LENA, IL, May 28, 2021 — Adkins Energy LLC is proud to award three outstanding local students with $500 scholarships to help them further their education. Entries for this year were judged on academic achievement and an essay: What are the benefits of ethanol co-products such as DDGS, WDGS, and DCO to agriculture and ethanol plants like Adkins Energy?
Alyssa Miller, daughter of Lyle and Codee Miller, explained the co-products produced at Adkins and their use in the livestock industry. She is a graduate of Eastland Junior-Senior High School and will begin her education at Highland Community College with a goal of majoring in agricultural education with a minor in animal science.
Maggie Handfelt, a Galena High School graduate and daughter of Charles and Jenny Handfelt, is pursuing a degree in wildlife ecology and management at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point. In her essay, she explained the co-products produced at Adkins, how the plant helps the environment and how very little waste is produced.
Hailey Dittmar, daughter of Jeremy and Andrea Dittmar, is a graduate of Aquin Catholic High School. In addition to the many benefits of ethanol in her essay, she was able to explain how the ethanol industry contributes to global food security in addition to supplying fuel. Hailey will continue her education and plans to study human health science.
Adkins Energy congratulates Alyssa, Maggie and Hailey along with all area graduates, and wishes them good luck in their next endeavors, whether it is school or work (or a combination of both).
Adkins Energy is a dry mill corn-to-ethanol and biodiesel facility located in northwest Illinois. It is owned by over 275 local investors and Pearl City Elevator, and employs 40 people.
Since it started production in 2002, Adkins has processed over 275 million bushels of corn to produce over 750 million gallons of ethanol and over 3.8 million tons of wet and dried distillers’ grains. Adkins Energy also operates a 3-million gallon per year biodiesel facility that is fully integrated into its ethanol operations. For more information, contact Adkins Energy (1-888-ETHANOL) or visit www.adkinsenergy.com.