Badger State Ethanol of Monroe is the recipient of Compeer Financial’s 2022 Food & Agribusiness of the Year Award.
The award recognizes businesses in the food and agribusiness supply chain—including processors and manufacturers in food and beverage, fiber, biofuel, grain merchandising, ag inputs, logistics and more—that have shown leadership in innovation, agricultural advocacy, community outreach and client service.
Badger State Ethanol began operations in 2002 and today employs 50 people, producing more than 90 million gallons of ethanol annually. BSE also manufactures co-products as part of the ethanol making process, including corn oil for use in biodiesel production, carbon dioxide used in the food industry and more than 232,000 tons of distillers grains sold for livestock feed every year.
“A primary driver for selecting Badger State Ethanol for this award is their dedication to the ethanol industry, their inclination toward innovation and the commitment they have to their partners and in the community,” says Jason Johnson, managing director of food and agribusiness at Compeer Financial. “They have a clear passion about providing an affordable, domestically secure and greener fuel in the marketplace.”
Badger State Ethanol CEO and General Manager Erik Huschitt says when the plant was built, it invested in a thermal oxidizer to help reduce emissions, even though the technology wasn’t readily used in the ethanol industry at the time.
“I like to think Badger State Ethanol was green before ‘being green’ was cool,” he says. “We don’t take shortcuts. Little by little, all the changes we’ve made have positively affected our environmental impact and helped make our ethanol even cleaner.”
Other innovative advances include Badger State Ethanol’s approach to creating a higher protein distillers grain. The team figured out how to increase the protein faction from an industry standard of around 22 percent to 50 percent high quality protein, putting the facility on the leaderboard in this segment.
“It’s significant when you think about the world’s need for protein in animal feed,” adds Huschitt. “Now we’re seeing mass replication of this in the industry. I’m proud Badger State Ethanol led the way.”
BSE also has Smart Stations in the local community where customers can fuel their vehicles with ethanol produced in the region from local corn — a unique approach to help tell the story of ethanol through a first-hand experience. Through the years, Badger State Ethanol has embraced technologies and innovations that have resulted in a positive impact on the environment, a deeper connection with the community and continued advocacy for the industry.
“While innovation is a key driver for us, if we want to look behind the curtain at the magic of Badger State Ethanol, it’s our team,” says Huschitt. “Being able to retain a great team who are committed to our mission, is no doubt the secret to running a successful plant.”
That plant now holds the title of Compeer Financial’s 2022 Food & Agribusiness of the Year.
“In an operation like ours, with so much volume and volatility, it’s important to have a financial partner who is there in good times and in bad, and is invested in our success — that’s what we have with Compeer Financial,” says Huschitt. “The unprecedented challenges we face in today’s environment are manageable because of our partnership with Compeer and the confidence they have in us.”
Watch the 2022 Food and Agribusiness of the Year video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_–2yp-uPSA
Nominations for Compeer Financial’s 2023 Food and Agribusiness of the Year Award will open in early 2023. Learn more about the award and eligibility: compeer.com/food-ag-award
Leave a Reply