(Fort Dodge, Iowa) --- VeraSun Fort Dodge, LLC, will break ground at their 252-acre site in Webster County on Saturday, September 18, 2004, for a 110-million gallons per year ethanol plant. The public ceremony will mark the official beginning of construction. The plant is scheduled to be in production in early 2006 and will process 40-million bushels of corn from producers in a 60-mile radius of Fort Dodge.

Senator Grassley to Speak
U.S. Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa will be the featured speaker at the event, along with Rick Tolman, National Corn Growers Association CEO and other national, state, and local leaders. The ceremony will begin at 1:00 p.m. at the plant site, five miles west of Fort Dodge at the intersection of Highway 7 and Hayes Avenue. Directions and other event details can be found at www.verasun.com.

"We're honored that Senator Grassley has agreed to speak at our groundbreaking," Don Endres, CEO of VeraSun Fort Dodge, said. "The Senator has been a long-time supporter of the ethanol industry. This will be an opportunity for the people and producers from the surrounding area to learn more about the VeraSun Fort Dodge facility and the far-reaching economic impact it will have on the area."

A New Market for Corn
"This project will create a significant new market for corn producers in a 60-mile radius of Fort Dodge," Endres said. "Ethanol has a proven positive impact on rural economic development, the environment, and our nation's energy security."

One of the Largest U.S. Plants
The VeraSun Fort Dodge plant will be one of the largest dry-grind ethanol plants in the U.S., producing 110-million gallons of ethanol. The plant will also produce 352,000 tons of distillers grain annually, enough to feed 660,000 head of cattle each day. When in full production the plant will run 24-hours per day, 7-days per week, throughout the year. ICM, Inc., of Colwich, Kansas, will engineer the plant. The general contractor is Fagen, Inc., of Granite Falls, Minnesota.

About VeraSun Fort Dodge, LLC
VeraSun Fort Dodge, LLC, is a renewable energy company focused on ethanol production. It was founded in 2003 by the management team of VeraSun Energy Corporation. The Fort Dodge plant is privately held by management, local Fort Dodge investors, and Bluestem Capital, a private equity investment company based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. VeraSun Energy Corporation currently owns and operates a 100-million gallons per year dry-grind ethanol plant in Aurora, South Dakota.

For more information
Don Endres, CEO of VeraSun Fort Dodge, will be available for telephone interviews. To arrange for an interview, contact Bill Honnef, Vice President of Marketing, at (605) 693-6806 or bill@verasun.com.