant Big River Resources LLC.
GROWMARK CEO Mark Orr says GROWMARK believes ethanol will continue to be a strong driver of the agricultural industry with the potential for new and exciting innovative uses such as a feedstock for Sustainable Aviation Fuel.
“Our investment in Big River Resources aligns with GROWMARK’s strategic goals to diversify and strengthen our operations. This investment will enable us to capture new revenue streams and provide added value to our farmer members,” he said.
“We are pleased to welcome GROWMARK to the Big River team as a new investor. GROWMARK’s cooperative nature and focus of returning value to its member-owners and farmer customers aligns strongly with our goals,” said David Zimmerman, CEO of Big River Resources. “We are committed to the enhancement of local communities through continuing value-added corn processing as well as maximizing the growing carbon economy for our shareholders and producer-members. GROWMARK will be a strong partner for us in realizing these goals.”
In addition to being the sixth largest ethanol producer in the U.S., Big River’s operational footprint in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa aligns with the GROWMARK System, providing greater access to the upstream value added to the corn produced by GROWMARK’s farmer customers.