The Iowa Biodiesel Board on Thursday congratulated Western Dubuque Biodiesel, a biodiesel plant in Farley, on producing its 500th million gallon of biodiesel in October. The achievement comes without a single OSHA recordable accident, another milestone representing a positive safety culture, plant officials said.
Since opening its doors in August of 2007, Western Dubuque Biodiesel has grown into one of the area’s anchor employers. The plant has 23 direct employees and 19 contract drivers. It has the nameplate capacity to produce 45 million gallons per year, using soybean oil, a locally grown resource.
“One of things I’m most proud of is that biodiesel has made Farley and the surrounding area a better place for the people living here now and for the next generation,” said Tom Brooks, general manager of Western Dubuque Biodiesel. “Every gallon we make supports our farmer neighbors, truckers, the restaurants, soybean crush employees and more. Our dollars really churn in a town of about 1,700 people.”
Brooks has kept detailed records and estimates that through 2025, the plant has contributed more than $145 million to the state’s economy since it began operating in 2007, not including c...