KDHL Farm Director Jerry Groskreutz hosts AM Minnesota today from the Al-Corn Clean Fuel Ethanol Plant in Claremont.

Al-Corn is a farmer-owned ethanol production cooperative and has 500 member investors in the company.

According to Al-Corn's website, these members invest in the company financially and agree to deliver a quantity of corn to the plant determined by their investment. The "corn commitment" has been an integral part of their success.

The website reads, "annually Al-Corn grinds 17.5 million bushels of corn and produces 50 million gallons of ethanol. In addition the plant produces 132,000 tons of high protein livestock feed and 12 million pounds of corn oil, we also capture 70,000 tons of beverage grade carbon dioxide, all of which are resold."

Al-Corn Clean Fuel was founded in 1994. The cooperative was created because corn prices were depressed and area farmers were looking for opportunities to add value to their corn crop.

I'm sure Jerry will touch on where the plant is today in relation to when it first began production in 1996.

For example, according to the Al-Corn website, the plant has "reduced water consumption to less than 2.4 gallons of water per gallon of ethanol and was the first plant to achieve zero liquid discharge."

The plant's energy use has also been reduced by more than a third compared to the original plant design. I attended those first organizational meetings and remember the passion farmers had to maximize the value of their corn.

Jerry's visit in Claremont begins at 9:30AM today. If you can't listen then, the show will be on our YouTube channel later today.

Al-Corn Clean Fuel Celebrating 20 years of Ethanol Production.
Al-Corn Clean Fuel Celebrating 20 years of Ethanol Production.
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