Minneapolis, Aug 8 – Thirty-one children from Farm Camp Minnesota visited Guardian Energy in Janesville yesterday to get a closer look at homegrown renewable energy production.

Farm Camp Minnesota is an annual program that hosts one-day events in three different areas of the state. Sponsored by farmers and agribusinesses, the events are aimed at providing a fun and interactive learning experience for children entering grades three to six.

“We were pleased to welcome the Farm Camp Minnesota participants to learn more about ethanol production and its importance to the agriculture industry in Minnesota,” said Jeanne McCaherty, CEO of Guardian Energy.

The children, many of whom were accompanied by their parents, toured the Guardian Energy facility for 45 minutes where they learned about incoming grain handling, grain storage, liquefaction, fermentation, distillation, distiller grain drying, corn oil separation and production storage and product shipment.

“This is the first year Farm Camp Minnesota has included an ethanol tour in their program. It’s important to educate students on where clean renewable energy comes from and how it’s used,” said Tim Rudnicki, executive director of the Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association.    

The visit to Guardian Energy, organized by the Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association, was part of the Farm Camp Minnesota event in Waseca on Aug 7. The other two Farm Camp Minnesota events will be in St Cloud (Aug 15) and Northfield (Aug 16).

“Farm Camp Minnesota was happy to work together with the Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association to be able to provide our campers and their chaperones with an added opportunity to learn how corn is used to fuel our cars and trucks,” said Kathy Guse, director of Farm Camp Minnesota.

She said the visit to Guardian Energy also educated the children on ethanol’s co-products like dried distiller’s grains.

“It gave them an understanding that the corn that is used for making fuel was at the same time making other products for livestock food and when further refined it also was making products for human consumption,” Guse said.