Nathan Nolte, biofuels sales manager for Ag Processing Inc., has been elected by his peers to serve as the chair of the Iowa Biodiesel Board.

The board of directors elected Nolte during the Iowa Biodiesel Regional Annual Meeting, held in mid-September in Ankeny, Iowa.

AGP, a prominent farmer-owned cooperative, is the largest soybean processor west of the Mississippi and is a leading biodiesel producer. The Omaha-based company operates three biodiesel plants, two of which are in Iowa. They are AGP Algona and AGP Sergeant Bluff, which the company says was first commercial scale biodiesel plant in the nation. AGP employs about 640 people companywide.

Nolte, who has worked for AGP since 2010, grew up on a farm in southeast Nebraska.

“I’m passionate about the benefits biodiesel can deliver to society, and the value it adds to the business of farming,” Nolte said. “I look forward to the challenge of taking over as chair during a pivotal time in Iowa, as the state implements some of the most comprehensive pro-biofuels state legislation anywhere in the country.”

The Biofuels Access Act, led by Governor Kim Reynolds and passed earlier this year, expands incentives for biodiesel production and encourages the use of ever-higher blends. It is the first piece of legislation passed in the U.S. to incentivize 30m percent biodiesel (B30).

The full slate of officers elected to lead IBB is as follows:

•Chair: Nathan Nolte, AGP Inc.

•Vice Chair: Derek Winkle, Chevron Renewable Energy Group

•Secretary: Pat Woerner, Cargill (re-elected)

•Treasurer: Tom Brooks, Western Dubuque Biodiesel

Biodiesel is made from a diverse mix of resources, including recycled cooking oil, soybean oil and animal fats.

The Iowa Biodiesel Board is a state trade association representing the biodiesel industry. For more information on biodiesel, visit IowaBiodiesel.org.