Please join the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) in congratulating Ethanol Advisory Team (A-Team) Leader Raymond Defenbaugh on being selected as the winner of the High Octane Award at the International Fuel Ethanol Workshop and Expo (FEW) earlier this month.

Defenbaugh’s family has been involved in farming since 1710. After graduating from college, Ray began to pursue ethanol as a way to add value to his operation and the industry. Eventually he joined the board of directors of a group planning to build a profitable ethanol plant, which today has evolved to be part of Big River Resources, LLC. The business now includes four ethanol plants, two grain elevators and a facility under construction to produce Zein, a class of proteins found in corn.

The High Octane Award winner is selected by a team of industry professionals and is given annually by BBI International to individuals who are passionate about their pursuits in the ethanol industry.

Congratulations, Ray!