A Grand Event

Cindy Zimmerman

VanguardWell over 600 people were on hand for the grand opening of Missouri Ethanol on Monday in the small town of Laddonia, Missouri – which only has a population of 600!

Flying over head to kick-off the event was the 100 percent ethanol-powered Vanguard Squadron, and at the podium to praise the farmer owners of the plant for their dedication and perseverance were state and national government officials and organization representatives.

“This is more than just the city of Laddonia,” said US Congressman Kenny Hulshof (R-Mo). “This is the future of farming.”
Listen to Hulshof’s full remarks: Listen To MP3 Kenny Hulshof (5 min MP3)
Hulshof
Also speaking at the event were US Senator Jim Talent of Missouri, several state legislators, and the leaders of both the American Coalition for Ethanol and the Renewable Fuels Association.

RFA president Bob Dinneen welcomed Missouri Ethanol to “the fastest growing energy industry in the world – the US ethanol industry.” Brian Jennings with ACE noted that ethanol is now blended with 40 percent of the of the nation’s fuel.

Missouri Ethanol is the nation’s 105th ethanol biorefinery now open with over 40 more under construction. It is the fourth plant for Missouri.

Audio, Ethanol

Plant Manager Interview

Chuck Zimmerman

Robin VennThe General Manager of Missouri Ethanol is Robin Venn. He’s currently in the process of getting his house sold in Kansas City so he can move to the Laddonia area.

I interviewed Robin after the grand opening festivities were winding down. He says that all the employees of the ethanol plant are from Missouri which he thinks is unusual but shows that central Missouri has the technical talent for a plant like his and that the plant is keeping those people near home.

Listen to our interview: Listen To MP3 Robin Venn Interview (3 min MP3)

Audio, Ethanol, Facilities

Missouri Ethanol Ribbon Cutting

Chuck Zimmerman

Missouri Ethanol Ribbon CuttingThe grand opening event for Missouri Ethanol is just finishing up with public tours. I don’t think they could have asked for better weather. I heard the attendence pegged at 585 but I think it was more than that. It was a big crowd on hand.

The stage was filled with dignitaries who all got up together for the ribbon cutting to kick off the official opening of the plant. Production is slated to begin by tomorrow.

Ethanol, Facilities

Racing to the Hill

Cindy Zimmerman

Ethanol Hot Rod The National Corn Growers Association, the Ohio Corn Growers Association and the Renewable Fuels Association are bringing an ethanol-powered, high-performance race car to Capitol Hill this week to promote ethanol.

Mark Thomas, five-time International Hot Rod Association Funny Car champion, and his Ohio Corn Growers-sponsored race car will be on the corner of Delaware Avenue and C Street NE on Wednesday, September 27.

Learn more about Mark and his passion for ethanol as a farmer and a driver by listening to the Domestic Fuel interview with him on our previous post.

Ethanol, Racing

Biofinance Conference

Cindy Zimmerman

Finance Conference Training on how to finance biofuels projects is the goal of Infocast’s Ethanol & Biodiesel Project Finance: The Tutorial, coming up November 1-3 in Chicago.

Here’s the pitch from the organizers:

Biofuels are red-hot, and getting hotter by the day! But developers and financiers must understand how to best take advantage of the national Renewable Fuels Standard and other incentives, as well as how to mitigate feedstock and technical risks, in order to structure projects to optimize revenue streams while minimizing risk exposure.

Biodiesel, conferences, Ethanol

Prices Coming Down

Chuck Zimmerman

Mid Missouri Gas Price on 9-23-06I was very pleasantly surprised to see the price of gas in Columbia, MO yesterday.

Since I drive a flex fuel minivan I filled up with E85.

Tomorrow I’ll be attending the grand opening of Missouri Ethanol in Laddonia, MO. I’ll be taking some pictures and doing some interviews and will ask about our gas prices and what role ethanol is playing in them currently.

Ethanol

Prairie Horizon Opens

Cindy Zimmerman

Prairie Ethanol Prairie Horizon Agri-Energy, LLC is celebrating the grand opening of its 40 million gallon per year ethanol biorefinery near Phillipsburg, KS.

Prairie Horizon Agri-Energy President Monte Abell says, “This project is the result of the commitment of a visionary board and the support of the community. They had a clear recognition of our need for renewable fuels and an economic boost. Although we are an ‘LLC,’ many of the 300 owners are farmers from Kansas and elsewhere in the Midwest.”

Ethanol, Facilities

Map of Progress

Cindy Zimmerman

As the biodiesel industry continues to grow, the National Biodiesel Board is mapping the progress.

Currently, there are 86 plants producing biodiesel throughout the nation. That’s up from 65 plants in April. NBB estimates there are another 65 plants under construction.

Keep up with the biodiesel growth by checking out the maps on the NBB website.
Existing plants map
Plants under construction or expansion

Biodiesel

Bunge Ethanol and Biodiesel Plans

Cindy Zimmerman

Bunge MGP MGP Ingredients Inc. and Bunge North America are considering jointly building an ethanol plant in the Atchison, KS area, according to a Kansas City Business Journal report.

In a filing Thursday with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Atchison-based MGP Ingredients said the companies have made no decisions to proceed beyond the investigatory stage.

In other Bunge news this week, the St. Louis-based agribusiness corporation announced it is teaming up with Memphis-based Biodiesel Investment Group, LLC to build Illinois’ largest biodiesel plant in Danville.

Plans are for the joint venture, Biofuels Company of America, LLC to build the 45-million gallon per year biodiesel plant adjacent to Bunge’s soybean processing facility in Danville, Ill. Work on the site is already under way with plans for the plant to be operational in the first quarter of 2008.

Biodiesel, Ethanol