Lee County, Iowa
The Lee County, Iowa BDO Zone for Corn Stover is rated ‘A’.
Rating Issue Date: August 18, 2026.
'A' ratings denote high prospective viability of Feedstock Supply and Infrastructure and low expectations of default risk in the Zone. Capacity to support new biobased plant operations is considered strong.
Lee County, IA holds an investment-grade BDO Zone ‘A’ Rating for Corn stover. Issued in Aug 2026, the rating certifies approximately 550,000 bdt/yr of reliable, low-risk biomass feedstock available within a 75-mile driving distance from the central point in Fort Madison, IA.
A ‘A’ rating is an investment grade rating, signalling a reliable, low-risk feedstock supply. It signals to developers, lenders, and investors that Lee County, IA’s feedstock supply has undergone rigorous, standardized due diligence across 100+ risk indicators, the same framework applied to every BDO Zone across North America.
Every BDO Zone Rating assesses a region across three dimensions, mapped as expanding radii around a candidate site.
- Feedstock surplus: Data indicating at least 50,000 tonnes per year of excess feedstock available to support typical intake of new biofuels manufacturing plants.
- Supply chain strength: Evidence supporting long-term commitment to supply both quantity and quality by local farmers, forestry companies, food waste generators, haulers and municipalities.
- Sound infrastructure: Suitable transportation, logistic, operating and supporting infrastructure to meet the requirements for new facility operations.
Assets & liabilities
- An agronomically mature corn production system with multi-generational producer experience in cultivation and residue management.
- Virtually no industrial competition for corn stover, making feedstock availability both reliable and largely unconstrained.
- Mississippi River barge access and BNSF rail certification.
- Robust utilities availability.
- Very low political, regulatory, and sustainability risk.
Infrastructure & sites
- Mississippi River barge access
- BNSF rail certification
- Robust utilities availability