State’s first biodiesel plant opens

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.