Vilsack will speak at Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit

JOHNSTON — USDA Secretary and former Mt. Pleasant Mayor Tom Vilsack will address the 2024 Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit on Jan. 11. During the event, Vilsack will receive IRFA’s highest award. Attendance is free and open to the public.

“The IRFA Board is very excited that Secretary Vilsack can join the Summit,” Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Marketing Director Lisa Coffelt said. “As a state legislator, governor and now USDA secretary, Tom Vilsack has been an outstanding voice for farmers and the importance of biofuels to rural America. We are looking forward to hearing his vision for the future and for the chance to honor his many years of support.”

Nominated by President Joe Biden, Sec. Vilsack was confirmed as the 32nd United States Secretary of Agriculture on Feb. 23, 2021 by the U.S. Senate. Vilsack was the longest-serving member of President Barack Obama’s original Cabinet.

Prior to his appointment, he served two terms as the Governor of Iowa, served in the Iowa State Senate and as the mayor of Mt. Pleasant. He received his bachelor’s degree from Hamilton College and his law degree from Albany Law School in New York.

The 2024 Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit will explore how to “Chart Our Course” for the future of biofuels. The summit will be held on Jan. 11, 2024, at the Prairie Meadows Event Center in Altoona.

Attendance is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Register and find more information at IowaRenewableFuelsSummit.org.

The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association represents the state’s liquid renewable fuels industry and works to foster its growth.

Iowa is the nation’s leader in renewable fuels production with 42 ethanol refineries capable of producing 4.5 billion gallons annually — including 34 million gallons of annual cellulosic ethanol production capacity — and 11 biodiesel facilities with the capacity to produce 410 million gallons annually.

For more information, visit the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association website at: www.IowaRFA.org.