MINDEN, Neb. (DTN) -- Rural America has seen its fair share of heartache from ethanol plants closing down and taking jobs with them. But Nebraska-based KAAPA Ethanol, LLC, has managed to stay the course and continues to live up to the hope it brought to the surrounding communities when it was founded in 2002.

One of the first ethanol projects in Nebraska, KAAPA is located near Minden and is the largest farmer-owned ethanol plant in the state.

During the past year, corn prices and high energy costs forced many ethanol plants' profit margins to plunge. But while some plants closed ...