URBANDALE, Iowa - The Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) has announced the winner of its ‘Win a Free Ride’ sweepstakes. Kathleen Elbert of Emmetsburg, Iowa, has been named the lucky winner of the “Bean Machine,” a 2006 Volkswagen Beetle TDI. Not only does she win a two-year lease on the vehicle, but she also receives $2,000 worth of free soy biodiesel to fuel the car.

Elbert and her husband Cletus are soybean and corn farmers from Palo Alto County. When asked why she entered the contest, Elbert says, “The car itself caught my eye, but when I saw that it ran on biodiesel, that‘s what really attracted me. We have been using a biodiesel blend on our farm for years.”

When Elbert got the call last week saying she was the winner of the Bean Machine, she didn’t believe it. “I thought it was a trick,” says Elbert. “I was just sure that it was some kind of sales pitch.”

ISA field staff traveled with the Bean Machine throughout Iowa in June, July and August to promote soy biodiesel and the many advantages to driving a vehicle powered by soy biodiesel. The ‘Win a Free Ride’ summer sweepstakes tour concluded at the Clay County Fair in September, which was where Elbert signed up. “I knew the contest was just about over when I signed up, and when I heard how many entries there were already, I was sure I wouldn’t win,” says Elbert. ISA estimates that between 40,000 and 50,000 people entered the ‘Win a Free Ride’ sweepstakes.

What will Elbert do with her new car? “I am really excited to drive it,” says Elbert. “I have always wanted a Volkswagen Beetle, and yellow is just the color I would have picked. I’m going to drive it in the Emmetsburg St. Patrick’s Day parade.”