RICHARDTON - In a corny way, it was a perfect day to be a North Dakotan.

A blue-and-gold sky nipped clean by a touch of early-morning frost enticed more than 400 folks to turn out for a grand opening of the only member-owned ethanol plant in the state.

Red Trail Energy at Richardton wanted to have a celebration party, not just for dignitaries, but for everyday people, too.

Nearby schools sent busloads of students, farmers and townspeople turned out, and even a Red Hat Society group in their pretty hats and purple clothing mingled.

Plant manager Mick Miller sprung his own son from kindergarten to have a hot dog and soda along with everyone else.

"What really made the day is the sunshine," Miller said. "The tours were a hit."

He was right about that.

Tours leaving every 15 minutes or so attracted a new group every time for a brisk walk through the facility, where 18 million bushels of corn go in and 50 million gallons of ethanol come out every year.

The plant has been in production since January. A normally busy yard of semis bringing in corn and hauling out distillers mash for livestock was quieted for the occasion.

The celebration came in the midst of news that North Dakota's corn crop of 279 million bushels will surpass its wheat crop for the first time since records were kept.

"It's going to be big," Miller said.

Mike Appert, 38, of Hazelton, is one reason why it will be.

"The country says it needs corn, and we farmers came up with corn," he said.

Appert planted 8,000 corn acres this year, the most ever. He said he expected to harvest 1 million bushels, an average of 125 bushels an acre - his crop alone would be enough to keep Red Trail running for four weeks.

Appert, who is chairman of the board, said he will make money on corn contracts and earn 20 percent return on his investor share of Red Trail, which was built one investment at a time by everyday people like those at the party.

"It's going to be good for me and for 800 other North Dakotans who invested in this plant," he said.

Agriculture Department Commissioner Roger Johnson, who sat in the sunshine with his bag of chips and a hot dog, said Red Trail is all about people putting their money into the right agriculture energy product at the right time.

Some projects tried other places didn't work so well. Johnson said, "A lot of people quit believing in ourselves. This is going to make some good money."

Garrett Lutz, 17, a student at Southwest Community High School, came for a tour and a chance to see what his future could look like.

He plans to study plant process at Bismarck State College.

"It was fascinating," Lutz said after touring the plant.

Appert said a background discussion among the directors is whether to go forward with Red Trail II.

With corn coming out of the state's "ears," and a growing demand for energy, an expansion could be the right trail to follow.

(Reach reporter Lauren Donovan at 888-303-5511 or lauren@;westriv.com.)