BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
GREATER FORT DODGE GROWTH ALLIANCE BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
CARGILL FORT DODGE: A DECADE IN THE MAKING Cargill is beginning preparations to celebrate a big anniver-
Over the past 10 years, the facility has made sizeable investments
sary next year – the 10 year anniversary of the startup of its
in equipment, technologies and process improvements to keep
booming biorefinery business in Fort Dodge. In 2011, Cargill
it leading-edge and able to meet the growing demands of its
saw big potential in Fort Dodge. Surrounded by cornfields sat
customers. It continues to serve its co-location partner, CJ BIO
an abandoned factory designed to produce ethanol and starch.
America, maker of amino acids used for swine and poultry feed.
The location was definitely ideal for a corn milling facility to
With acreage still available to expand, the facility continually
thrive, and it definitely had the potential for Cargill to repli-
looks to attract new co-location customers.
cate the success it had at its Blair, Neb., and Eddyville, Iowa, biorefinery campuses. It was the perfect trifecta. In the spring
Through it all, the Cargill Fort Dodge team remains committed
of 2011, Cargill purchased the facility and the 507 acres it sat
to safety. Employee engagement, protecting and conserving the
on and never looked back. It transformed the abandoned fac-
environment, and investing in the community are also incredi-
tory into the third corn milling operation that Cargill owns in
bly important to Cargill Fort Dodge. In the past year, the team
Iowa today.
volunteered more than 400 hours and made significant contributions to the United Way campaign, Harlan Rogers Park, Back-
After significant investments in construction and upgrades,
pack Buddies, and the Community Early Childhood Center. The
the Cargill Fort Dodge biorefinery officially went online on
team funded school programs, helped conserve duck and pheas-
Oct. 29, 2013. Since prior to start up, the site has grown from a
ant habitats, supported several surrounding area volunteer fire
team of 100 to more than 240 Cargill employees and contrac-
departments, and provided scholarships to local graduates.
tors. Each day, the facility grinds more than 150,000 bushels of corn, thanks to its nearly 675 corn grower partners. The
Communities like Fort Dodge and Webster County are the heart
facility converts the corn into fuel-grade ethanol, dextrose (a
of our food system. We are humbled by the opportunity to be
feedstock for other bioindustrial processes), and livestock feed.
here and look forward to another 10 years of growth and partnership with the leadership and residents of this great community.
10 • FORT DODGE BUSINESS CONNECTION • June 2022 12
