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| Summertime is going fast and school has started again. I am excited to see a good corn crop in the local area and it sounds like nationwide, we could see good production if we can finish the crop off in good shape. We need summer to last a bit longer and we need a warm frost free period this fall for the best scenario for the corn crop. We are seeing profitability at Granite Falls Energy. It is refreshing to see that we can realize positive margins again after the many months of not having the opportunity to see good, strong numbers. A key financial ratio is (current assets to current liabilities) which means liquidity. Last year at this time the ratio was at 1.54:1 and currently we are at 3.06:1. This is more than adequate to fund the operation very well on an ongoing basis and we are in much better shape. This is a 62% performance enhancement. Our working capital position has held up well and we did not suffer the losses that some of the plants did around the nation. Your investment is sound and we are poised to come out of the global recession in good shape. A year ago, we reviewed the numbers and the outlook was not good. We just were not able to see any margins no matter what we looked at. It was best to stand aside and ride out the storm. Volatility may return and we must be prepared for it. As a member of the audit committee, I am happy to report that our financial strength is good and we have passed the major stress test from the last eighteen months. We cannot expect to see windfall type profits like we did in the first two years of production but we will be here for the long haul. Paul Enstad Chairman of the Board of Governors We are buying our feedstock conservatively and not taking undue risks. We do not have too many opportunities to forward price our ethanol but we try to have a positive crush margin on all of our sales. The pressure to do so has eased somewhat now that the price of corn has dropped considerably and the demand for ethanol is holding up fairly well. For the quarter ended July 31, 2009 corn costs were$3.78 per bushel and for the same period last year we paid exactly three dollars more per bushel at $6.78... It seems that the oil and ethanol prices have separated a bit from the price of corn and they are not tracking as closely. It looks like we are trading fundamentals and getting back to a supply and demand situation. Sugar prices are at high levels and this should reduce competition from imported cane based ethanol. In fact, there is talk of an increase in exports for domestically produced ethanol. This should bode well for the ethanol producer and the investors should start to see returns again. The move away from our former marketer of ethanol to Eco- Energy has given us more freedom to choose selling points and we can more easily identify how we can make money. Granite Falls Energy was built in its location for many reasons and we are now realizing some of the benefits. We are able to ship our ethanol to the key Eastern and Southeastern markets while some of our competitors are unable to do so without added costs. Logistically, we are in an ideal location. It is refreshing to see that we can be in such a great position and we are excited to be bouncing back from such a long gloomy period of nothing but negative issues for our industry and the economy in general. Our goal is to hunker down and strategically plan for a very consistent return on investment. It makes no sense to go through all of this work and have such a great functioning ethanol plant just to see breakeven results. I believe the tides are turning favorably for Granite Falls Energy and are objectives will be met. Your investment is sound, and I encourage you to review the SEC website and your latest report will show that the trend has turned positive. The plant continues to operate very well and many thanks to all of the employees for making this happen. Granite Falls Energy operates efficiently and we are in good standing with MPCA reporting requirements. We are poised for increased production when the permits are approved. Tracey and his staff have identified ways to improve the process and these methods are being implemented as we move forward. A concerted effort has been made to lower operating expenses. Your management and Board of Governors continually spend much time researching and exploring potential opportunities to lessen costs and improve the bottom line without sacrificing production. I have visited with the good people who work at the plant and it is interesting to note how experience counts for a lot. If there is a disruption in the plant, it is always identified quickly and the problem is solved with limited production down time. As the plant gets some age on it, it is critical to be prepared and to have key spare parts available. Our spring and fall maintenance shutdowns are important and our employees are ready when the time comes to perform maintenance. The buildings and the grounds are kept looking nice and it is the cleanest looking plant in the country. It is obvious that everyone at Granite Falls Energy has great pride in what they do. We should all be proud of our Company not just for how it looks but how we are ready for the future. I believe that our earning potential looks very good. Autumn greetings from the administrative staff! It’s time again for us to mail out the AWC (Alternative Withholding Certificate) forms to all of our non-Minnesota resident investors. Be sure to sign and return the forms to our office no later than November 30. If you are a non-Minnesota resident and do not receive an AWC form by October 31, please give us a call. By signing the form, you alleviate GFE from withholding Minnesota state taxes on your behalf. Please be sure to read all federal and Minnesota state tax form instructions thoroughly and consult your tax advisor regarding your specific tax situation. If you do not sign and return the forms, any withholding paid on your behalf will be either invoiced to you, or deducted from your next distribution, whichever occurs earliest. Please give us a call if you have any questions regarding these forms. Our third quarter SEC reporting (Form 10Q) for the fiscal period ending July 31, 2009 has been completed and posted on the SEC website. Please follow the link on our GFE website, or (http://www.sec.gov/edgar/searchedgar/companysearch.html), to view the report. The quarterly and year-to-date financials are in this report, along with the corresponding financial footnotes and management discussion and analysis. The un-audited earnings for the third quarter are approximately $1.4M [$46 income per unit]; the year-to-date earnings through the third quarter show a loss of approximately $1.2M [$39 lossper unit]. Be sure to read the financial footnotes in the SEC filings as they contain much detail regarding the numbers. We continue to work on Sarbanes-Oxley, Section 404, (SOX 404). This section of SOX mandates that all publicly-traded companies establish internal controls and procedures for financial reporting; and document,test and maintain those controls and procedures to ensure their effectiveness. This testing will be completed at the time of our financial audit for the fiscal year ending October 31, 2010. Please give us a call if you would like more information on SOX 404; or you can search the internet using the words “SOX404” or “Sarbanes-Oxley 404”. Stacie Schuler Chief Financial Officer/Controller All unit trades matched by August 31, 2009, through Alerus Securities, and private transfers submitted to our office by September 15, 2009, have been approved by the Board of Governors at the September board meeting. These trades and transfers have an effective date of October 1, 2009. Please visit the Alerus Securities website via the “Trading Capital Units” link on our GFE website, www.alerusagstock.com for GFE units available for sale, offers to purchase and recent sales; or call Alerus Securities toll free at 800-279-3200, ext. 3402. We wish you all a safe harvest season! |