**Exhibit 31.1**

 

**CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO 17 CFR 240.15d-14(a)**

**(SECTION 302 CERTIFICATION)**

 

 

 

I, William Pracht, certify that:

 

1.             Ihave reviewed this annual report on Form 10-KSB of East Kansas Agri-Energy,LLC;

 

2.                                     Based on my knowledge, this report does notcontain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a materialfact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances underwhich such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the periodcovered by this report;

 

3.                                     Based on my knowledge, the financialstatements, and other financial information included in this report, fairlypresent in all material respects the financial condition, results of operationsand cash flows of East Kansas Agri-Energy, LLC, as of, and for, the periodspresented in this report;

 

4.                                     East Kansas Agri-Energy, LLC’s othercertifying officers and I are responsible for establishing and maintainingdisclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e)and 15d-15(e)) for East Kansas Agri-Energy, LLC, and have:

 

a)              Designed such disclosure controls andprocedures or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designedunder our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to EastKansas Agri-Energy, LLC, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made knownto us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in whichthis report is being prepared;

 

b)             Evaluated the effectiveness of East KansasAgri-Energy, LLC’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in thisreport our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls andprocedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on suchevaluation; and

 

c)              Disclosed in this report any changes in EastKansas Agri-Energy, LLC’s internal control over financial reporting thatoccurred during East Kansas Agri-Energy, LLC’s most recent fiscal quarter thathas materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, EastKansas Agri-Energy, LLC’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

5                                        East Kansas Agri-Energy, LLC’s othercertifying officers and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluationof internal control over financial reporting, to East Kansas Agri-Energy, LLC’sauditors and the audit committee of East Kansas Agri-Energy, LLC’s board ofdirectors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

 

a)                                   All significant deficiencies and materialweaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financialreporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect East KansasAgri-Energy, LLC’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financialinformation; and

 

b)                                  Any fraud, whether or not material, thatinvolves management or other employees who have a significant role in EastKansas Agri-Energy, LLC’s internal controls over financial reporting.

 

 
| Date:  | March  30, 2004 |                                     | /s/ William Pracht |
|--------|-----------------|------------------------------------------|--------------------|
|   |            | President (Principal  Executive Officer) |

 

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