U.S. Sen. Kit Bond was on hand Oct. 24 to help mark the opening of Missouri's first biodiesel production facility, located in Mexico.

State's first biodiesel plant opens

SBJ Staff

Posted online October 29, 2006 | 11:00 pm

A ribbon-cutting ceremony Oct. 24 in Mexico, Mo., marked the opening of Missouri’s first biodiesel production facility.

Mid-America Biofuels LLC, a company owned by a majority of farmers, will operate the plant, which is capable of producing 30 million gallons of biodiesel annually from soybean oil, according to a news release.

Construction on the plant began in October 2005, and production is expected to begin within a month.

During an equity drive in 2005, nearly 400 agricultural producers in Missouri purchased shares in Mid-America Biofuels, which formed a joint venture with Archer Daniels Midland Co., Ray-Carroll County Grain Growers, MFA Oil Co., and Growmark Inc.

Biodiesel is a nontoxic, biodegradable, renewable fuel made from fats and oils. More than half of Missouri soybean farmers use biodiesel in their operations, according to the release.

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