Vital Magazine - Winter 2022

WINTER 2022 A NEW LINK IN THE SUPPLY

CHAIN

POET Terminal – Savannah positions POET to better serve its customers around the globe

BY

in rhythm with nature research and innovation

At some point, technology and nature fell out of rhythm. POET's continued dedication to developing new, sustainable plant-based technologies is getting us back in rhythm with nature. | poet.com

OUR IMPACT

Vital magazine is a news and media resource managed by POET, the world’s largest producer of biofuels. Since 2008, Vital has provided readers with forward-thinking content that helps to advance an industry that provides renewable energy and bio-based products from the surface of the Earth. Vital seeks to educate readers about the state of the biofuels sector today and the breakthrough stories of innovation and sustainability of tomorrow by presenting a variety of insights and perspectives.

Each issue features in-depth, quality reporting on important topics, such as the fight against the climate crisis, innovation in agriculture, local and national policy landscapes and stories of the men and women advocating to advance bioethanol and other renewable bioproducts.

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FEATURES

08 | Thriving Together

POET Never Satisfied Scholar partners with Seeds of Change

18 | Bringing Home the Green

Stover harvesting gets a makeover with POET's Project Freedom

32 | A New Look at ValueDriven Agriculture

Bioethanol’s value starts at the farm, extends to the world

40 | A New Link in the Supply Chain

POET Terminal – Savannah positions POET to better serve its customers around the globe

50 | Iowa Falls Plant Exemplifies “One POET” Spirit

POET Bioprocessing - Iowa Falls goes above and beyond in community

COLUMNS

06 | In Sight

By Jeff Broin

24 | Farm Fresh

By Matt Vining

38 | Mechanics Corner

Automotive advice from the Under the Hood radio show

58 | Out Of Left Field

By Scott Johnson

Top: POET Bioprocessing – Iowa Falls | Bottom left: POET Terminal – Savannah

Right: Children play in Gambia | Bottom Right: Farmer Neil Schutte shows harvest

IN SIGHT

Still Never Satisfied

By Jeff Broin, Founder and CEO of POET

At POET, we often use the mantra “Never Satisfied” to reflect our business philosophy. A good business never stops moving, and at POET, we have a hunger to constantly push the limits and find new ways to make a difference in the world.

When I look back at 2022, I’m proud to say we once again demonstrated that “Never Satisfied” mentality. The year was defined by successful efforts to expand bioproduct markets and drive national biofuel policies, which will serve to benefit not only POET but the entire industry in the years ahead.

First, in early 2022 we grew our footprint in the bioCO2 market by completing construction on an addition to POET Bioprocessing – Portland (Indiana). As the fastest-growing renewable CO2 company in the U.S., this is part of ongoing work to expand our POET Pure line of bioproducts for commercial markets, and we look forward to more bioCO2 projects in 2023.

This was an especially exciting year for POET Bioproducts, starting with the acquisition of a rail-to-container transload facility in Savannah, Georgia. POET Terminal – Savannah has expanded our global network and is enabling us to better serve our customers all over the world. With so many industries facing supply chain challenges, this acquisition has been key in improving our transportation flexibility and traceability for animal feed products.

Also on the feed front, the teams at POET Bioprocessing – Shell Rock (Iowa) and POET Bioprocessing – Fairmont (Nebraska) worked diligently to receive the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) Management System Certification. This not only gives POET’s customers assurance that we adhere to the highest food safety standards, but it also positions us to take advantage of new markets for clean, safe, and sustainable feed and food products in the future, like pet food and aquaculture.

On the policy front, POET Bioprocessing – Menlo (Iowa) was the stage for President Joe Biden’s announcement suspending the summertime ban on E15. This announcement came in the wake of worldwide fuel shortages and reinforced the power of American-made biofuels to improve national fuel security and prices at the pump.

It only makes sense for the government to extend this policy. Americans should have the right to access clean-burning, affordable fuel every year, not just in 2022, and we will continue to work with our legislative allies to ensure a permanent fix for E15. One big win this year was Iowa passing the nation's first E15 standard. This is the first step towards similar standards across the nation.

In

addition, Washington passed historic legislation for biofuels with the Inflation

Reduction Act. The clean fuel tax credit creates unprecedented incentives for our bioprocessing plants to lower carbon emissions. In addition, the 45Q tax incentive for CO2 sequestration was expanded to $85 a ton, putting more certainty behind carbon capture, utilization, and storage projects that we believe will create significant value for bioethanol producers and rural America alike.

I’m incredibly proud of the hard work, talent, and tenacity displayed by the POET team in 2022, and although it’s important to celebrate the many successes of the year, now is the time to look to the horizon and continue to build on the momentum we’ve worked so hard to create.

We will not stop innovating, we will not stop fighting for the biofuture, and, as always, we will remain never satisfied.

Thriving Together

POET Never Satisfied Scholar partners with Seeds of Change

By Makenzie Huber

Windows dangle from broken hinges at a small medical outpost in rural Africa. Rain leaks into the building from holes in the steel sheeted roof, muddying the dirt floor littered with livestock droppings. But this building is far from neglected or abandoned. In fact, it’s necessary — it’s the rural Bambara community medical outpost in The Republic of Gambia (The Gambia), which is the only healthcare access point for the local village of nearly 1,000 residents, in addition to four surrounding villages.

Women crowd inside for a monthly reproductive and child health clinic, shuffling together to form lines and standing for hours to receive medical care. The packed space turns the scorching summer heat into a sauna. The medical center doesn’t have a latrine or a station to wash hands. This summer Ashna Patel, an undergraduate student at the University of Pennsylvania, stood with the women and helped care for them as a student intern.

She learned the women’s stories and how they would trek miles with children on their backs to access medical care at the dilapidated outpost since the closest hospital was 17 miles away.

The 18-year-old knew she had to do something.

“It’s a basic human right to have a place where you can take your baby or yourself to get the care you deserve,” said Patel, who is studying business and computational biology. She and another intern, Isabella Santiago Lindsay, were determined to help.

Bwiam General Hospital staff meeting in Bambara

Leaders at the Bwiam General Hospital — which operates eight rural Gambian outposts, including the one in the Bambara community — were committed to upgrading clinics Patel visited, telling her and her fellow interns about planned renovations.

Patel saw that outside funding was needed to expedite and achieve such an effort, and she helped coordinate fundraising efforts with other interns, reaching out to several organizations back home in the U.S.

But she isn’t an outreach coordinator — she’s a student. The calls for donations she made to organizations around her hometown of Pittsburgh weren’t returned. She didn’t know how to raise the money needed for such an effort.

So, she turned to POET. The 2021 POET Never Satisfied Scholar contacted Miranda Broin, Director of External Communications for POET. Broin, who helps manage the scholarship program, had encouraged scholars like Patel to keep in contact with POET after their experience in the program, wanting to be a resource for them as they ventured further down their chosen educational and career paths.

Patel wasn’t asking for a donation to the project, though. She simply asked Broin, who also serves as Vice President of the Board for Seeds of Change (the international nonprofit founded by Jeff and Tammie Broin), for advice on how to fundraise, which led Broin to connect her with Macy Kaiser, Executive Director for Seeds of Change.

Kaiser noted that the project was a perfect fit for the nonprofit, which distributes millions of dollars to cultivate sustainable change and address poverty through agriculture, education, and environmental and human health initiatives.

The cost of the project was only $4,450 — minimal compared to some of the higherdollar projects Seeds of Change typically funds. But to the village, the renovation is priceless.

“This was something manageable where we could make a huge impact for a small community and hospital,” Kaiser said. “To the board, it was a no-brainer.”

Patel, who was still in the Gambia at the time of the news, rushed to the hospital chief’s residence after hearing about the Seeds of Change donation, bursting with excitement.

The donation has been used to tile the dirt floor of the medical outpost, provide a cardboard ceiling barrier for leaks, replace the damaged roof with new sheets of corrugated steel, repair broken windows, establish a reliable water supply, purchase chairs, and — perhaps most importantly — install a hand wash basin and the village’s first latrine.

Bwiam General Hospital in Bambara

Ashna Patel and sabella Santiago Lindsay help local families in Bambara

The space can be used not just for healthcare but also by the local school as a cafeteria or as a community meeting space — anything to encourage community empowerment and mobilization.

“This is one of the biggest development projects the community has seen in a decade,” Patel said, adding that the rural community is about 15 miles from a main road, and only about three vehicles drive in and out of the village a day. “It’s no small feat.”

But this endeavor to provide life-changing — and, in many cases, life-saving — health resources to communities that have previously lacked access is not new to Seeds of Change or the Broins, whose personal donations helped to construct two clinics in the Central African Republic and Uganda long before the nonprofit was founded.

Today, Seeds of Change's human health and environmental initiative, aptly named Mission Thrive, has had a widespread impact on improving livelihoods. Thanks to Seeds of Change, hundreds of thousands of individuals in Nigeria, Madagascar, South Sudan, El Salvador, and now Gambia have unprecedented access to clinics and community-based wellness programs.

“In certain areas, we utilize a model that’s proven extremely effective in bringing healthcare to rural communities,” explained Broin. “Village health workers come to the clinics from their remote villages to receive basic medical training — everything from handwashing to malaria prevention to maternal and infant care — and bring that knowledge back to serve their communities. It’s truly empowering individuals by equipping them with the power to save lives, whether or not they live near a brick-andmortar clinic.”

Through Mission Thrive, Seeds of Change has also long invested in promoting the adoption of clean, biofuel-powered cookstoves to

combat indoor air pollution, a significant threat to human health and the environment. And most recently, the organization ventured into a primary water project in southern Madagascar, where 1.2 million people are experiencing the effects of the country’s worst drought in 40 years. Over 500 potential sites have been surveyed, and three 160-foot-deep wells have already been drilled since August to provide clean water for 12,000 people. Two more are currently being drilled in Nigeria.

“It brings a smile to my face to see the impact this organization has on people who are truly in need of these resources,” Kaiser said. “Giving ten to twenty dollars pretty much helps teach several people medical basics to impact their villages, or provides a farmer with new techniques to feed their family, or feeds a few students for a whole year. It’s incredible how far a dollar can go with these programs.”

And the results are a drastic contrast to what the Broin family witnessed on their inaugural trip to Kenya in 2012, which spurred the launch of Seeds of Change.

“It is truly changing lives to have projects like this in rural areas, and it’ll hopefully save a lot of lives as well,” Broin said. “This is one example among many that prove how, when we work together toward a common goal and when we empower people and communities to create their own success, we can spur lasting — and hopefully generational — change.”

It’s important to note that one hundred percent of donations to Seeds of Change go toward actual projects like Patel’s since POET covers the staffing needs of the organization. And while it’s one of the smaller projects Seeds of Change has funded in its 10 years, it’s especially meaningful to the organization because of POET’s prior connection with Patel.

“Ashna is a brilliant young woman with great aspirations,” Broin said. “This has been a unique full-circle project since she originally came to us through the POET scholarship program. She proved then that she was on her way toward changing the world, and now we’re able to further support her endeavors through Seeds of Change.”

It calls back to the nonprofit’s mission to cultivate sustainable change. It’s not just to impact developing countries but to influence people of all ages in the U.S. to become catalysts of change as well.

Patel plans to continue fundraising efforts for the Bwiam General Hospital while studying at the University of Pennsylvania. The group hopes to build residences for medical professionals next to each outpost in the region. Many health workers stationed at the outposts can only find housing miles away, which robs them of the ability to respond to emergencies or basic healthcare needs.

Knowing the impact she’s already made working with the Bambara community, POET is fueling Patel’s drive to do more. She has a vision to work with other countries to create sustainable programs in the future.

“I want to be part of creating those communication channels,” Patel said, “connecting donors like POET to work being done on the ground and creating clear blueprints on how to help.”

It drives Broin, too, knowing that any 18-year-old can dream of changing the world and realize it’s possible to do so by making an effort and finding the right connections.

“I remember being around her age, going to Kenya, and coming home wanting to do more,” Broin said. “I was lucky to have the resources to channel that passion. Now to see Ashna take initiative and accomplish so much already, I’m excited to see what she and our other scholars can do going forward. It gives me hope to see the mentality of our youth and what they’re trying to do to make the world better.”

Q&A With Congressman Darren Soto

By Matt Ward, POET Government Affairs Manager

Congressman Darren Soto represents Florida’s 9th District covering Osceola and portions of Orange and Polk counties. Though not from the Corn Belt, the Congressman understands that biofuels have an important role in our clean energy future.

We recently sat down with Rep. Soto to discuss biofuels and the energy transition.

Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

I represent sunny central Florida which is a positive, fast-growing area of the nation. Great weather. I hope everybody reading this considers coming to Orlando on vacation. I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t pitch our region!

I’m someone who focuses a lot on my district and on these areas and wants to make sure we’re creating new jobs but also transitioning to a new energy mix. It’s important that we can both leave a better planet to our children and create technology that will keep business going strong as we sell these technologies throughout the world.

Primarily, I work on environment and technology policy. I use tech broadly, computers, health tech, aerospace, and energy, among other areas.

I’m a lawyer by trade. I started out practicing commercial law and had a small business where I had to make a payroll twice a month. I get that what government does can be helpful but can also be a hindrance.

I have a lovely bride, Amanda Soto; she’s an assistant principal at an elementary school in the district. My father was born in Puerto Rico and moved to New Jersey, where I’m originally from, in his childhood, and mom is of Italian descent.

POET is the largest producer of DDGS in the world, helping provide high-quality feed to many species of livestock. Can you tell us about the agriculture industry in your district?

Sure, people know about the citrus [in my district] already. We also have a huge amount of cattle, probably the biggest agricultural product in the district.

They’re predominately cow/calf operations. There are some unique relationships between the Midwest and our region. One of which is that we birth the cows, and at about 500 pounds, we ship them out west. So, with the feedstocks that you are making here, I’m sure central Florida cows are destined to start noshing on DDGS again as we get them to 2000+ lbs.

You’ve supported a strong Renewable Fuel Standard. As a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, you’ve spoken to a mix of solutions to embrace a clean energy future. What role do you see biofuels playing in mitigating climate change, and why do you believe a broad array of solutions is needed to meet GHG reduction targets?

We passed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which provides the greatest investment to fight climate change in the history of our nation: $369 billion. This is our nation’s investment. And we don’t take that lightly. We took an all of the above approach, providing tax incentives for a whole range of different types of energy. Our hopes are that what you’re doing here (at POET) is really answering the nation’s call.

One area of particular importance to central Florida that the biofuels industry is working on is Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).

Forty percent of tourists coming to central Florida, which is our biggest industry, come in through our airport. Making biofuel more viable and cheaper, or reducing emissions that go into the air in central Florida, all of these things are really important for our region.

I was told SAF would take twenty years to become economically viable. Now we’re seeing SAF coming online within the next one to three years, and that’s exciting. And that’s some of the innovative work that you’re doing with biofuels.

President Biden visited us at our Menlo, Iowa, bioprocessing facility earlier this year. To paraphrase, he said, “You can’t get to a clean energy future without biofuels.” Do you agree with that? How do you continue to spread that message nationally and in Congress?

President Biden is right; biofuels are part of our clean energy future, which is why we included the incentives in the IRA. More than my opinion is action, and including it in this landmark bill shows that you are in the game and you need to be.

It’s key to talk about what you’re doing here. So, talk to your neighbors. And I’m not even talking politically; I mean to give the nation hope that we’re doing big things about the climate crisis and passing along a better world for our kids.

I don’t have to tell you that the Midwest is a key part of not only Congress but the Presidency. You’re in a very important area of the nation. Presidencies are won in the Midwest, particularly over the past 20-30 years. That is a great opportunity to influence future policy in addition to giving the nation the hope for hope’s sake that we are on a better path than we may read about every day.

If you could share one message with our readers who are invested in the future of agriculture and its role in decarbonization, what would that message be?

You all are part of the solution for innovation to address key energy solutions and combat climate change. What you’re doing here is really innovative, and you need to talk about it. Preach the gospel across the Midwest and the country that what you’re doing is special and you’re answering the call of the nation. Continue to innovate, don’t rest on your laurels. The things you’re doing now are already going to help the nation move forward, but continue to innovate.

Bringing Home the Green

Stover harvesting gets a makeover with POET's Project Freedom

By Ryan Turpin

Corn stover leads a paradoxical life. It is an answer and a riddle in one, a symptom and a treatment, a frustratingly problematic solution. In philosophical terms, it’s akin to a Gordian knot — one that POET hopes to unravel.

For the unversed, stover is what’s left above the soil after corn is harvested: stalks, leaves, husks, sheaths, shanks, tassels, silks, and more. Today, only about 50% of the corn plant is made directly into bioproducts, while the rest is typically either left to decompose or collected and used as silage or bedding for livestock. Because corn is the mostproduced crop globally, the scale of stover’s availability — approximately 178 million dry tons annually — and its potential value as a renewable fuel source are massive. Unlocking that value has proved challenging, but POET believes it is a worthwhile endeavor.

“Project Freedom” is a new biomass-to-power project in which stover will be used to provide renewable power to POET’s bioprocessing facility in Emmetsburg, Iowa. The system is scheduled to begin operation by mid2023. The power will be generated in the form of thermal energy via steam created by burning the stover, reducing the facility’s reliance on natural gas by up to 65%. But while reducing emissions from its bioprocessing plants certainly represents progress in POET’s sustainability goals, Project Freedom brings much more to the table.

Serving the farmers and the environment

In short, Project Freedom offers corn farmers a system of stover management that is easier, simpler, and more beneficial than the traditional method. This exciting project will create an additional revenue source for farmers while supporting sustainable agriculture practices and solidifying agriculture’s place in America’s developing bioeconomy. Many may remember POET’s Project LIBERTY, a joint venture between POET and Royal DSM at POET’s Emmetsburg, Iowa location. It was a commercial plant that used corn stover (rather than starch) to produce what is known as cellulosic bioethanol. Project LIBERTY ran for about seven years before production was paused in 2019, and the facility was transitioned to a research and development hub.

“Project LIBERTY provided a wealth of foundational knowledge in utilizing corn stover,” said Jason Martin, Director of Strategic Development for POET Bioprocessing. “We have been able to take what we learned and use it to supplement Project Freedom. The technologies go hand-in-hand, and we’re excited to continue our growth in this area of sustainable practices.”

Project Freedom will help demonstrate how new and sustainable agriculture products add value in an increasingly climate-conscious world, leading to increased opportunities for developing additional products and revenue streams for producers moving forward. In addition to a new revenue stream, the upsides to this project include reduced competition for soil-based nitrogen, less tillage, and a greater chance of success for cover crops.

The advantages to producers are numerous, but this project doesn’t just benefit the farmer; it’s better for the environment too. Healthier soil leads to better yields, which are good all around. Less tillage means lower fuel costs and reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and cover crops allow for lower fertilizer costs and sequestration of carbon. In the future, those

cover crops may even be used as renewable energy feedstocks themselves.

“POET has been collaborating with farmers for more than three decades to cultivate an ag-based bioeconomy for the future, primarily by growing bioethanol use in the U.S.,” said Christian McIlvain, President of POET Grain. “Now, the future is here, and we’re excited about the potential to utilize corn stover to bring even more value to farmers while moving one step further on our path to decarbonization.”

That sentiment is shared at the Emmetsburg facility, which General Manager Daron Wilson believes is an ideal spot to launch Project Freedom. “There’s a lot of excitement here for this project,” Wilson says. “Being a part of an effort that can lower our carbon footprint while also bringing more value to local farmers is extremely rewarding.”

The science behind the project

Like many other seemingly simple innovations — resealable chip bags, upsidedown ketchup bottles, windshield wipers with more than one speed — it begs the question: Why hasn’t this been done all along? After all, corn has been used as an energy feedstock for more than 40 years. Why are we just now cracking the code with stover?

One reason is that, historically, corn stover has proved challenging to harvest because of certain disadvantages that can result from its removal. Stover decomposition or removal significantly impacts the soil’s microenvironment. Left to decompose on the field, it acts as a fertilizer — depositing potassium and phosphorous, among other nutrients. However, that places a heavy demand on nitrogen in the soil to break it down.

Aware of these challenges, no one is better suited to take them on than POET. The world’s largest biofuel producer partnered with Iowa State University to target the appropriate

POET Bioprocessing - Emmetsburg, the location of Project Freedom

amount of biomass that can be removed from an acre of land. The biomass collection rate will be variable but based on factors associated with farming practices and field conditions. POET has also identified the necessary steps to minimize concerns related to biomass collection.

“We’ve done a significant amount of research into this technology,” said Martin. “We know exactly how much stover our producers can take from their fields without causing any issues. We’re already working as needed with each of our farmer partners participating in the project to help them navigate the science accurately.”

Factors like these, which underscore the hidden complexity of stover harvesting, have compelled organizations like the USDA Agricultural Research Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to develop research-backed tools and guidelines for stover-associated risk assessment, which in turn have aided in the development of Project Freedom’s novel approach.

“POET has taken into account our own research as well as the procedures recommended by USDA and NRCS to make the best recommendations to our producers,” said Martin. “As with everything else we do, we took our time to go through all the possible challenges and drawbacks of this technology and found solutions that will fit our farmers’ needs. We’re ready to take on this new initiative and are excited at the potential it holds.”

Sowing seeds for future sustainability

Several elements of Project Freedom remain proprietary, but the system will be operational this year. Despite being one of the cheapest, most abundant forms of renewable biomass, turning stover into steam and electricity is still more costly than the natural gas that currently powers many of POET’s bioprocessing facilities. However, new government incentives may make it feasible, and POET sees the project as an investment — and as an example of the innovative thinking that will be required to curb carbon over the long term.

“I’m very excited about Project Freedom,” says McIlvain. “It’s another great example of POET’s efforts to create value for biofuels and agriculture, and this initiative will offer a slate of benefits to rural America and our environment.”

At full capacity, Project Freedom would offset more than 82,000 metric tons of CO2 at the Emmetsburg facility, but the minds behind the project hope it will do much more. Project Freedom is not an isolated emissions reduction effort — it’s a blueprint for a more comprehensive design intended to benefit farmers, improve crop yields, promote regenerative agriculture, and showcase the results of a long-term commitment to sustainability.

“Sustainability has always been at POET’s core,” said McIlvain. “Our mission is to be good stewards of the Earth and to convert renewable resources to energy as effectively as humanly possible. With Project Freedom, we’re able to do exactly that, taking our sustainability efforts to the next level.”

Navigating the New Carbon Economy

By Matt Vining, CEO of Navigator CO2

Carbon management is in the midst of a fundamental and long-lasting evolution. With corporate commitments like net zero by 2050 and pledges of carbon neutrality at the forefront of the energy sector's focus, biofuel producers are eager to identify innovative and sustainable solutions to stay competitive in an everchanging energy landscape.

Enter carbon capture. With the recent expansion of federal policy incentives and continued growth in domestic and foreign carbon-based markets, there has never been a time more favorable for carbon capture projects. Driving down costs opens the door to accessibility across a wide range of industries, including the bioethanol sector, which has largely pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 70% by 2030 and achieve net zero production by 2050. However, growth and accessibility still come at a cost. With hopes of reaping the economic and environmental benefits of carbon capture, many companies are finding it challenging to source carbon solutions that can offer a cost-effective, longterm means to safely, reliably, and permanently reduce their carbon footprints.

As Chief Executive Officer of Navigator CO2, my goal is to help solve this challenge by leveraging our team's experience and creating a path to sustainable carbon solutions via our carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) platform, the Heartland Greenway.

Once fully realized, the Heartland Greenway system will transport up to 15 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually from Midwest value-added processors. With various on- and off-ramps, this dynamic system will help our shippers manage their carbon emissions, with versatile market access to permanent geologic storage or terminal off-takes across the footprint.

Heartland Greenway's scale and diversity of supply also make it a critical supplychain solution for next-generation industrial applications by using CO2 as feedstock in place of hydrocarbons. We, along with our partners at BlackRock, are investing in companies and applications that accelerate the commercialization of the science and create value for new uses of carbon.

The bioethanol industry is already using the well-researched and proven technology that is CCUS to reduce the carbon intensity of fuel products. And while the scale of this project is unprecedented, our experience in building this type of infrastructure is not. As with all of our projects, we will safely develop the Heartland Greenway System in a systematic, multi-phased approach, creating an efficient supply chain backbone that translates into a unique value proposition for all stakeholders.

Our team at Navigator has been carefully curated for over ten years with industry-leading experts in their respective fields, enabling us to build a strong reputation for safe execution. Our experience building and operating complex pipeline systems in the US span over 6,000 miles.

As a company, we're committed to designing, building, operating, and maintaining our systems safely and reliably while working with local communities. We accomplish this by listening to stakeholders and meeting or exceeding minimum safety, design, construction, and operating standards set forth by federal, state, and local governments.

Heartland Greenway is still early in its development; however, we plan to start construction in 2024 after we've been granted all necessary permits. The construction phase will create over 9,000 quality construction jobs across the system footprint. We are also committed to hiring locally, directly benefiting rural communities and increasing residents' income, providing a local economic boost across industries.

In order to meet emissions reduction goals while expanding the volume of low-carbon fuels available to consumers, the biofuel industry needs to utilize a broad range of carbon management technologies. For Navigator, our highest priority is to provide effective carbon solutions that bring us closer to those goals while keeping all key parties involved, from our partner facilities to the generational family farms that supply them with grain.

Now, perhaps more than ever, it's going to take all of us to create a more sustainable future in which businesses, communities, and the planet thrive, and Navigator CO2 is proud to play a role in getting us there.

Luck or Opportunity?

By Ryan Welsh, Director of Sales & Marketing for Growth Energy

“I’d rather be lucky than good!"

That’s what Austin Dillon radioed to his team after a miraculous Xfinity Series win in March of 2016. The #3 Richard Childress Racing (RCR) Chevrolet was one of the few cars with enough fuel for the last lap and barely slipped past Kyle Bush’s wounded #18 to take the checkered flag.

At that time, Austin would have called it luck.

Fast forward to August 9, 2022, and the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona. Due to a day and a half of rain delays, the race was running on a Sunday morning, like in the early years of NASCAR.

Daytona Speedway is known for “The Big One” — the kind of wreck that makes or breaks cars and careers. The #3 RCR Chevrolet Team was no stranger to a battle royale at Daytona. “The Big One” has brought both tragedy and triumph to the team over the years, and this time it was looming as large as ever.

The morning race was winding down, and it looked as though a big wreck might be avoidable on this blue-skied Sunday. Then, on a late restart, unexpected rain snuck in on turn two, creating an ice rink on the majority of the track.

That’s when disaster struck. Most cars went spinning, crashing, and flying in all directions. Only one car made it through the onslaught unscathed: the #3 RCR Chevrolet.

After a long caution following the melee, a strong restart ensued. With the help of his teammate, Austin Dillon punched his ticket to the 2022 NASCAR playoffs at the latest possible opportunity. This was Austin’s second win at Daytona, more than Cup Champions Kyle Bush, Brad Keselowski, and Joey Logano.

The Roman philosopher Seneca once said, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” Austin and his team had prepared for this moment throughout the 28 previous races of the year, and the opportunity finally made an appearance. Both RCR cars made the playoffs; unfortunately, they were both taken out a few races later in the same manner the #3 team made it in.

The #3 team and the Get Biofuel team share a drive to win. The #3 team’s drive to win on the track keeps them motivated to continue pushing forward, while the Get Biofuel team’s drive transfers to pushing positive legislation forward on behalf of biofuels.

From Last Lap to Legislative Gridiron

Just like a NASCAR victory, all great legislative wins require hard work, patience, and persistence. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is creating some great opportunities for biofuels. Future incentives will establish a clear path forward for innovation, investment, and growth. For sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), the sky is quite literally the limit. Our industry is poised to seize the opportunity by producing enough SAF to achieve our nation’s carbon reduction goals.

The IRA also increases the value of the carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) projects our bioprocessing facilities are currently working on and will bring more certainty to investments. We haven’t seen a legislative opportunity like this in years.

Just like the #3 team put itself in a position to win on the track through preparatory diligence and hard work, we have fought tooth and nail for decades to put biofuels in a position to win on the policy front.

We’ve done the work, and we’ll achieve victory — not with luck, but by working as a team and harnessing every opportunity.

Providing Technologies that Bring More than Food to the Table

Our processes and equipment contribute to thousands of products people use every day...from immune-boosting juices to the wine we drink in celebration. Even the condiments on our burgers, the cheese on our sandwiches and the vegetables that nourish us are processed with GEA equipment. Going beyond food, GEA solutions are put to use in power plants, on all types of boats and at water treatment plants.

What’s more, sustainability and environmental conservation are key in each and every process we develop. That’s why our commitment to provide the separating technology required to produce renewable biofuels and agricultural co-products is as strong as ever. To learn more about GEA’s centrifuges and separation equipment and the industries we serve, visit us online at gea.com.

Brewing Up a Good Time at Work

Erick Hoffman combines home brewing hobby with POET’s annual team-building event

By Janna Farley

An after-work happy hour is a time-honored tradition for many people. Getting together with colleagues to relax and throw back a few cocktails can be the perfect end to a hard day of work. But beer at work? What the ale?

The data systems analyst is also the coordinator and brewmaster for POET Brew Fest, an annual team member event where home brewers can show off and share their concoctions with other members of the Sioux Falls team.

Brewmaster, of course, isn’t in Hoffman’s official job description.

“I wrangle data,” Hoffman said. “I shape it up and summarize it in a manner, so it makes sense to different people.”

And there’s a lot of data, Hoffman said — hundreds of thousands of data points that he organizes into dashboards or reports or whatever format is needed to effectively convey what’s happening throughout the 33 bioethanol plants spread across POET’s footprint.

“Too much data some days will make you want to drink beer,” Hoffman said with a laugh.

While Hoffman likes drinking beer, he also enjoys making it. It’s been a hobby of his ever since his wife bought him a Mr. Beer® beer-making kit more than a decade ago. “I was nervous and skeptical at first,” he said. “I thought, ‘there’s no way I can do this.’”

But the Mr. Beer kit, with its simple instructions and basic ingredients, made it easy. “Think of it as an Easy-Bake Oven® but for brewing beer,” he said.

It wasn’t too long, and Hoffman was hooked.

Beer connoisseurs like Hoffman have long been mixing it up at home. “It’s a pretty popular hobby,” Hoffman said. But continued interest in craft beer, new beer styles, and tech-infused brewing equipment has allowed home brewing to stay fresh and interesting.

“Plus, you get to reap the rewards of your efforts,” said Hoffman. “A frosty mug of beer, after all, always satisfies.”

But what would make beer-making even better? Hoffman decided he’d like to bring his hobby to work.

Beer making and bioethanol production are somewhat similar, he said. In fact, the fermentation of malted barley during the brewing process generates bioethanol.

But Hoffman wasn’t thinking about a new business model for POET. Rather, he thought he and his fellow beer makers — there was a growing number of them at POET — could show off their brews to the rest of the staff.

To do that, Hoffman went right to the top. After a couple of beers at the company picnic one year,

Hoffman told Jeff Broin, Founder and CEO of POET, that they should be drinking beer at work, but in a different way. Broin agreed — and POET Brew Fest was born.

More than five years later, save for a brief COVID-19 interruption, the annual event is still going strong. “People are always excited,” Hoffman said. “Any time you can taste a couple new beverages at work, people get excited. It’s something to look forward to.”

Most years, between 15 to 20 brewers participate. There are prizes for the top three best brews and the beer with the most creative name. Care for a Bohemian Rhapcider, You’re Killin’ Me Smalls S’mores Stout, or a Czech Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself?

Brewers bring everything from tried-and-true classics like stouts and lagers to those with more fanciful flavors, like a s’mores beer or a jalapeno cream ale.

“It’s cool to see what people can think of and pull off,” Hoffman said. “Everyone wants to have the winning recipe! Some of the more creative, out-of-the-ordinary beers aren’t necessarily the winners, but those of us who brew appreciate the unique flavors and effort.”

And everyone on the POET team in Sioux Falls enjoys sampling. "You really get a lot of fun interaction with the beverage drinkers," Hoffman said. "It's been a great way to get to know people from research, finance, and design & construction — people you might not interact with on a regular basis. It's a fun way to celebrate all the hard work we do here, and that's what it's really all about."

A New Look at Value-Driven Agriculture

Bioethanol’s value starts at the farm, extends to the world

By Matt Merritt

Over the last three decades, biofuels have provided a range of benefits to the world in cleaning our environment, boosting our available energy resources, and increasing economic output. Those benefits are perhaps most strongly felt at the source of production — the bioprocessing facilities and farmers who supply them with grain.

Biofuels have become the model for value-added agriculture in the modern age, tying the economic and environmental health of the world to farming in an entirely new way. The value to farmers is evident at every step in the supply chain: from small towns to states and from our nation to farmers worldwide.

According to Doug Berven, Vice President of Corporate Affairs for POET, bioethanol has elevated agriculture’s relevance on the world stage while, at the same time, boosting farmers’ fortunes.

“Biofuels are the catalyst for successful agriculture,” he said. “Successful agriculture is key to solving the world's most pressing issues, including climate change, poverty, hunger, and disease. I doubt another industry can say it can attack all of those.”

Local grain buying drives farmer benefits

The first layer of impact from biofuel production is the farmer. Bioethanol provides a local purchaser, and as demand improves, so do prices for farmers.

“Biofuels create a critical market for grains, and that market helps build margin for agriculture,” Berven said.

For farmers, being located near a bioprocessing facility means better prices for their corn. According to the University of Illinois, the impact on just the local corn basis from a 100 milliongallon-per-year increase in bioethanol capacity leads to an average of six cents per bushel more for local farmers.

Transportation costs play a large role in prioritizing local producers.

“If transporting corn is costly, the opening of a bioethanol plant or an increase in existing local bioethanol capacity will increase demand for nearby cash sales of corn and are expected to increase the local corn price,” said Beth Miller, author of the research.

Neil Schutte, a farmer in southwest Iowa, was one of the first to deliver corn when POET Bioprocessing – Ashton opened in 2004.

“It was years and years of corn piled up in bunkers and corn not being used,” said Schutte. “From there, it was a 180-degree turn from being the worst basis in southwest Iowa to maybe the best.”

Local economy

While any local employer provides jobs and economic benefits, bioprocessing facilities are different.

Bioprocessing plants have a larger impact on local areas than most production or manufacturing facilities because the feedstock supply is located in the immediate area.

“Most biofuel plants take their corn from well within a hundred miles of the plant,” said John Urbanchuk, who, as Managing Director of Agriculture and Biofuels Consulting, has done numerous economic impact studies on the industry. “Those expenditures go directly back to the corn farmer.

“Let's compare that to an automobile plant. Basically, it takes steel and other materials and then transforms them into a final product of an automobile. That's just assembly. So you've got primarily the labor component, but most of those inputs come from other locations in other states.”

With feedstock supply close to home, those dollars circulate throughout the local economy along with all the additional benefits of having a large-scale bioprocessing business in the area.

And the effects extend beyond the farm. For example, not only did POET Bioprocessing – Ashton buy corn, it provided high-quality jobs that attracted talented people, said Schutte.

“There are very few businesses in the area, and when something like that comes in, it fuels the economy,” Schutte continued.

Bioprocessing facilities are economic drivers, Berven said.

“They provide great paying jobs. They provide the construction and building of the facility, the ongoing expense of maintaining it, the team members, the grain purchases, and the animal feed,” Berven said. “There's a lot of economic activity going on at each location. When you start to count the accompanying benefits to the local economy, from local schools to state tax revenues, it really starts to add up.”

Right: Neil Schutte examines a corn stalk

Though taxes, regulations, transportation, and other circumstances can vary from state to state, Urbanchuk says the average economic impact of each bioprocessing location on the surrounding community is quite significant.

“Every million gallons of bioethanol will contribute $3.31 million in aggregate economic impact to the local community,” Urbanchuk said. “The plant will employ 50 full-time people but will support an additional seven jobs in all sectors of the economy for every million gallons of bioethanol produced.”

Balancing grain supply benefits entire ag sector

Nationally, biofuels play an important role in balancing grain supplies. Farmers have continued to push the limits of corn yields year after year, and without a viable market for that grain, those efforts go to waste.

Biofuels allow the grain to go where it is needed most, according to the current market conditions.

“We have been overproducing grains for generations,” Berven said. “The technology, the seed, the abundance of grain, has outpaced the demand for grain significantly for years and years until biofuels came and soaked up surplus grain, helped manage prices, reduced the needs for subsidies, and started a green revolution around the world using agriculture.”

In addition, the primary coproduct of bioethanol production — dried distillers grain — has quickly risen to become a staple feed ingredient for other areas of agriculture.

“Distillers grains are an absolute necessity in feed rations all around the world,” Berven said. "Everything from fish and poultry to cows and pigs. The world is just beginning

to understand that distillers grains are imperative for cost-effective nutrition for livestock and our ability to maintain an abundant supply of meat and dairy products.”

Bioethanol is also helping drive climate-smart practices in agriculture. New technology requires money to reinvest in farming operations and equipment. Biofuels help make farmers more profitable and give them the means to improve.

“If farmers are breaking even or losing money on their grain, they don't have money to invest in new technologies, whether that's precision till or fertilizer, cover crops, all those things,” Berven said. “Those things happen when there's a margin to be spent because then they can invest in that soil health that everybody wants from a climate standpoint to a crop growth standpoint.

Bioethanol is essential to the future of rural America

It’s hard to imagine an agriculture industry today without bioethanol.

No bioethanol would mean less demand for corn, limited supplies of high-quality feed and cost-saving fuels, fewer rural jobs and more family farms facing foreclosure.

“There'd be so much corn on the market that the price would plummet” Berven said. “Rural America would not be where it is today, and it would affect consumers all throughout the country, all throughout the world.”

Thankfully, that’s a world we don’t have to live in today. With opportunities ahead for the expanded use of biofuel through E15 and continued needs for low-carbon liquid fuel, the benefits farmers provide for the world — and the value they get for doing so — are ready to grow.

Left: Neil Schutte on his farm in Iowa

Run Your Vehicle Longer

Russ Evans, Under the Hood Radio Show Host and Mechanic

Summer 2022 was a long, hot season, and fuel and vehicle prices remained high for its duration. Now that we're in the dead of winter, the price of cars remains steep while their availability remains low. These factors lead to many questions for auto technicians like us, including: “What can I do to help my car run better and longer? What kind of fuel should I use to save money but not hurt my car? What kind of car should I be looking to purchase when I upgrade?”

We'll start with, the fuel question since fueling your car is what you do most as an owner, next to driving it. Even as they become more widely available, we still see a strong need for education about biofuels. There are so many people who don’t have any idea what bioethanol is, so they don’t use it. On the flip side, we see consumers who use it not because they know of its benefits but because they simply grab the handle with the lowest price and hope there won’t be a problem.

There are probably those of you that may not use a higher-octane blend of bioethanol because you see a higher blend number, and it makes you nervous. States have done extensive testing on their fleets using E30 with no issues. We at the shop have personally used blends up to E30 in our daily drivers with no issues.

Bioethanol is a good product, but you want to choose carefully when looking at what it is blended with. Since bioethanol is blended with regular gasoline, choose a good quality gas type. We suggest a top-tier bioethanol blend in every tank to keep your engine the healthiest.

If you have a mechanic tell you not to use bioethanol, ask them what their reasoning is. As a shop and an auto recycler that takes in thousands of cars each year, we have never seen a single car come to us due to bioethanol damage.

The secret to maintaining your car’s longevity is to simply take care of it. Regular maintenance is cheaper than major repairs caused by the lack thereof. For example, the number of cars that come to our shop at least 4,000 miles overdue for an oil change is astounding. Fluids are the most important part of maintaining vehicle health.

Lastly, as far as what car to purchase, people want to know about electric vehicles, hybrids, and other more fuel-efficient models, including what trucks and SUVs get the best economy. The world is not quite ready for mass electric vehicles, but we are ready for better hybrids and improved performance through octane.

There is no high-octane-required hybrid on the market today, but there is much that could be done with current models to drastically increase fuel economy and optimize for bioethanol use. Mechanics have been talking about this need for years. Even non-hybrid vehicles, like big SUVs and trucks, would see a huge increase in fuel economy with a higher-octane fuel requirement. That’s why we should all be pushing for higher blends of bioethanol because it would benefit everyone, regardless of what vehicle we drive.

As we move into a future with vehicle options to suit everyone’s taste, bioethanol is still the superior option for performance, sustainability, and longevity. Food for thought.

The Motor Medics. Under The Hood can be found on a station near you or your favorite podcast site.

EXPLORE THE POWER OF CONNECTION

A New Link in the Supply Chain

POET Terminal – Savannah positions POET to better serve its customers around the globe

By Darrell Boone

When you think of major livestock-producing countries, the odds are that Egypt, Turkey, and Indonesia don’t immediately spring to mind. Yet for about twenty such countries worldwide, particularly in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, POET knows that they not only need animal protein for their people but also require high-quality feed for their animals.

“Those countries’ economies are growing, and as more people move into the middle class, one of the first things they want is more animal protein in their diets,” said Greg Breukelman, President of POET Bioproducts. “These countries can’t grow enough feed for their animals on their own, but the U.S. is good at growing things, and POET can supply them with the animal feed ingredients they need.”

Breukelman explained how importing feed ingredients like POET’s Dakota Gold premium dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) and its corn-fermented protein product, NexPRO, gives farmers across the globe access to an abundant supply of affordable feed.

“Since our production process only uses the starch in the corn for the bioethanol, the protein is three times more concentrated in DDGS than corn, giving international customers great bang for the buck,” he said. “POET also has an advantage with 33 bioprocessing facilities, which means we can give customers around the globe the assurance that they’re going to get the supplies they need.”

He added that POET has a team of animal nutritionists who constantly work with customers around the world to help them understand how they can effectively blend POET feed products into their rations.

A new venture

In September 2022, POET acquired the rail-to-container transload facility formerly known as Savannah Marine Terminal (SMT), located in Savannah, Georgia. POET is already the 36th-largest container shipper in the U.S., exporting to more than 20 countries around the world, and the Port of Savannah is the single largest and fastestgrowing DDGS container terminal on the East Coast. The transloading site has direct access to two major railroads and geographic synergy with several key markets for POET’s feed ingredients.

That’s why Breukelman said that adding POET Terminal – Savannah to the ever-growing POET network just made sense.

“We’d worked with them for a number of years, and the owner was looking to retire and sell his business. As we looked at different options, it just seemed like a really good fit for us,” he said. “We also knew they had highquality people working there.”

Breukelman said owning the facility will give POET more managerial control over all aspects of the shipping process, ensuring greater traceability and transparency for its customers. It will also seek to minimize the impact of those dreaded three words that have become all too familiar in the last few years — “supply-chain issues” — by using vertical integration and taking on an effective transload team.

With the enormous upside potential for feed ingredients in the global marketplace, Breukelman sees this acquisition as a significant step in the right direction.

“I’m really excited about the opportunity to add this new piece to our part of the business,” he said. “It creates opportunities for our people and is a great fit for POET and what we’re trying to do for our customers worldwide.”

Left: POET Terminal - Savannah

Introducing POET’s newest general manager

The leadership of the terminal will be headed up by Austin Broin, General Manager of POET Terminal – Savannah. He relocated to Savannah from POET’s corporate headquarters in Sioux Falls shortly after the acquisition. Before accepting the role, Broin served as a merchandiser for POET Bioproducts, coordinating distillers grains merchandising.

“I was honored to accept the position at the Savannah facility,” said Broin. “POET has shaped my career in ways I never would have expected, and I’m appreciative that I’ve been entrusted with leading this new chapter in POET’s story. There’s so much upside potential here and so much POET can do with the facility. I’m excited to be a part of it.”

Broin’s POET experience ranges across a veritable smorgasbord of management experiences, beginning as a plant operator in Emmetsburg, Iowa, at POET’s Project LIBERTY. His first role was essentially what he describes as “grunt labor,” which entailed doing whatever needed doing — dirty jobs included. But Broin’s team-player attitude didn’t stop when he left Emmetsburg.

When he moved to POET headquarters in Sioux Falls to work in the Bioproducts division, Broin rapidly established himself as a leader and quick learner.

“POET’s mission has always been centered on servant leadership,” said Broin. “One of the most noticeable threads throughout POET’s entire footprint is focusing on being a team player and leading with humility. In my time at POET, I’ve been blessed to have great examples of this leadership style, and I hope to be able to emulate those qualities in Savannah.”

As Broin transitions to assume his new responsibilities, he said the acquisition had gone well thus far, but he is also aware that there will always be new challenges to overcome. POET has ambitious plans to make major improvements to the site. One of those challenges will be making the upgrades needed to increase capacity while maintaining day-to-day operations.

On a personal level, Broin said the biggest challenge will be moving to a different region of the country with a very different culture after spending his entire life in South Dakota. But as he’s done in every role, he’s excited to meet the change head-on.

“The team at Savannah is a group of good people, and it’s been fun getting to know them. Moving across the country has been an adjustment, but I’ve been welcomed by a great team. And as another attractive upside,” he joked, “It’ll be nice to get out of the cold for a while!”

Top left: POET team members at Savannah terminal | Top right: POET Terminal - Savannah

Middle: Austin Broin, General Manager of POET Terminal - Savannah

Bottom left: shipping crates | Bottom right: POET team members discuss strategy

Joining the POET team

After loading their feed ingredients at Savannah Marine Terminal for the past eight years, Operations Manager John Altman knew POET pretty well. But little did he know that one day he and his coworkers would become part of the POET team.

“It’s exciting for me that I get to be part of that team and culture,” he said. “They don’t just look at us as employees, but team members. They really stress the team aspect.”

He said that the transition to POET has gone smoothly and that the feelings of the new POET team members have been very positive.

“They’ve welcomed us as their own, provided us with improved pay and great benefits, and done everything they could to be friendly and informative,” he said. “They’ve helped me with every question or concern that I’ve had. We’re excited to see the change and be part of something that is ultimately bigger than ourselves, and are looking forward to seeing it in action in the future.”

Above: POET Savannah team listens to presentation

An Unprecedented Year of Wins for Biofuels

By Matt Ward, POET Government Affairs Manager

Thanks to POET's determined advocacy and steadfast support from our champions in the nation's capital and across the states, 2022 was an unprecedented success on the policy front, including a host of historic legislative and regulatory actions that will benefit biofuels for decades to come.

Inflation Reduction Act Incentives

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) marks the most significant policy framework and growth opportunity for biofuels since the creation of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). POET worked with industry partners and policymakers for years to develop a selection of key incentives that were ultimately included in the IRA.

• The Clean Fuel Production Credit (45Z) will incentivize reductions in the carbon intensity of renewable fuel production up to $1 per gallon

• The credit for Carbon Capture Utilization and Sequestration (45Q) was also enhanced

• 40B will incentivize production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel

• $500 million was included for biofuel infrastructure

The IRA's combined biofuel incentives will drive new demand and investment, increase market access, and harness biofuels' enormous potential to rapidly decarbonize both transportation and agriculture.

Securing HBIIP and CARES Funding

Working alongside long-time biofuels champion Secretary Tom Vilsack and his team at USDA, POET helped secure $100 million in funding for the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP) to provide competitive grants for retailers and expand sales of higher biofuel blends. POET and industry partners also secured $700 million in direct payments, authorized under the Corona Virus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, for biofuel producers adversely impacted by COVID-19 disruptions.

Emergency Waiver for Reid Vapor Pressure

The federal court decision reversing the Trump Administration's Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) rule was a heavy blow to year-round E15. Undaunted, biofuels champions, including U.S. Senators John Thune (R-SD), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and U.S. Representatives Dusty Johnson (RSD), Angie Craig (D-MN), Adrian Smith (R-NE), Cindy Axne (D-IA) and others worked across the aisle and with the Biden Administration to keep E15 flowing. During a visit to POET Bioprocessing in Menlo, Iowa, President Biden announced an emergency RVP waiver that ensured access to E15 during the summer 2022 driving season and pledged his administration's continued support for biofuels. As the President stated in his remarks, "You cannot get to net zero in 2050 without biofuels."

2022 Renewable Volume Obligation

POET is proud to have helped lead the way in restoring integrity to the RFS. While EPA retroactively reduced the Renewable Volume Obligation (RVO) for 2020 and 2021, they also returned the 2022 RVO to 15 billion gallons for starch-based bioethanol and delivered the highest total RVO in the history of the RFS. In addition, the EPA rejected 63 pending Small Refinery Exemptions (SREs) and remanded 500 million gallons of additional blending over the next two years resulting from a federal court decision. The net result of the RVO rulemaking and elimination of SREs provide a position of strength for the industry as we move into the "Set" phase of the RFS in 2023.

Corn Kernel Fiber Bioethanol

Senator John Thune (R-SD) has been leading the charge for updated guidance from EPA on corn kernel fiber bioethanol. In September, EPA released new guidance providing pathways to accelerate stalled cellulosic fuel registrations. The EPA’s guidance represents an important path toward recognizing and accurately accounting for POET's fiber bioethanol production.

Iowa Passed Historic E15 Standard

In 2022, Governor Kim Reynolds (R-IA) signed the nation's first E15 standard into law. The bill, which passed the Iowa legislature with overwhelming bipartisan support, will guarantee access to E15 at retail locations across the state by 2026. POET Founder and CEO Jeff Broin said, "E15 is fueling freedom, and Iowa is leading the way by expanding market share for American-made biofuels that Russia and OPEC can never take away."

States Take a Stand for Year-Round Sales of E15

Last year, a bipartisan group of Midwest governors took a stand for cleaner fuels and year-round sales of E15 in their states. Governors Mike DeWine (R-OH), Tony Evers (D-WI), Kristi Noem (R-SD), JB Pritzker (D-IL), Kim Reynolds (R-IA), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), and Tim Walz (D-MN) exercised their authority under the Clean Air Act, to "provide relief, flexibility, and certainty in the fuel market." The governors' action will give E10 and E15 regulatory parity in their states and allow year-round sales of E15 starting in the summer of 2023.

Summary

2022 was a year of historic policy wins for the entire biofuels industry, and thanks are owed to all of our federal and state champions for their tremendous efforts. We also want to convey our deepest gratitude to POET team members and stakeholders for their support for POET PAC. Your contributions were pivotal to our success this year and will continue to play a critical role in 2023 and beyond.

Iowa Falls Plant Exemplifies “One POET” Spirit

POET Bioprocessing – Iowa Falls team goes above and beyond in community

By Andrea Van Essen

At POET Bioprocessing – Iowa Falls, the implementation of the One POET Committee has played an impactful role in shaping the plant’s culture, as well as its place within the local community.

Previously operated by Flint Hills Resources, POET – Iowa Falls has been making a concerted effort to foster a renewed sense of belonging among team members.

Jim Schonert, General Manager, joined the Iowa Falls team in August 2021, and he has been consistently impressed with the company’s commitment to team development.

“Team development is the thing that’s really impressive from the outside coming in. They know how to make bioethanol, that’s there, but they’re all very focused on this site, the culture, operating as a team, trying to operate as a family and looking out for each other,” he says.

Throughout his career, Schonert says he has sought out companies with strong values that he aligns with personally.

“The predominant thing at POET has to be that as we look at our values, we live them, we're not afraid to communicate them, and we stand behind them, whether it’s the value statements we have developed or the fact that we’re founded upon certain principles,” he says.

“There aren’t a lot of companies that have the opportunity and give you the freedom to engage in prayer every Thursday, and there aren’t a lot of companies where you have the option to sit down and have a conversation about how values and faith align with our approach to certain situations.”

For POET team members who carried over from the plant’s previous ownership, it’s been encouraging to see how the company’s values are exhibited day to day.

Brandon Chaplin grew up in Iowa Falls and has been with the plant for 16 years. He has a range of experience with previous roles as a utility operator, shift leader, logistics lead, and materials manager before taking on his current position as operations manager.

Hard work is important to Chaplin, and he says his mindset has always been to better himself and the people around him. It’s an approach that naturally begets gratitude for his fellow team members.

“What I appreciate the most about my team is that they're here day to day, working string shifts, and it can take a lot of time away from family, but they do everything they can to help make the plant run smoothly and build their team members up,” he says.

“I get to watch their capabilities grow, day in and day out. It’s always rewarding to see them progress in their careers as well. A lot of the team members consider us a family, so having that overall gratitude for each other goes a long way.”

For Drew Engel, Plant Manager, it was that close-knit, familial atmosphere that attracted him to Iowa Falls. Originally from Iowa, Engel had been working for a chemical manufacturer in Houston, Texas, and was ready to say goodbye to the big city and return to a small-town way of life.

He started at the plant ten years ago, working in various roles, including shift supervisor and operations manager, before being promoted to plant manager upon POET’s acquisition.

In that role, Engel says he has felt immense support from the larger POET team.

“Now that POET’s in charge, the thing that stands out to me is servant leadership,” Engel says. “It’s the high-level folks coming down and talking to you like you’re a real person and being engaged and asking questions.”

He emphasizes that POET makes a significant effort to make people feel like they’re not just a part of the plant they’re working at but the company as a whole.

“It’s the senior leaders saying, ‘Hey, if you have questions, we’ll get you answers. What do you need to know about POET?’ I think that stands out. I was with the previous plant for 10 years, and I never saw anybody higher up there. It's just uncommon — in an incredibly good way,” Engel says.

Engel says the support he receives from POET helps him carry out his job efficiently and successfully.

“I think it’s understanding how much support is out there and how many subject matter experts POET has, and their philosophy around that. You’re in a position where you're just one phone call away from getting an answer or making a good decision versus struggling or trying to figure things out for several days or taxing the team. It really helps facilitate steady operations,” he says.

That level of support is visible across the board at POET — within the individual team in Iowa Falls and company-wide.

“Whether you’re dealing with people and culture, plant issues, or new projects, it's just kind of a standard that everybody jumps in to help each other. There are no boundaries; it’s everybody — one POET, one team,” he says.

Top: Brandon Chaplin, Operations Manager, watches as Nick Batista, Plant Technician I, processes data

Middle left: Justin Gamm, Reliability Lead, and Drew Engel, Plant Manager, look at plant operations

Middle right: Jeremy Shier, Plant Technician I, tests corn oil

Bottom: Jim Schonert, General Manager, and Charles Lopez, Maintenance Technician II, discuss plant technology

Jill Peterson, Materials Manager, radios down to POET Iowa Falls' grain team

Looking forward to new initiatives at Iowa Falls, Engel adds that he’s grateful for POET’s commitment to creating a clean and safe working environment for team members.

“POET is very willing to reinvest in the plants, even if there’s not an immediate return. They want a good work culture; they want people to feel like the plant’s clean. If a pipe is leaking, they want to fix it, so people don't stress about it. That’s something I’m very thankful for,” he says.

In a way, the One POET spirit extends outside the company as POET strives to give back and make an impact in the communities it calls home.

“That’s one of the differences that’s been communicated to me, that compared to the previous owners, we are looking for the opportunity to get involved in the community,” Schonert says.

In the short time that POET has been operating out of Iowa Falls, the plant has hand-delivered more than 100 Thanksgiving meals to the local community, conducted a winter clothing drive for grade school students, and supported events with the local fire department, Chamber of Commerce, Main Street Association, and the Lion’s Club. In the future, they also plan to get more involved with the school system by offering engagement opportunities for students to learn more about the biofuels sector.

According to Schonert, the conversation on community involvement within the One POET Committee is focused on identifying gaps and unmet needs where POET can plug in.

“We’re not trying to take away from what other companies are doing; we’re looking for those niches where we can add value,” he says.

From the plant’s involvement in the community to its objective to become a world-class biofuel operation, the team at Iowa Falls offers an excellent example of the One POET spirit.

OUT OF LEFT FIELD

Work Smarter

By Scott Johnson, A Thinker of Thoughts (and POET Data Systems Administrator)

I’ve always had a bittersweet relationship with the phrase “work smarter, not harder.” The expression resonates because I do enjoy using my brain to make tasks easier like figuring out how to text my dog to fetch me some nachos. But while I waste time arguing with the cell phone company to allow pets on our family plan, I could have already been enjoying chips and salsa through a bit of manual effort.

“Work smarter, not harder” can be used as an excuse for people to be lazy, under the (perhaps false) assumption that they are somehow more intelligent than those doing hard work.

All this is a setup to let you know that I, a middle-aged home-owner with a corner lot in South Dakota, still don’t own a snowblower. I do, however, own six different snow shovels. You’re probably thinking, “Weird flex, but OK.” But for me, shoveling snow is the quintessential reminder that hard work equals results. Forget about the pretense of intellect. No planning or strategy required. Just do the dang work. I find it oddly cathartic and rewarding. After the snow settles, I carefully select the right shovel from my vast arsenal and open the garage door, unveiling a fresh, undisturbed tundra. (Yes, I do have an automatic garage door.)

Without overthinking, I quickly settle into a pattern of bend, scoop, throw, breathe. Bend, scoop, throw, breathe. I repeat the pattern over and over, building a satisfying, audible rhythm worthy of a very far off-Broadway production of STOMP. I cruise down the sidewalk until I stop to catch my breath. Beads of sweat roll down, then freeze to my cheek. I look back and see an artistically meandering excavation, carved out like a left-handed kindergartner cutting paper with righthanded scissors — evidence of my hard work.

I sense my neighbors staring out their windows in judgment. “What an idiot! Lift with your legs!” As if that's even possible. I suppose I should kick with my shoulders too? Throw with my torso? Nonsense! This task requires simple brute force and determination. I rip through the powder like a snow plow, drifts exploding off the edge of the shovel. I sail along until I hit the hidden, elevated crack in the sidewalk. The handle jams into my gut, and I pole vault over the shovel. Undeterred, I dust myself off and continue on because the work is not yet done. I launch one last scoop and proudly fling the shovel over my shoulder. On my way back to the garage, I admire what I assume is a completed project. (I can’t see anything beyond my fogged glasses.)

All around me, I hear the buzz of neighbors' automatic snowblowers, working "smarter" as they delegate the arduous task to a machine. All the while taking for granted the opportunity to breathe in deeply…well, maybe heave in…the chilly fresh air of South Dakota winter.

*Note – I'll gladly retract this entire column if someone is willing to donate me a gently used snowblower.

NEX GO

WHERE PERFORMANCE MEETS SUSTAINABILITY.

POET’s next-generation protein product is a worldleading plant-based ingredient sourced from the highest-quality American corn. NexPro ® is a 50% protein ingredient derived from the dry-mill bioethanol production process. Its high protein content and small particle size make it an ideal protein ingredient for a variety of markets including pet food, aquaculture, poultry, swine and dairy.