Farmer Dawson Grabau, who grows about 100 acres of corn, said the revenue for his corn has increased about 10 to 15 cents a bushel. That is coupled with the savings he gets by not trucking his 10,000 bushels down to barges at the Mississippi River. Grabau, who also is a shareholder in the venture, said he is making money from his investment in the plant. Grabau also uses distillers grain to feed his cattle. The byproduct is in high demand by farmers throughout the state.
Many farmers use the high-protein feed to mix with other feeds because they can get it at less cost.
Growing acceptance Callanan said the plant's smell isn't residents' main source of frustration. People are kicking themselves because they missed an opportunity to invest. Ten years from now there should be a lot of this stuff around. One hundred years from now we're not going to have any oil in the ground. He said the ethanol plant rarely is discussed anymore during morning chat sessions at Chic's Pizza, a popular downtown hangout.