This will be my first new blog posted in two weeks. Last week, I was enjoying vacation with my 20-month-old daughter and husband. We didn’t go far from home. First, our little one spent two days with her grandparents while we celebrated our 11-year anniversary with our first nights away together since she was born. After that we all went back home for what they call a staycation. We spent some time swimming and going to local parks. Mom and dad also spent one day doing some cleaning and organizing at home. While it wasn’t overly exciting it was restful and enjoyable, just what the doctor ordered.

The week before that, I had some unexpected computer problems that prevented me from posting my blog. I’d written more about my trip to Spiritwood, North Dakota, for a small celebration at the Dakota Spirit AgEnergy ethanol plant, which has now reached full production levels.  In summary, I’ll just briefly say I really enjoyed seeing such a unique facility in person. The use of combined heat and power is something that I’ve always been interested in, particularly since I wrote a feature story about it back in 2013.

Another reason I’m glad I was able to visit the Dakota Spirit AgEnergy ethanol plant was simply meeting people. It’s nice to put a face with a name for people like Jeff Zueger and Gregory Ridderbusch, as well as others.  

On a personal note, I was glad to have a chance to return to my old stomping grounds. I worked as a reporter at The Jamestown Sun for two and a half years, beginning 12 years ago in July. Since I was so close, I arranged to have lunch with Kathy and John Stiener, who are still working at The Sun as editor and photographer, respectively, the same positions they were in when I worked there.

Now that I’m back at work after my vacation, it’s time to put the nose to that old grindstone once again. The Ethanol Producer Magazine team finished up the September issue while I was away so readers will start to see those stories online in the next few weeks and the hard copy magazine will be mailed out soon after that. This week I’ll be hard at work on my stories for the October issue and we’re already starting the planning process for the November issue at the same time.

As far as my blog goes, I have a few ideas squirreled away for the future. My series of blogs about writing a press release was temporarily interrupted, but, in case you were wondering, I do plan to wrap that up in the near future.

I also plan to write a bit more about fusel oils, as I’ve learned more about that topic since my last blog. And, at some point I plan to check in with Laurel BioComposite, for an update on what that company has been up to since we last wrote about one of the projects that company was working on last summer.

Basically, there’s no shortage of things I can write about, in blogs, news stories or magazine articles. The trick is to zero in on the most interesting and helpful topics for EPM readers. If you have any suggestions, feel free to contact me anytime at hjessen@bbiinternational.com. Writing this weekly blog has become one of the most interesting parts of my job as managing editor of EPM and, as I have said before, reader suggestions have prompted some of my most interesting (at least to me) topics!

For example, it was reader emails that led me to discover the work Carbon Green Bioenery LLC is doing to lower E85 prices in Michigan (as well as other stories and blogs about ethanol producers doing simular things in other areas) and ultimately led me to write the story that will appear in the soon-to-be published September issue of EPM. This story focuses in on ethanol producers that are skipping the middleman altogether and selling E85 direct to consumers like you and me. Watch for that online soon. 

Now it's time to tackle the avalanche of emails in my inbox. I don’t know about you, but that’s always one of the most overwhelming tasks facing me after being out of the office for a while. If you don’t hear from me soon, send help! And maybe some snacks.