One-of-a-Kind Pellet Mill Ready to Launch

Conestoga• CONNECTION •

True to our innovative mindset, Diamond Ethanol broke ground in January on a 30,000-square-foot pellet mill facility attached to the ethanol plant in Levelland, Texas. The new venture, called Diamond Nutrition, will begin operation on Aug. 1. This innovative manufacturing process will extrude dried distillers grains (DDG) from the ethanol plant into range cubes and calf pellets.

“Basically, we’re putting it under about 6,000 pounds of pressure and forming a cube,” explained Donovan Smith, manufac-turing manager of the new pellet mill. “It’s really a very simplistic process—it just takes some very unique equipment to make it happen.”

Diamond purchased the main extruders from MasterHand Milling of Lexington,

Nebraska. From there, everything else has been engineered and designed specifically for the Levelland facility.

“There’s not another plant like this currently in operation,” said Donovan. “We’re the only plant attached directly to an ethanol plant.”

So while other plants have to truck product in and out, Diamond is bringing the pellet mill straight into the ethanol plant process, Donovan explained. Everything is self-contained.

As another point of difference, the new plant will have a computer control system that eliminates the need to have employ-ees pushing buttons or monitoring each individual piece of equipment. This makes the entire process more economical.

SUMMER 2016ww.conestogaenergy.com

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

CONESTOGA CELEBRATES 10 YEARS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 2

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 3

SIXTH ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT PLANNED. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 4

Continued on page 2

Diamond Nutrition will begin operation on Aug. 1 as part of Diamond Ethanol in Levelland, Texas.

DIAMOND NUTRITION PRIMARY LOGO

ACCEPTABLE VARIATIONS & SUBMARKS

COLORS

PANTONE348C

PANTONE 109C

FONTS

R = 255G = 209B = 0

C = 0M = 9Y = 100K = 0

R = 0G = 132B = 61

C = 96M = 2Y = 100K = 12

LOGO DESIGN BY designQuick Draw

Montserrat Bold

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

1234567890

Montserrat Regular

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

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Ranchers eager for Diamond Nutrition Energy Cubes When Diamond Nutrition Energy Cubes

start rolling out of the pellet mill in August, the product will open the door to a valuable marketing opportunity. Already, ranchers as far as 400 miles from Levelland have ex-pressed an interest in the product. Diamond plans to get feed licenses for Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico.

Energy Cubes offer several key advantages to ranchers, says Donovan. Perhaps most important, this product will contain 30% protein, compared to 20% protein products from companies like Purina®. This makes Conestoga Complete an important value-added option for ranchers. Plus, it’s a pure DDG product with no fillers.

With the help of protein-rich Energy Cubes, ranchers will be able to feed less of this product to their cattle—saving money in the big picture, Donovan explained.

Multiple options availableAs another advantage, Diamond Nutrition Energy Cubes

will be available in bulk, as well as 2,000-pound totes and 50-pound bags. Ranchers can have it delivered FOB or pick up the product—whatever fits their operation best.

Plus, the innovative manufacturing process will allow

Diamond to customize the product per customer. This could include the addition of mineral or vitamin packages to make a more nutritionally complete product for a rancher’s specific situation.

“For instance, we had a local rancher who raises buffalo ask if we can incorporate more copper and selenium—more so than what we would use in beef cattle,” says Donovan. “So we would actually use a nutritionist to help us develop a product to fit his needs.”

Conestoga welcomes innovationDiamond Nutrition is just another example of how we’re

always looking for new ways to make the best use of our re-sources, and provide a value-added product to customers.

“I’m just thankful that Conestoga and Diamond Ethanol gave me the opportunity to do this,” Donovan commented. “You have no idea how great it is to work with a team that has such wonderful input into everything, and has great forward- thinking to where we’re going.”

©2016 Conestoga Energy Partners, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Published in partnership with VistaComm® (www.VistaComm.com).

Continued from page 1

Conestoga Celebrates 10 Years at Annual Meeting

More than 200 investors, employees and guests attended the Conestoga Annual Meeting on May 3 at the Clarion Inn in Garden City. Tom Willis, chief executive officer, highlighted how far Conestoga has come since 2006—and shared the company’s vision for the future.

The agenda also included two guest speakers:• Tom Buis, chief executive

officer of Growth Energy, gave guests an inside look at Growth Energy’s lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C.

• Dave Vander Griend, pres-ident and chief executive officer of ICM, shared facts about ethanol and the technologies that keep our industry on the cutting edge.

2015 PRODUCTION

Ethanol Produced 2015 Grain Grind (bushels) 2015 Yield Wet Distillers Sold (tons) Arkalon 113,985,560 39,955,926 2.8528 620,491Bonanza 63,657,236 22,445,761 2.8360 489,635Diamond 39,145,901 13,872,026 2.8219 129,942Total: 216,788,697 76,273,713 2.8369 1,240,068

One-of-a-Kind Pellet Mill Ready to Launch

DIAMOND NUTRITION PELLET MILL BY THE NUMBERS

30,000 square feet Size of plant currently under construction130 tons Production per day when the plant opens350 tons Potential production per day with expansion500,000 pounds Bulk storage of output pellets

DIAMOND NUTRITION ENERGY CUBES PRIMARY LOGO

ACCEPTABLE VARIATIONS & SUBMARKS

COLORS

PANTONE348C

PANTONE 109C

FONTS

R = 255G = 209B = 0

C = 0M = 9Y = 100K = 0

R = 0G = 132B = 61

C = 96M = 2Y = 100K = 12

LOGO DESIGN BY designQuick Draw

Montserrat Bold

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

1234567890

Montserrat Regular

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

1234567890

Employee Spotlights

Martin Camarillo, Diamond Ethanol EH&S ManagerWhen Martin joined Diamond Ethanol two years ago, he brought an exceptional amount of plant

experience, including 21 years as conditioning supervisor at Funks Seeds and 23 years at Cargill Meat Solutions. He has also completed multiple OSHS certification courses. He thoroughly enjoys working with the people and management team at Diamond Ethanol.

Martin currently lives in Levelland. He and his wife celebrated their one-year anniversary this April. Martin has two stepsons, four daughters, 14 grandchildren and one great-grandson.

During his free time, Martin enjoys working in his yard and garden, cheering for the Dallas Cow-boys and Los Angeles Lakers, coaching little league and playing with grandkids.

Brittany Clark, Arkalon Ethanol EH&S ManagerAfter getting her degree in mechanical engineering from West Texas A&M, Brittany worked in the

aviation, biodiesel, construction and ethanol industries. She joined Arkalon Ethanol last November. “My favorite thing about my position here is the people I work with,” said Brittany. “I love how

the Conestoga team puts an emphasis on family—both the work family and our families at home.”A native of Rolla, Kansas, Brittany currently lives in Hugoton, Kansas, with her three-year-old

son, Liam Fitzgerald. During free time, you’ll find Brittany and Liam outdoors doing all the things he loves, such as fishing, riding bikes, taking walks and checking cows with his grandpa.

Dustin Hunt, Bonanza Bioenergy EH&S ManagerDustin grew up in Broken Bow, Nebraska, and received his degree in biochemistry from Doane

College in Crete, Nebraska—followed by jobs as a lab technician, lab manager and interim QSE manager. Dustin joined Bonanza Bioenergy in January this year.

“I get to work with a lot of level-headed and intelligent people,” said Dustin about his co-workers at Bonanza. “They all want to work safely, be efficient and enjoy what they do.”

Dustin currently lives in Garden City with his girlfriend, Stephanie Darbyshire, and four-year-old son, Felix. He is an avid music fan, and enjoys playing the upright bass, electric bass guitar, acoustic guitar, trumpet and harmonica. He also enjoys camping, fishing and hiking with his family.

Our highly trained safety managers make safety a top priority at all Conestoga locations.

Mal Thomas, Conestoga Logistics, Safety & Compliance ManagerAfter growing up in Bangor, Maine, Mal spent eight years as a crew chief in the U.S. Army avia-

tion branch. He also attended Pikes Peak Community College, and was a Colorado State Trooper for 13 years, before joining Conestoga Logistics two years ago.

Mal lives in Liberal with his wife of 13 years, Laura, and their “perfectly blended family”—Kristie (23), Courtney (19), Landon (14), Malayna (12) and Ryan (11).

In his spare time, Mal enjoys attending family sporting activities and taking family trips. He also likes cars, trucks and “just about anything with a combustible engine.” Mal is a lifelong fan of the

New England Patriots, Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins. He used to play competitive ice hockey, but jokes that there’s not much ice time in southwest Kansas.

1701 Kansas Ave. Ste 101Liberal, KS 67901

DETAILS INSIDE:

CONESTOGA CELEBRATES 10 YEARS AT ANNUAL MEETING

ARKALON ETHANOL, LLC • 8664 Road P, LibeRaL, KS 67901 • 620-624-2901BONANZA BIOENERGY, LLC • 2810 e. U.S. Hwy. 50, Ste. b, GaRden City, KS 67846 • 620-275-4909DIAMOND ETHANOL, LLC • 103 S. FM 2646, LeveLLand, tX 79336 • 806-897-0911

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Conestoga employees and vendors teed up on July 29 for the sixth annual Conestoga Classic at Buffalo Dunes Golf Course in Garden City. The 18-hole golf scramble event featured an early morn-ing shotgun start, followed by lunch and a silent auction. Proceeds will benefit Youthville, a support program for foster families throughout Kansas.

All Conestoga vendors were invited, and many of them provided prizes and auction items. “It’s all about getting together, team building and having our vendors get to know people in our com-pany,” said Ryan Klaus, purchasing and inventory control manager, who served as the event coordinator. His “co-captains” were Monica Turrentine, human resources coordinator in the Garden City office, and Stephanie Hall, executive assistant in the Liberal office.

Last year, the event raised $10,000 for Youthville. This year’s numbers are still being crunched, but the 2016 tournament

committee hopes donations increased by $12,000 this year.

Youthville is one of the longest running foster care programs in Kansas—provid-ing support for foster families throughout the state. When children are unable to live with their own families, they need a safe home and loving family to provide for them until their own family can be rebuilt. Youthville provides that resource—the loving hearts and homes to welcome the area’s most vulnerable children.

Plans Underway for Annual Golf Tournament

Conestoga ClassicHeld Friday, July 29

Buffalo Dunes Golf CourseGarden City, Kansas