Ethanol tour led to more learning; the value of an internship

Behind the scenes

Ethanol tour led to more learning; the value of an internship

Connection and appreciation were the feelings I felt after the tour of an ethanol plant organized by Lane Howard, Director of Market Development for Missouri Corn.

The purpose of the tour was to learn something, and that’s exactly what I did! We heard from an employee who helps sell the product – Co-Products Merchandiser Anthony Schreiner – and Process Manager Jimmy Essig, who is at the plant every day.

When I think of ethanol, fuel comes to mind. Show Me Ethanol is present in many markets. Much like with farmers and much of the agricultural industry, diversification is key.

Show Me Ethanol has many customers and end products, but quality is one of its main goals. Similar to farmers.

The farmers’ corn can be used for more products and processes than I first thought. The plant produces ethanol for use in gasoline and alcoholic beverages, as well as many other products, including corn oil.

I grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin and always loved to talk about all things cows. When it came to how we grow our crops on our farm and what we buy to feed the cows, I wasn’t as familiar. This experience showed me agriculture from a different perspective, namely how the company works with many customers to provide ethanol – the liquid – and the solid – Distiller’s Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS) – as byproducts. Explaining these two products as byproducts made it very easy for me to understand the value of these two products, which contribute to a variety of end products that are consumed in different ways by people and livestock.

As a young agricultural journalist, I am still learning. This is possible because people have invested their time and effort to help me learn, allowing me to delve deeper into issues and story opportunities that are important to agriculture.

On this tour, I especially appreciated industry professionals in agriculture who wanted to share their stories with others, who enjoyed what they did – and you could see it in the way they talked, laughed and had fun – and who passed on their infectious energy to young adults in the industry like me.

This opportunity has resulted in invaluable connections as I continue to learn how important all things bio-based are to agriculture. There is so much more to learn and how ethanol helps improve opportunities for farmers and agronomists. As an intern and young adult, I look forward to learning more and sharing the stories of people involved in agriculture during my time at Brownfield.