One of the very cool things about the AgNite event in Minnesota this week was the way it united all aspects of the agriculture industry. The 50 sponsors included agribusinesses, corn growers, food processors, livestock, dairy and poultry producers, and the ethanol industry. Some of these groups have been at odds with each other in recent months over the impact of ethanol production on grain and feed prices, but for one glorious night they all got together and put aside their differences to showcase our nation’s unparalleled ability to produce food, feed, fuel and fiber.

The Renewable Fuels Association was a gold level sponsor of the event, thanks to the involvement in the Minnesota Agri-Growth Council of members like Randy Doyle of Al-Corn Clean Fuel in Claremont. “We are producing fuel as well as food here in Minnesota and that’s a great story to tell,” Randy says. “We’re creating a domestic source of energy. All we’re doing is harvesting solar energy. Those corn plants out there are the best solar collectors we’ve found and our job is just to turn it into liquid fuel that we can use in our cars.”

Unfortunately, I never got a photo of Randy at AgNite, but I did get an interview, which you can listen to here: agnite-alcorn.mp3

Be sure to check out the AgNite Photo Album for 200 pictures from the event.

AgWired coverage of AgNite is sponsored by: and