UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Filed by the Registrantý
Filed by a Party other than the Registranto

Check the appropriate box:

Check the appropriate box:
ýPreliminary Proxy Statement
oConfidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))
oDefinitive Proxy Statement
oDefinitive Additional Materials
oSoliciting Material Pursuant to §240.14a-12

LINCOLNWAY ENERGY, LLC
LINCOLNWAY ENERGY, LLC
(Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement if Other Than the Registrant)
(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)
N/A

(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement if other than the Registrant)

Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):
ýNo fee required.
oFee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11.
(1)   Title of each class of securities to which transaction applies:
(2)   Aggregate number of securities to which transaction applies:
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(4)   Proposed maximum aggregate value of transaction:
(5)   Total fee paid:
oFee paid previously with preliminary materials.
oCheck box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule 240.0-11(a)0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid previously.  Identify the previous filing by registration statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing.
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PRELIMINARY PROXY STATEMENT – SUBJECT TO COMPLETION
LINCOLNWAY ENERGY, LLCDATED ____________ ____, 2022




NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING OF MEMBERSimagelogo.jpg


[Proxy Mailed Date], 2022

Dear Member:

You are cordially invited to be held on Monday, March 23, 2020



NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Specialan Annual Meeting of the members (the “Special Meeting”) of Lincolnway Energy, LLC (the “Company”) which will be held at the Radisson Hotel Ames Conference Center at ISU, 2609 University Blvd., Ames, Iowa on Monday, March 23, 2020,[Meeting Date], 2022, commencing at 6:30 p.m.  The purposes9:00 a.m. central time (the “Annual Meeting”).

A Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (which includes information about the proxy card, proxy statement, and notice of the SpecialAnnual Meeting (the “Proxy Materials”)) was mailed to our members on or about [Proxy Mailed Date], 2022, and the Proxy Materials were posted on our website at www.linconwayenergy.com under the “Investors” tab on the same date. We urge all members to access the Proxy Materials, print the proxy card, fill it out and send it to us to count your votes for the Annual Meeting. We will also mail proxy cards to all members on or about [Proxy Card Mailed], 2022.

Details of the business to be conducted at our Annual Meeting are to:provided in the attached Notice of Annual Meeting of Members and Proxy Statement.

YOUR VOTE IS VERY IMPORTANT, and it is important that your units be represented and voted at the meeting. The directors therefore urge you to carefully review all of the Proxy Materials, and then print, complete, sign and date the proxy card and promptly return it to the Company. You can print the proxy card off from our website www.lincolnwayenergy.com at the “Investor” tab. Your proxy card must be received at the Company’s principal office at 59511 W. Lincoln Highway, Nevada, Iowa 50201, before 9:00 a.m. central time on [Meeting Date], 2022 in order to be valid. This will also help ensure a quorum at the meeting and will save the Company the expense of additional solicitations. If you return your proxy card before the meeting and decide that you want to change your vote, you may revoke your proxy at any time prior to 9:00 a.m. central time on [Meeting Date], 2022 by delivering a written revocation and/or a new proxy card to the Company’s principal office. You may also revoke your proxy by attending the Annual Meeting and delivering a written revocation to any director at any time before the voting results are announced at the Annual Meeting.

On behalf of the directors, I would like to thank you for your continued interest in the affairs of Lincolnway Energy, LLC, and we look forward to seeing you at our Annual Meeting.

Sincerely,

/s/ Seth Harder
Seth Harder
President
[Proxy Mailed Date], 2022










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(1)

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF MEMBERS
to be held on [Meeting Date], 2022



Date:[Meeting Date], 2022
Time:9:00 a.m. central time
Place:
Consider seven (7) amendmentsRadisson Hotel Ames Conference Center at ISU, 2609 University Blvd., Ames, Iowa
Members can contact the Company at (515) 232-1010 if you need directions to the Company’s SecondAnnual Meeting.
Purpose:
Amend and restate our Fourth Amended and Restated Operating Agreement dated November 10, 2010,April 1, 2020 (our “Operating Agreement”) to provide for five separate and distinct classes of units: Common, Class A, Class B, Class C, and Class D Units
Reclassify our units into Common, Class A, Class B, Class C, and Class D Units for the purpose of discontinuing the registration of our units under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”)
Adjourn or postpone the Annual Meeting, if necessary or appropriate, for the purpose, among others, of soliciting additional proxies if there are not sufficient votes at the time of the Annual Meeting to approve the matters under consideration
Election of two (2) Common Directors
Ratify the appoint of RSM US LLP as amended March 4, 2013our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2022

The foregoing items are more fully described in the accompanying Proxy Statement.
Record Date:
Only members of record on [Record Date], 2022 (the “Record Date”) are entitled to notice of, and March 3, 2016 (the “Operating Agreement”);to vote at, the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement of the meeting.
Proxy Voting:
Your vote is very important, and our directors desire that all members be present or represented at the Annual Meeting. Please print, sign, date and return the proxy card located on our website at www.lincolnwayenergy.com under the “Investor” tab at your earliest convenience so that your units may be voted.

(2)
Transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting and any adjournment thereof.
The foregoing items are more fully described in the accompanying Proxy Statement.  Only members of record on Friday, February 28, 2020 are entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Special Meeting or any adjournment or postponement of the meeting.  Each unit is entitled to one vote on all matters presented at the Special Meeting.

Your vote is very important and our directors desire that all members be present or represented at the Special Meeting.  Even if you plan to attend in person, please sign, date and return the proxy card located on our website atwww.lincolnwayenergy.com at the “Investor” tab, or included in the printed proxy materials mailed to you, at your earliest convenience so that your units may be voted.  If you decide to attend the Special Meeting in person, you retain the right to vote even though you mailed the enclosed proxy card.  The proxy card must be signed by each registered member of record for the units voted.

By Order of the Board of Directors,
Timothy Fevold,
Secretary
Nevada, Iowa
/s/ William Couser
February 28, 2020[Proxy Mailed Date], 2022
William Couser, Secretary




IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS FOR THE
ANNUAL MEETING OF MEMBERS TO BE HELD ON [MEETING DATE], 2022
The Notice of Annual Meeting and the Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting are available free of charge at www.lincolnwayenergy.com under the “Investor” tab.
2



TABLE OF CONTENTS


ABOUT THE ANNUAL MEETING1
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE RECLASSIFICATION3
SPECIAL FACTORS RELATED TO THE RECLASSIFICATION11
Overview11
Background11
Reasons for the Reclassification13
Fairness of the Reclassification15
Factors Not Considered Material18
Board Recommendation19
Purpose and Structure of the Reclassification19
Effects of the Reclassification on LWE20
Effects of the Reclassification on Unit Holders of LWE22
Units Held in a Brokerage or Custodial Account23
Interests of Certain Persons in the Reclassification24
Material Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Reclassification24
Appraisal and Dissenters Rights25
Regulatory Requirements25
Fees and Expenses; Financing of the Reclassification25
THE FIFTH AMENDED AND RESTATED OPERATING AGREEMENT25
SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF MANAGEMENT AND CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS31
OTHER MATTERS32

Exhibit 99.3FOURTH AMENDED AND RESTATED OPERATING AGREEMENT
Exhibit 99.4PROPOSED FIFTH AMENDED AND RESTATED OPERATING AGREEMENT
APPENDIX AFORM OF PROXY
APPENDIX BFORM OF TRANSMITTAL LETTER







LINCOLNWAY ENERGY, LLC
59511 W. Lincoln HighwayABOUT THE ANNUAL MEETING
Nevada, Iowa 50201

PROXY STATEMENT FOR THE SPECIAL MEETING OF MEMBERS
TO BE HELD ON MARCH 23, 2020

This Proxy Statement is being provided byIn this proxy statement, “Lincolnway,” “LWE,” “we,” “our,” “ours,” “us” and the “Company” refer to Lincolnway Energy, LLC, (the an Iowa limited liability company.

Company,” “we,” or “us”)Reclassification” refers to the reclassification of certain of our registered units into two newly-created classes: Class C and Class D; the outstanding units that are not reclassified will remain in connection withour three existing classes: Common, Class A, and Class B. As a result, following the solicitationReclassification (if completed), we would have five classes of proxies for the Special Meetingunits: Common, Class A, Class B, Class C, and Class D. References to our “units” generally refers to our currently outstanding membership units; a portion of members (the “Special Meeting”) thatsuch outstanding units will be heldrenamed as Class C or Class D Units if the Reclassification is consummated.

Date, Time and Place of the Annual Meeting

Our board of directors (“Board”) is asking for your proxy for use at the Annual Meeting on Monday, March 23, 2020, commencing[Meeting Date], 2022 at 6:30 p.m.,9:00 a.m. central time, at the Radisson Hotel Ames Conference Center at ISU, 2609 University Blvd., Ames, Iowa, and at any adjournmentadjournments or postponement thereof.postponements of that meeting. Registration for the Annual Meeting begins at 8:00 a.m. central time.

Proposals to be Considered at the Annual Meeting

Our Board has authorized, and unanimously recommends for your approval at the Annual Meeting, the following Proposals:

ProposalDescriptionBoard Voting Recommendation
No. 1
Adoption of proposed Fifth Amended and Restated Operating Agreement (the “Proposed Operating Agreement”)
FOR
No. 2Approval of the Reclassification of unitsFOR
No. 3Adjournment or postponement the Annual Meeting, if necessary or appropriate, for the purpose, among others, of soliciting additional proxies if there are not sufficient votes at the time of the Annual Meeting to approve the matters under considerationFOR
No. 4Election of two (2) common directorsFOR Election of Taylor and Couser
No. 5Ratify the appointment of RSM US LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2021; and
FOR

Our members will vote on these matters separately. If Proposals 1 and 2 are not both approved, our Board, in its discretion, may determine not to implement:

the Reclassification; or
the terms and conditions of the Proposed Operating Agreement.

Our Board will have the discretion to determine if and when to effect the Proposed Operating Agreement, including the Reclassification, and reserves the right to abandon the Proposed Operating Agreement and the Reclassification, even if approved by the members. For example, if the number of record holders of units changes such that the Reclassification would no longer accomplish our intended goal of discontinuing our reporting obligations owed to the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), our Board may determine not to effect the Reclassification.

We expect that if our members approve the Reclassification and Proposed Operating Agreement and our Board elects to effect the Proposed Operating Agreement, the Reclassification will become effective on [Reclass Effective Date], 2022.

No member proposals will be able to be made or acted upon at the Annual Meeting, and no member action will otherwise be able to be taken at the Annual Meeting, other than voting on the above proposals.

Availability of Proxy Materials

Our Proxy Statement and Annual Report are also available online at www.lincolnwayenergy.com




Under the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s “notice and access” rules, we have elected to use the Internet as our primary means of furnishing proxy materials to our members. Consequently, most members will not receive paper copies of our proxy materials. We instead sent our members a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (“Internet Availability Notice”) containing instructions on how to access this Proxy Statement and our Annual Report via the Internet. The Internet Availability Notice also included instructions on how to receive a paper copy of your proxy materials, if you so choose. If you need directionsreceived your annual meeting materials by mail, your proxy materials, including your proxy card, were enclosed. We believe that this process expedites members’ receipt of proxy materials, lowers the costs of our 2022 Annual Meeting and helps to the Radisson Hotel Ames Conference Center at ISU, please call the Company at (515) 232-1010.
IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS FORconserve natural resources.
THE SPECIAL MEETING TO BE HELD ON
MARCH 23, 2020

This Proxy Statement, the Notice of the Special2022 Annual Meeting, and proxy card and our Annual Report may be requested by calling or e-mailing Kay Gammon at (515) 232-1010 or kgammon@lincolnwayenergy.com or accessing www.lincolnwayenergy.com and clicking on the “Investor” tab.

BACKGROUND

Record Date

Only members of record on the Record Date are entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Annual Meeting. You may vote at the Annual Meeting if you were the record owner of units of the Company at the close of business on [Record Date], 2022, which is the Record Date. At the close of business on the Record Date, 105,122 units were issued and outstanding held by approximately 983 unit holders of record. If you are a holder of Common, Class A and/or Class B Units of the Company, you are entitled to one vote on each proposal considered and voted upon at the Annual Meeting for each unit you held of record at the close of business on the Record Date.

Quorum; Vote Required for Approval

Pursuant to Section 6.7 of our Operating Agreement, members holding at least 25% of the outstanding units (which shall include members holding at least 25% of the outstanding Common Units and Class B Units, in the aggregate and, with respect to any matter upon which the Class A Units are entitled to vote, shall include Members holding at least 25% of the outstanding Class A Units) will constitute a quorum of the members for the Annual Meeting. Since we had 42,049 Common Units, 6,987 Class B Units, and 56,086 Class A Units outstanding and entitled to vote as of the Record Date, an aggregate of at least 12,259 Common Units and Class B Units in addition to at least 14,022 Class A Units need to be represented at the Annual Meeting in order for there to be a quorum.

Approval of the Proposed Operating Agreement, including the provisions to effect the Reclassification, requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the Common Units, a majority of the Class A Units, and a majority of the Class B Units that are outstanding, eligible to vote and represented in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting, if a quorum is present. In accordance with Section 6.6 of our Operating Agreement, abstentions or proxies or ballots marked to “withhold authority” will be counted for purposes of determining the presence or absence of a quorum for the transaction of business but will not be counted as votes cast for or against the proposals to be voted upon at the Annual Meeting.

If a quorum is not present at the time and place scheduled for the Annual Meeting, the members present at that time may reschedule the Annual Meeting to a later date in order to give the Board additional time to solicit proxies for use at the Annual Meeting. The proposal to adjourn or postpone the Annual Meeting must be approved by the holders of at least a majority of the outstanding units represented at the Annual Meeting (even if a quorum is not present) in order for the meeting to be validly postponed or adjourned to solicit additional proxies or for other purposes.

Voting and Revocation of Proxies

You may vote your units in person by attending the Annual Meeting, or by mailing us your completed proxy. You must return the proxy card to the Company no later than 9:00 a.m. central time on [Meeting Date], 2022 for your vote to be valid. If a proxy card is submitted by mail without instructions as to the three proposals, the proxies will be voted “FOR” the Proposed Operating Agreement; “FOR” the Reclassification; and “FOR” the adjournment or postponement of the meeting if the Board determines it is necessary or desirable to do so.

A member who returns a proxy card to the Company before the Annual Meeting but wants to change the member’s vote, can do so at any time by either (i) delivering a written revocation and/or completing and delivering a new proxy card to the Company’s principal office at 59511 W. Lincoln Highway, Nevada, Iowa 50201 any time before 9:00 a.m. central time on [Meeting Date], 2022, or (ii) attending the Annual Meeting and delivering a written revocation to any director at any time before the voting results are announced at the meeting.

If your units are held in the name of your brokerage firm, bank, fiduciary, trustee, custodian or other nominee, you are considered the beneficial owner of units held in your name. If you are the beneficial owner of your units and not the holder of record, you will need to contact your brokerage firm, bank, fiduciary, trustee, custodian or other nominee to revoke any prior



voting instructions or bring with you a legal proxy from your brokerage firm, bank, fiduciary, trustee, custodian or other nominee authorizing you to vote the units.

Solicitation of Proxies; Expenses of Solicitation

The proxy materials are being provided to you by the Company and proxies will be solicited on behalf of the Company by our directors, officers and employees. The original solicitation of proxies by mail may be supplemented by solicitations by our directors, officers and employees by telephone, electronic or other means to request members return their proxy cards or attend the Annual Meeting. No compensation will be paid to our directors, officers or employees for any solicitations.

The Company will bear the expenses in connection with this solicitation of proxies. Copies of the proxy materials and any other solicitation materials will be provided to brokerage firms, banks, fiduciaries, trustees, custodians or other nominees holding units in their names that are beneficially owned by others so that they may forward the solicitation materials to such beneficial owners. We will reimburse brokerage firms, bank, fiduciaries, trustees, custodians, or other nominees for the reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with forwarding the the proxy material or any other solicitation materials. The Company has not employed any third party to solicit proxies for the Annual Meeting.

We are mailing the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials and making the proxy materials available to our members on or about [Proxy Mailed Date], 2022.

Authority to Adjourn the Annual Meeting to Solicit Additional Proxies

We are also asking our members to grant full authority for the Annual Meeting to be adjourned, if necessary or desirable, for the purpose, among others, of soliciting additional proxies to approve the proposals presented in this proxy statement.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE RECLASSIFICATION

This summary provides an overview of material information about the proposed Reclassification and the proposed amendment and restatement of our Operating Agreement by adopting the Proposed Operating Agreement. However, it is a summary only. To better understand the Reclassification and for a more complete description of its terms, we encourage you to carefully read this entire document and the documents to which it refers before voting.

Q: What is the Reclassification?

A.We are proposing that our members amend and restate our Operating Agreement by adopting the Proposed Operating Agreement. If the Proposed Operating Agreement is adopted, it will, among other things, provide for five separate classes of units: Common, Class A, Class B, Class C and Class D Units. Certain of our outstanding Common Units will be reclassified on the basis of one Class C or Class D Unit for each unit currently held, as follows:

Common Units held by holders of exactly 25 of our Common Units into Class C Units;
Common Units held by holders of less than 25 of our Common Units into Class D Units; and
Common Units held by holders of 26-49 or our Common Units into Class D Units.

Common Units held by holders of 50 or more of our Common Units will not be reclassified. Further, current outstanding Class A and Class B Units will not be reclassified.

The adoption of the Proposed Operating Agreement and the Reclassification must both be approved to effect the Reclassification. For more information about the terms of the Reclassification and the Proposed Operating Agreement, please refer to “Special Factors Related to the Reclassification” and “The Fifth Amended and Restated Operating Agreement.”

Neither the Securities and Exchange CommissionSEC nor any state securities commission have determined ifhas approved or disapproved the Proposed Operating Agreement or the Reclassification, or has passed upon the merits or fairness of the Reclassification or upon the adequacy or accuracy of the disclosure in this proxy statement is truthful or complete.document. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

Q: What is the purpose and structure of the Reclassification?
In 2019,
A.The purpose of the Reclassification is to allow us to terminate our SEC reporting obligations (known as “going private”). The primary effect of the Reclassification will be to reduce the total number of unit holders of record of our current Common Units to below 300 unit holders by reclassifying part of our current Common Units as Class C or Class D Units. This will allow us to terminate our registration under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the



Exchange Act”) and relieve us of the costs of preparing and filing public reports and other documents. It will also allow our management and employees to shift time spent from complying with SEC reporting obligations to our operational and business goals.

The Reclassification is being effected at the unit holder level. This means that we continued to experience tremendous commodity risk and government policy volatility. In 2018,use the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted Small Refinery Exemption waivers (SREs) from blending ethanolnumber of units registered in the gasoline supplyname of each holder to determine how that holder’s units will be reclassified. On [Member Letter Date], 2022, the Company sent a letter to its unit holders notifying them that they had until [Transfer End Date], 2022 to make transfers of units before the Reclassification. The purpose of this letter was to allow unit holders the opportunity to make transfers (subject to our Operating Agreement and applicable laws) before the Reclassification so that they could own the requisite number of units to be in their desired class. We will restrict transfers after [Transfer End Date], 2022 to allow the Company to determine the number of Common, Class A, Class B, Class C, and Class D members that would result from the Reclassification before providing our members with proxy materials.

Q: What will be the effects of the Reclassification?

A.The Reclassification is a “going private transaction,” meaning that it will allow us to deregister with the SEC, and we will no longer be subject to reporting obligations under federal securities laws. As a result of the Reclassification:

The Common Units currently registered under the Exchange Act (some of which will be reclassified as Class C and Class D Units) will be reduced from approximately 42,049 Common Units to 26,568 Common Units, and the number of unit holders of currently-registered Common Units will decrease from 921 Common unit holders to approximately 269 Common unit holders;

The newly-created Class C Units will correspondingly increase to approximately 9,200 units held by approximately 368 Class C unit holders;

The newly-created Class D Units will correspondingly increase to approximately 6,281 units held by approximately 284 Class D unit holders;

The number of units and holders of current Class A and Class B Units will not be affected as a result of the Reclassification;

The percentage of beneficial ownership of and voting power held by directors and executive officers of LWE as a group will increase from approximately 2.5% of the current Common Units to approximately 4.0% of the Common Units after the Reclassification, which will not materially change their collective ability to control the Company in their capacity as members;

Certain Common unit holders will receive one Class C or Class D Unit (as applicable) for each Common Unit they held immediately before the Reclassification, and they will continue to have an equity interest in LWE and share in our profits and losses and may be entitled to realize any future value received in the event of any sale of the Company;

Certain Common unit holders will be required to surrender their original units in exchange for Class C or Class D Units, for which they will receive no consideration (other than the units received in the Reclassification);

Because the number of record unit holders of our Common Units currently registered under the Exchange Act will be reduced to less than 300, the number of record holders of our existing Class A and Class B Units will continue to be less than 500 for each class, and our new Class C and Class D Units will be less than 500 for each class, we will be allowed to terminate our status as an SEC reporting company;

The new Class C unit holders will have limited voting rights, which include the right to elect three directors (voting with Common, Class B and Class D unit holders) and to vote on dissolution of the Company and on amendments to the Proposed Operating Agreement that would modify the limited liability of Class C unit holders. The loss of other voting rights may cause potential purchasers of Class C Units to value these units at a level far exceeding prior practice. Invalue less than Common, Class A and Class B Units;

The new Class D unit holders will have limited voting rights, which include the viewright to elect three directors (voting with Common, Class B and Class C unit holders) and to vote on amendments to the Proposed Operating Agreement that would modify the limited liability of Class D unit holders. The loss of other voting rights may cause potential purchasers of Class D Units to value these units at a value less than Common, Class A, Class B and Class C Units;




For more information, please refer to the subheadings “Effects of the renewable fuels industry, these waivers are in direct conflictReclassification on LWE” and “Effects of the Reclassification on Unit Holders of LWE” under the heading “Special Factors Related to the Reclassification.”

Q:    What does it mean for LWE and our unit holders that LWE will no longer be subject to federal securities laws reporting obligations?

A:    We will no longer be required to file annual, quarterly and current reports with the levelSEC. These reports contain important information about LWE’s business and financial condition, which will no longer be publicly available. However, under the Proposed Operating Agreement, our unit holders will be allowed to inspect and copy full information regarding the activities, financial condition, and other circumstances of ethanol blendingthe Company as is just and reasonable if certain conditions are met. Additionally, the Company intends to make available to the members an annual report containing the Company’s audited financial statements and quarterly reports containing the Company’s unaudited financial statements. These financial statements and annual and quarterly reports, however, may not be the same as those required for reporting companies, and we will no longer be subject to the regulations for reporting companies. The liquidity of the units you hold in LWE may be reduced since there will be no public information available about LWE, and all of our units will only be tradable in privately-negotiated transactions, without the availability of a qualified-matching service. Additionally, the Company will no longer be directly subject to the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“SOX”) applicable to public-reporting companies, which, among other things, requires our CEO and CFO to certify as to the accuracy of our financial statements and internal controls over financial reporting.

Q: Why are you proposing the Reclassification?

A: Our reasons for the Reclassification are based on:

The administrative burden and expense of making our periodic filings with the SEC;

As a reporting company, we must disclose information to the public, including information that may be helpful to actual or potential competitors in challenging our business operations and taking market share, employees and customers away from us. Terminating our reporting obligations will help to protect sensitive information from disclosure;

Operating as a private company will reduce the burden on our management and employees from stringent SEC-reporting requirements, thus allowing management to focus more of its attention directly on our business operations;

Management will have increased flexibility to consider and initiate actions that may produce long-term benefits and growth, such as a merger or sale of the Company, without being required to file proxy materials with the SEC and otherwise comply with proxy rules under the Exchange Act;

Our unit holders receive limited benefit from LWE being an SEC-reporting company because of our small size and the limited trading of our units, especially when compared to the costs of disclosure pursuant to SEC requirements and SOX compliance;

We have been able to structure our going private transaction to allow all of our unit holders to retain an equity interest in LWE, and none of our unit holders would be forced out; and

We anticipate the expense of a going private transaction will be less than the cumulative future expenses of complying with continued SEC reporting obligations and SOX compliance.

We considered that some of our unit holders may prefer that we continue as an SEC reporting company, which is a factor weighing against the Reclassification. However, we believe that the disadvantages and costs of continuing our SEC reporting obligations outweigh the advantages. Our Board considered several positive and negative factors affecting unit holders who will hold our Common Units, Class A Units, and Class B Units, as well as those unit holders whose units will be reclassified into Class C or Class D Units in making its determination, as discussed throughout this proxy statement.

Based on a careful review of the facts related to the Reclassification, our Board has unanimously concluded that the terms of the Reclassification are substantively and procedurally fair to our unit holders. Our Board unanimously approved the Reclassification. Please see the subheadings “Reasons for the Reclassification,” “Fairness of the Reclassification” and “Board Recommendation” under the heading “Special Factors Related to the Reclassification.”




Q: What changes to our Operating Agreement are being proposed by the Renewable Fuel Standard. Board?

A:    The resultBoard has proposed amending and restating our Operating Agreement by adopting the Proposed Operating Agreement, primarily to reclassify our units and revise the voting, transfer, and economic rights of these waivers decreased ethanol demand byeach class.

For more information, please refer to the information under the heading “The Fifth Amended and Restated Operating Agreement.” To review all of the proposed changes to our Operating Agreement, please see Appendix B: “Proposed Fifth Amended and Restated Operating Agreement.”

Q: What is the Board’s recommendation regarding the Reclassification?

A:    The Board has determined that the Reclassification is in the best interests of our members. The Board unanimously approved the Reclassification and recommends that our members vote “FOR” the Reclassification and “FOR” the adoption of the Proposed Operating Agreement.

Q: What will I receive in the Reclassification?

A:    If you are the record holder of 50 or more of our existing Common Units on the date of the Reclassification, your units will not be reclassified, and you will continue to hold the same amount of Common Units. If you are the record holder of exactly 25 of our existing Common Units on the date of the Reclassification, your units will automatically be converted into an equal number of Class C Units. If you are the record holder of between 26 and 49 of our existing Common Units or less than 25 of our existing Common Units on the date of the Reclassification, your units will automatically be converted into an equal number of Class D Units. If you are currently a minimumholder of 2.5 billion gallons. Althoughour Class A Units or our Class B Units, your units will not be reclassified, and you will continue to hold the same amount of Class A Units or Class B Units, respectively.

If the Reclassification is adopted and you receive Class C or Class D Units:

You will receive no other consideration for your units when they are reclassified;
Class C and Class D unit holders will have limited voting rights and thus may hold units with less value;
You will receive units with very limited transferability rights, which may be even less liquid than the units you currently hold; and
You will lose the benefits of holding securities registered under Section 12 of the Exchange Act.

Q: What are the differences between the Common Units, Class A, Class B, Class C and Class D Units?

A:    Generally, if members approve the Proposed Operating Agreement, the features of the Common, Class A and Class B Units will remain unchanged. The voting rights of Class C Units will be restricted to the election of certain directors, dissolution, and amendments to the Proposed Operating Agreement that would modify the limited liability of the Class C members. Class D Units will be restricted to voting only on the election of certain directors and amendments to the Proposed Operating Agreement that would modify the limited liability of the Class D members. All Common, Class B, Class C, and Class D Units will continue to be restricted to transfers that our Board approves. Class A Units will be permitted to make transfers in Juneaccordance with Section 9.14 of 2019 President Trump announced the startProposed Operating Agreement, subject to the express right of regulatory processesthe Board to permit year around blendingdecline any transfer which would impose SEC reporting requirements. Under the Proposed Operating Agreement, the new Class C and Class D unit holders will receive the same share of 15% ethanol, this increaseour regular/non-liquidating distributions as our Common, Class A and Class B unit holders. Under the Proposed Operating Agreement, Class A unit holders will have liquidation preference equal to unreturned contributions; subject to Class A preference, Class B unit holders will have preference equal to the Class B unreturned contributions; and subject to the Class A and Class B liquidation preference, Common, Class C, and Class D unit holders will have equal liquidation preference. Additionally, the Company will have a right of first refusal on all unit transfers of Common, Class B, Class C, and Class D unit holders. Further, the Proposed Operating Agreement will provide for drag along rights, with Board approval, in the event the Class A member plus a majority of the Common, Class B and Class C Units vote to sell all or substantially all of the units that results in a change of control. Class D unit holders will have no voting rights on a change of control. Please refer to the comparison table under the heading “The Fifth Amended and Restated Operating Agreement” below for more detailed information.

Q:    Why are 50 units, 25 units and 26-49 units, or below 25 units the thresholds for determining who will retain Common Units and who will receive Class C or Class D Units?

A:    The purpose of the Reclassification is notto reduce the number of record holders of our currently registered Common Units to less than 300 and to have less than 500 holders of each of our Class A, Class B, Class C, and Class D Units,



which will allow us to deregister as an SEC reporting company. Our Board selected the respective threshold numbers to enhance the probability that we will achieve the applicable unit holder numbers for each class after the Reclassification, if approved.

Q: When is the Reclassification expected to be enoughcompleted?

A: If the Reclassification is approved, we expect to complete it as soon as practicable following the Annual Meeting.

Q: What if the Reclassification is not approved or is not later implemented?

A:    The Reclassification will not be completed if less than a majority of the Common Units, a majority of the Class A Units, and a majority of the Class B Units represented at the Annual Meeting are voted for the Reclassification. Additionally, our Board will have the discretion to determine if and when to effect the Proposed Operating Agreement and the Reclassification, and may abandon them, even if approved by the members. For example, if the number of record holders of units changes such that the Reclassification would no longer accomplish our intended goal of discontinuing our SEC reporting obligations, the Board may determine not to effect the Reclassification.

If the Reclassification is not completed, we will continue our current operations under our current Operating Agreement, and we will continue to be subject to SEC reporting requirements.

Q: What will happen if LWE gains additional unit holders in the future?

A:    We are currently subject to the reporting obligations under the Exchange Act because we have more than 500 unit holders of record of our Common Units. If the unit holders approve the Reclassification, our currently-registered Common Units will be held by less than 300 unit holders of record. We may then terminate the registration of those units and the obligation to file periodic reports.Therefore, if we ever have 500 of more holders of our Common, Class A, Class B, Class C, or Class D Units, then we will again be responsible for filing reports with the SEC.

Q:    If the Reclassification is approved, will LWE continue to have its annual financial statements audited, and will I continue to receive information about LWE?

A:    Even if we terminate our registration with the SEC, we will continue to make upavailable to our members an annual report containing audited financial statements in accordance with our Operating Agreement and the Proposed Operating Agreement. In addition, we will continue to make available to our members quarterly reports containing unaudited financial statements. Members, however, will not receive the same level of disclosure as before the Reclassification, because the financial information will not be subject to the disclosure requirements and obligations that the federal securities laws require of public companies.

Q: Will I have appraisal rights in connection with the Reclassification?

A:    Under Iowa law and our Operating Agreement, you do not have appraisal or dissenter’s rights in connection with the Reclassification. However, other rights or actions besides appraisal and dissenter’s rights may exist under Iowa law or federal securities laws for unit holders who can demonstrate that they have been damaged by the Reclassification.

Q: What are the tax consequences of the Reclassification?

A:    Webelieve the Reclassification, if approved and completed, will have the following federal income tax consequences:

The Reclassification should result in no material federal income tax consequences to LWE;
Those unit holders continuing to hold our units as Common, Class A, or Class B Units will not recognize any gain or loss in connection with the Reclassification;
Those unit holders receiving Class C or Class D Units will not recognize any gain or loss in connection with the Reclassification. Their adjusted tax basis in their Class C or Class D Units held immediately after the Reclassification will equal their adjusted tax basis in their units held immediately before the Reclassification, and the holding period for their Class C and Class D Units will include the holding period during which their original units were held.
The Reclassification will have no effect on your ability to use otherwise suspended passive activity losses or net operating loss carry forwards.

Please refer to the subheading “Material Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Reclassification” under the heading “Special Factors Related to the Reclassification.”The tax consequences of the Reclassification are complicated



and may depend on your particular circumstances. Please consult your tax advisor to determine how the Reclassification will affect you.

Q: Should I send in my unit certificates now?

A:    No. If the Reclassification is approved, we will send you written instructions for exchanging your unit certificates for Class C or Class D Units, as applicable, after the Reclassification is completed.

Q: Do LWE’s directors and officers have different interests in the Reclassification?

A:    Directors and executive officers have interests in the Reclassification that may present actual or potential, or the appearance of actual or potential, conflicts of interest in connection with the Reclassification. Please refer to “Interests of Certain persons in the Reclassification” under the heading “Special Factors Related to the Reclassification.”

We expect that two of our directors will own 50 or more Common Units at the effective time of the Reclassification, and therefore, will be Common Unit holders if the Reclassification is approved.

Because there will be fewer Common Units following the Reclassification, and because the Class C and Class D Units will have limited voting rights, the directors who will be Common unit holders will own a larger percentage of the voting interest in the Company than they currently have. As of the Record Date, our directors and executive officers collectively own and have voting power over 1,064 units, or 2.5% of our units. After the Reclassification, we estimate the directors will beneficially hold and have voting power over 4.0% of the Common Units. This is a potential conflict of interest because our directors approved the Reclassification and the Proposed Operating Agreement and recommend that you approve such proposals. Despite the potential conflict of interest, our Board believes the Reclassification is fair to unaffiliated unit holders who will continue to hold Common, Class A, and Class B Units, unaffiliated unit holders who will receive Class C Units, and unaffiliated unit holders who will receive Class D Units.

Q: How is LWE financing the Reclassification?

A:    We estimate that the Reclassification will cost approximately $50,000, consisting of professional fees and other expenses related to the Reclassification. See “Fees and Expenses” for a breakdown of the expenses of the Reclassification. We intend to pay these lost gallons andexpenses using working capital. Our Board has attempted to balance the interests of reducing our expenses in any event increasing the blend ratetransitioning to a higher level will take considerable time.  Additionally,non-SEC reporting company while at the recent announcementsame time affording all unit holders the opportunity to retain an equity ownership interest in the Company.

Q: Where can I find more information about LWE?

A:    Information about us is available at our website atwww.lincolnwayenergy.com, under “Investors – SEC Financial Report,” which includes links to reports we have filed with the SEC. The contents of our website are not incorporated by EPAreference in this Proxy Statement.

Q: Who can help answer my questions?

A:    If you have questions about the Reclassification or need assistance in voting your units, you should contact Jeff Kistner at (402) 490-3314 or email him at jkistner@flagleafcfo.com. The company’s address is: 59511 W. Lincoln Highway, Nevada, Iowa 50201.

Q: What is the voting requirement for approval of the Reclassification?

A:    The voting requirement for approval of the Reclassification is a majority of the Common Units, a majority of the Class A Units, and a majority of the Class B Units that are outstanding, eligible to vote and represented in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting, if a quorum is present. A quorum is 25% of the outstanding units (which shall include members holding at least 25% of the outstanding Common Units and Class B Units, in the aggregate and, with respect to any matter upon which the Class A Units are entitled to vote, shall include members holding at least 25% of the outstanding Class A Units). Currently 26,281 units must be present, in person or by proxy, to constitute a quorum at the Annual Meeting. You may vote your units in person by attending the Annual Meeting, or by mailing us your completed proxy card. You must return your proxy card to the Company no later than 9:00 a.m. central time on [Meeting Date], 2022 for your vote to be valid if you do not plan to attend the meeting in person.

We are also asking our members to grant full authority for the Annual Meeting to be adjourned, if necessary or desirable, for the purpose, among others, of soliciting additional proxies to approve the proposals presented in this proxy statement. The proposal to mitigateadjourn or postpone the Annual Meeting must be approved by the holders of at least



a majority of the outstanding units represented at the meeting (even if a quorum is not present). in order for the meeting to be validly postponed or adjourned to solicit additional proxies or for other purposes.

Q: Who will count the votes?

A:    Votes will be tabulated by Jeff Kistner, Interim Chief Financial Officer of the Company, and by the inspector of election appointed for the Annual Meeting, who will separately tabulate affirmative and negative votes and abstentions.


FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Pro Forma Information

Due to the fact that the Reclassification will save the Company $480,000, an amount which the Company believes is not material, no pro forma financial information showing the effect of the SREsReclassification on the Company's balance sheet, the Company's statement of income, earnings per unit and the Company's book value per unit has been prepared.


SPECIAL FACTORS RELATED TO THE RECLASSIFICATION

Overview

This proxy statement is furnished in connection with the solicitation of proxies by our Board at a Annual Meeting at which our members will be asked to consider and vote upon amending and restating our Operating Agreement as set forth in the Proposed Operating Agreement. If approved, the Proposed Operating Agreement will, among other things, result in a reclassification of our units into a total of five separate and distinct classes. We intend, immediately following the Reclassification, to terminate the registration of our units with the SEC and terminate further reporting under the Exchange Act.

As of [Record Date], 2022, we had 105,122 total units issued and outstanding held by approximately 983 total holders of record. Of the total units, we had 42,049 Common Units issued and outstanding held by approximately 921 Common unit holders of record. Of those approximately 921 Common unit holders, approximately 269 or 29% of the Common Units hold 50 or more Common Units, approximately 368, or 40% of the Common Units, hold exactly 25 units each, and approximately 284 or 31% of the Common Units hold either less than 25 or between 26 and 49 units each. Of the total units, we had 58,086 issued and outstanding Class A Units held by 1 unit holder, and we had 6,987 issued and outstanding Class B Units held by approximately 61 unit holders. If our members approve the Reclassification at the Annual Meeting and our Board implements it, the Reclassification will generally affect our unit holders as follows:

POSITION BEFORE THE RECLASSIFICATIONEFFECT OF THE RECLASSIFICATION
Record holders of 50 or more Common Units
Unit holders will continue to hold the same number of Common Units held before the Reclassification.
Record holders of exactly 25 Common UnitsUnit holders will hold the same number of units held before the Reclassification but such units will be reclassified as Class C Units.
Record holders of less than 25 or 26-49 Common UnitsUnit holders will hold the same number of units held before the Reclassification but such units will be reclassified as Class D Units.
Record holders of Class A UnitsUnit holders will continue to hold the same number of Class A Units held before the Reclassification.
Record holders of Class B UnitsUnit holders will continue to hold the same number of Class B Units held before the Reclassification.
Unit holders holding units in “street name” through a nominee (such as a bank or broker)
The Reclassification will be effected at the unit holder level. If your units are held through a nominee, please refer to “Units Held in a Brokerage or Custodial Account” below.


Background




As an SEC reporting company, we must prepare and file with the SEC, among other items: annual reports on Form 10-K; quarterly reports on Form 10-Q; current reports on Form 8-K; and proxy statements on Form 14A. Our management and several of our employees spend considerable time and resources preparing and filing these reports, and we believe that we could beneficially use such time and resources for directly operating our business. Also, as a reporting company, we must disclose information to the public that may be helpful to our actual or potential competitors in challenging our business operations and taking market share, employees and customers away from us. In addition, the costs of reporting obligations comprise a significant overhead expense. These costs include securities counsel fees, auditor fees, special Board meeting fees, costs of printing and mailing documents, and word processing and filing costs. Our registration and reporting-related costs have increased and continue to increase due to the requirements of SOX and more stringent regulations. For example, Section 404 of SOX requires us to include our management’s report on, and assessment of, the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting in our annual reports on Form 10-K.

We estimate that our costs and expenses in connection with SEC reporting for 2021 will be approximately $480,000. Becoming a non-SEC reporting company will allow us to avoid these costs and expenses going forward. In addition, once our SEC reporting obligations are terminated, we will not be directly subject to the provisions of SOX that apply to reporting companies or the liability provisions of the Exchange Act, and our officers will not be required to certify the accuracy of our financial statements under SEC rules.

There can be many advantages to being a public company, possibly including a higher value for our units, a more active trading market and the enhanced ability to raise capital or make acquisitions. However, to avoid being taxed as a corporation under the publicly-traded partnership rules, our units cannot be traded on an established securities market or be readily tradable in a secondary market, which means there is a limited market for our units, regardless of whether we are public company. Based on the limited number of units available and the trading restrictions we must observe, we believe it is highly unlikely that our units would ever achieve an active and liquid market comprised of many buyers and sellers. In addition, because of our limited trading market and our status as a limited liability company, we are unlikely to be positioned to use our public company status to raise capital through sales of additional securities in a public offering or to acquire other business entities using our units as consideration. We have therefore not been able to effectively take advantage of the benefits of being a public company.

The Board considered and approved the various aspects of the reclassification and deregistration process over the course of several Board meetings. The Board considered the reclassification and deregistration process and decided that the benefits of being an SEC-reporting company are substantially outweighed by the burden on management, the expense related to the SEC reporting obligations and the burden on the Company’s ability to explore long-term strategies while being a public reporting company. The Board concluded that becoming a non-SEC reporting company would allow us to avoid these costs and expenses.

At these meetings, the Board also considered the requirements and alternatives for a going private transaction, including a reverse unit split, self-tender offer whereby unit holders owning less than a certain number of units would be “cashed out,” and a reclassification of our units to reduce our number of record holders to below 300. Because our cash resources are limited, and we believe many of our unit holders feel strongly about retaining their equity interest in the Company, our Board found the prospect of effecting a going private transaction by reclassifying some of our units an attractive option.

The Board discussed that each class would have different voting rights, with members that hold Common Units, Class A Units, and Class B Units to generally retain their current voting rights. Additionally, our Board discussed the business considerations for engaging in a going private transaction, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages and issues raised in a going private transaction, as discussed below.

The Board also discussed the process and mechanism for going private at the meeting. The Board discussed the possibility of forming an independent special committee to evaluate the Reclassification. However, because our directors would be treated the same as the other unit holders and no consideration was muchgiven to the unit ownership of the Board members in determining the unit cutoff number, the Board concluded that a special committee for the Reclassification was not needed. The Board also discussed requiring approval of the transaction by a majority of unaffiliated unit holders and considered the fact that the interests of the unit holders receiving Class C or Class D Units are different from the interests of the unit holders owning Common, Class A, and Class B Units and may create actual or potential conflicts of interest in connection with the Reclassification. However, because affiliated and unaffiliated unit holders would be treated identically in terms of the approval process of the Reclassification, the Board believed a special vote was not necessary.

In particular, the Board took the following actions:

Each month since the Company's August 2021 Board meeting, the Board has discussed the proposed Reclassification and the structure of the proposed Reclassification.





At the February 2022 Board meeting, all of the directors were present. At this meeting, the Board reviewed the proposed preliminary proxy statement for the Reclassification.

Reasons for the Reclassification

We are undertaking the Reclassification to end our SEC reporting obligations, which will save us and our unit holders the substantial costs of being a reporting company. The specific factors our Board considered in electing to undertake the Reclassification and suspend our reporting obligations are as follows. In view of the wide variety of factors considered in evaluating the Reclassification, our Board did not find it practicable to, and did not, quantify or otherwise attempt to assign relative weights to the specific factors considered in reaching its determination.

As a small company whose units are not listed on any exchange or traded on any quotation system, we have struggled to sustain the costs of being a public company, while not enjoying many benefits. We estimate that by suspending our reporting obligations, we will be able to reallocate resources and eliminate anticipated costs of approximately $480,000 annually starting in our fiscal year ending September 30, 2022. These estimated annual expenses include reduced accounting and audit expenses ($102,000), reduced legal expenses ($168,000), XBRL edgarization reporting compliance ($64,000), staff and executive time not included in other categories ($100,000); internal control testing and SOX compliance ($22,000) and other miscellaneous expenses ($24,000). These amounts represent estimated savings after considering the legal, accounting and auditing expenses expected to continue after the going private transaction. For example, we will continue to incur some accounting and auditing expenses to maintain our books and records in accordance with GAAP and make available annual and quarterly reports to our members.

We expect to continue to make available to our unit holders Company financial information annually and quarterly, but these reports will not be required to comply with many of the information requirements applicable to SEC periodic reports and will not generally include that information. Therefore, we anticipate that the costs of these reports will be substantially less favorable than expected.  Further impacting usthe costs we currently incur and would otherwise incur in the future in connection with our periodic filings with the SEC.

Our unit holders receive limited benefit from being an SEC reporting company because of our small size and limited trading of our units. In our Board’s judgment, little or no justification exists for the continuing direct and indirect costs of SEC reporting, especially since: our compliance costs have increased because of heightened government oversight; there is a low trading volume in our units; and when our Board approved the Reclassification, approximately 652 of our Common unit holders held less than 50 Common Units.

We expect that any need to raise capital or enter into other financing or business consolidation arrangements will likely not involve raising capital in the public market. If we need to raise additional capital, we believe that there are comparable sources of additional capital available through borrowing, private sales of equity or debt securities, or alternative business consolidation transactions. Additionally, our ability to explore, secure and structure such transactions may be more successful without the requirement of publicly reporting such negotiations and transactions. However, we recognize that we may not be able to raise additional capital or finalize a transaction with a third party when required, or that the cost of additional capital or the results of any such transactions will be attractive.

To avoid being taxed as a corporation under the publicly-traded partnership rules under the Internal Revenue Code, our units are not listed on an exchange. Although trading of our units is facilitated through a qualified matching service, we do not enjoy sufficient market liquidity to enable our unit holders to trade their units easily. In addition, our units are subject to transferability restrictions, requiring the consent of our Board in most instances. We also do not have sufficient liquidity in our units to use it as potential currency in an acquisition. As a result, we do not believe that registration of our units under the Exchange Act has benefited our unit holders in proportion to the costs we have incurred and expect to incur.

As a reporting company, we must disclose information to the public which may be helpful to our direct and indirect competitors in challenging our business operations. Some of this year was information includes disclosure of material agreements affecting our business, the development of new technology, product research and development, known market trends and contingencies that may impact our operating results. Competitors can use that information to take market share, employees, and customers away from us. Terminating our reporting obligation will help to protect sensitive information from disclosure.

We expect that terminating our reporting obligations will reduce the abundanceburden on our management and employees from the increasingly stringent SEC reporting requirements and allow them to focus more of rain during planting season. their attention on our business objectives.




We expect that terminating reporting obligations will increase management’s flexibility to consider and initiate actions such as a merger or sale of the Company without being required to file a preliminary proxy statement with the SEC and otherwise comply with Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act.

The rain caused delayed plantingReclassification proposal allows our unit holders to retain an equity interest in LWE and to continue to share in our profits and losses and distributions.

We expect that terminating reporting obligations may reduce the expectation to produce short-term per unit earnings and may increase management’s flexibility to consider and balance actions between short-term and long-term growth objectives.

We considered that some of our unit holders may prefer to continue as unit holders of an SEC reporting company, which is affectinga factor weighing against the corn supplyReclassification. The Board also considered the following potential negative consequences of the Reclassification to our unit holders, and in particular to our unit holders who will receive Class C and Class D Units:

Our unit holders will lose the benefits of registered securities, such as access to information about the Company required to be disclosed in periodic reports to the ethanol industry. In April, commodity prices became volatileSEC.

Our unit holders will lose certain statutory safeguards since we will no longer be subject to SOX requirements that require our CEO and CFO to certify as to the Company’s financial statements and internal controls over financial reporting and as to the accuracy of our cost of corn increased. Also,reports filed with the Trump Administration’s tariff actions have reduced ethanol exports.  In the end, the rain, EPA and reduced exports resulted in a negative impact on the ethanol crush margin.SEC.

Recent articles published by Reuters included statements that the U.S. ethanol industry is about to break under the weightThe value and liquidity of the Trump Administration’s trade war with China and the surge in the number of small refineries exempted from the nation’s biofuel laws.  The sustained downturn in margins will finally begin taking its tollour units may be reduced as some producers run out of money and begin a host of austerity measures to weather the storm.  Some plants will slow down, some will shut down, some will shut down forever.  In the Wall Street Journal, Geoff Cooper, chief executive of the Renewable Fuels Association, a trade group for biofuel makers, stated “This is probably the worst downturn we’ve seen in the industry’s history.”  Also, the Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. ethanol consumption declined last year for the first time in over two decades. Ethanol producers have on average lost money on every gallon produced since July 2018, according to estimates from Iowa State University.

The Company experienced improved margins during the three months ended December 31, 2019 and expects to fund operations during the next 12 months using cash flow from continuing operations and the available amounts under our revolving term loan.

3

However, the margin environment within the ethanol industry is uncertain and there is no guaranty that improved margins within the industry or at the Company will continue.

With this background, our quarterly and annual reports since June 30, 2019 have reported a “Going Concern Statement.” This statement was a result of the Company notno longer being ablea public company and because of the differing terms among the reclassified units.

We have incurred and will incur costs, in terms of time and dollars, in connection with going private.

Going private may reduce the attractiveness of stock-based incentive plans, which are often used to stay in covenant compliance with our lenderattract and retain executives and other key employees.

Our officers and directors may have potential liability due to operating losses and reduction of liquidity on our balance sheet.  Partthe “interested” nature of the loss reportedtransaction.

Due to the restrictions involved in the June 30, 2019, financial statement wasprivate sale of securities, we may have increased difficulty in raising equity capital in the write off of assets related to our high protein project. This write off, compounded with operating losses, has negatively impacted our bank covenants for working capital, debt service coverage and our net worth requirements for fiscal year end September 2019.

While the ethanol crush margin is bad for the whole industry, the Company is looking at ways to reduce our operating expenses. Additionally, we are urgently seeking an injection of capital to strengthen our balance sheet.  And we will continue to seek ways to incorporate proven technologies that allow us to produce ethanol, distiller grains and corn oil more efficiently.

In this regard, the board of directors (the “Board”) is evaluating all options that would strengthen our balance sheet and preserve our equity.  Among these options is working with a strategic partner, which may include another ethanol facility, to strengthen our company and lower our costs of production.

The Board believes it is imperative to be able to act quickly to implement a transaction with a strategic partner.  Given provisions of our Operating Agreement, many potential transactions could not be undertaken without a vote of our members to revise our Operating Agreement.  In our discussions with potential strategic partners, a delay to call a special meeting and solicit proxies inhibitsfuture, potentially limiting our ability to obtain the best terms and may eliminate some opportunities from consideration.  It is for this reasonexpand.

However, we believe that the disadvantages of remaining a public company subject to the registration and reporting requirements of the SEC outweigh the advantages, as described above.

We also considered various alternatives to accomplish the proposed transaction, including a tender offer, a stock repurchase on the open market or a reverse stock split whereby unit holders owning less than a certain number of units would be “cashed out.” Ultimately, we elected to proceed with the Reclassification because these alternatives could be more costly, might not have effectively reduced the number of unit holders below 300, and would not allow all unit holders to retain an equity interest in LWE. We have not received any proposal from third parties for any business combination transactions, such as a merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets. Our board did not seek any such proposal in connection with the Reclassification because these types of transactions are inconsistent with the narrower purpose of the proposed transaction, which is to discontinue our SEC reporting obligations.

Other than the cost savings and other benefits associated with becoming a non-SEC reporting company, we do not have any other purpose for engaging in the Reclassification at this particular time.

Fairness of the Reclassification

Based on a careful review of the facts and circumstances relating to the Reclassification, our Board is recommending changes to ourhas unanimously concluded that the Proposed Operating Agreement which would allowand the Board to quickly implement aRule 13e-3 transaction, once the Board has selected a strategic partner and agreed on transaction terms.

In recent weeks, our evaluation of partners and transactions centered on Husker Ag, LLC, Plainview, Nebraska (“Husker Ag”).  On January 15, 2020, the Company entered into a Management Services Agreement (the “Management Agreement”) with Husker Ag for management services for our ethanol facility located in Nevada, Iowa.  Pursuant toincluding the terms of the Management Agreement, Husker Ag will provide us with individualsReclassification, are substantively and procedurally fair to serveall of our unit holders, including unaffiliated unit holders. The Board unanimously approved the Reclassification and recommends that our members vote “FOR” the Reclassification and “FOR” the adoption of the Proposed Operating Agreement.

In its consideration of both the procedural and substantive fairness of the transaction, our Board considered the potential effect of the transaction as General Manager, Environmental and Safety Manager and Commodity Risk Managerit relates to all unaffiliated unit holders generally, to unit holders receiving Class C or Class D Units and to perform the respective management services for each such position.

Following this, on February 6, 2020, we executed a Memorandum of Terms (the “Husker Terms Memorandum”) with Husker Ag, which is attached at the end of this Proxy Statement.  The following description of the Husker Terms Memorandum is qualified in its entirety by referenceunit holders continuing to the attached copy.  Here are the key provisions:

New Class A Units.  Husker Ag would purchase 42,049 new Class Aown units for $5,000,000, at a price of $118.91 per unit.  Our need for additional equity is urgent and we would endeavor to close this investment as soon as possible following the Special Meeting.  Class A units would have a separate right to approve certain actions, as is customary for holders of senior equity.

New Class B Units.  As soon as practical following the purchase of the new Class A units by Husker Ag, we will offer to all our existing members who are accredited investors 21,024 new Class B units, at the same price, $118.91.  This offer will be made by way of a private placement memorandum and members will be able to subscribe for their pro rata share and will also have the opportunity to subscribe for more if not all units are purchased on a pro rata basis.


$7,500,000 New Equity.  Husker Ag has agreed to purchase any Class B units not purchased by our members.   In this way, we will receive a total of $7,500,000 in new equity in two steps.  The Husker Terms Memorandum contains additional details, including a summary of our capitalization before and after these transactions.  We anticipate that this amount of equity will normalize our banking relationship by bringing us into covenant compliance, and that our long term debt will again be classified as long term on our financial statements.  The going concern qualification would then be removed.

Rights of Unit Classes.  The existing common units, the newCommon, Class A and Class B Units. Because the transaction will affect unit holders differently only to the extent that some will receive Class C Units in the Reclassification, some will receive Class D Units and



some will retain their units as Common, Class A or Class B Units, these are the only groups of unit holders for which the Board considered the relative fairness and the potential effects of the Reclassification.

Substantive Fairness

The factors that our Board considered positive for our unaffiliated unit holders include the following:

Our unaffiliated unit holders will continue to have equalan equity interest in LWE and participate equally in future profit and loss allocations and distributions on a per unit basis.

Our affiliated unit holders will be treated in the same manner in the Reclassification as our unaffiliated unit holders and will be reclassified according to the same standards.

Our unaffiliated unit holders are not being “cashed out” in connection with the Reclassification, and all of our units will continue to have the same material economic rights and preferences.

The Common unaffiliated unit holders will retain voting rights, including the right to distributions.elect three directors (collectively, with Classes B, C and D) and vote on other decisions as provided in the Proposed Operating Agreement and under the Iowa Uniform Revised Limited Liability Company Act. Our Class C and Class D unaffiliated unit holders will retain some limited voting rights, including election of three directors (collectively, with Common and Class B unit holders). Class C unaffiliated unit holders will have the right to vote on dissolution of the Company and amendments to the Proposed Operating Agreement that would modify the limited liability of the Class C members, and Class D unaffiliated unit holders will have the right to vote on amendments to the Proposed Operating Agreement that would modify the limited liability of the Class D members.

Our smaller unaffiliated unit holders who prefer to become Common Unit holders had notice that they had until [Transfer End Date], 2022 to acquire sufficient units to hold 50 or more units in their own names before the Reclassification. The limited market for our units may have made acquiring units difficult, and there may have been acquisition costs beyond the purchase price of such units. However, for distributionswe believe that acquiring additional units was an option available to our unaffiliated unit holders, and our unaffiliated unit holders were able to weigh the costs and benefits of acquiring additional units. We have restricted transfers after [Transfer End Date], 2022 to allow the Company to determine definitively the number of Common, Class A, Class B, Class C and Class D members that would result from the Reclassification before providing our members with proxy materials.

Beneficial owners who hold their units in “street name,” who would receive Class C or Class D Units if they were record owners instead of beneficial owners, and who wish to receive Class C or Class D Units as if they were record owners instead of beneficial owners, had notice that they had until [Transfer End Date], 2022 to transfer their units so that they could receive Class C or Class D Units.

Our unaffiliated unit holders receive little benefit from LWE being an SEC reporting company because of our small size, the lack of analyst coverage and the limited trading of our units, especially when compared to the associated costs of reporting.

Our unaffiliated unit holders will realize the potential benefits of termination of registration of our units, including reduced expenses as a result of no longer being required to comply with the SEC reporting requirements.

We do not expect that the Reclassification will result in a liquidation (and deemed liquidation)taxable event for any of our unaffiliated unit holders.

No brokerage or transaction costs are to be incurred by our unit holders in connection with the Reclassification.

The Board is aware of, and has considered, the impact of certain potentially countervailing factors on the substantive fairness of the Reclassification to our unaffiliated unit holders receiving Class C or Class D Units. In particular, the factors that our Board considered as potentially negative for those unit holders receiving Class C or Class D Units included:

The voting rights of Class AC unaffiliated unit holders will first receive an amountbe limited to certain director elections, the dissolution of their equity contributions, holdersthe Company and amendments to the Proposed Operating Agreement that would modify the limited liability of Class B would then receive upC unit holders. Such limitations may result in decreased value of the Class C Units.

The voting rights of Class D unaffiliated unit holders will be limited to the amountcertain director elections and amendments to the Proposed Operating Agreement that would modify the limited liability of Class C unit holders. Such limitations may result in decreased value of the Class D Units.




The value of Class C and Class D Units may be less due to the restrictive voting rights of those classes. As a result, our affiliated unit holders, who will all hold Common Units, Class A Units and Class B Units, may receive more valuable units than those unaffiliated holders who receive Class C and Class D Units.

The factors that our Board considered as potentially negative for the unaffiliated unit holders who are continuing to hold our units as Common Units included:

The liquidity of unaffiliated Common Units will likely be reduced following the Reclassification because of the reduction in the number of units of that class.

The factors that our Board considered as potentially negative for all of our unaffiliated unit holders, regardless of class, included:

They may be required to surrender their equity contributions.  Any remaining distribution would go equallyunits in exchange for Class C or Class D Units.

Following the Reclassification, they will have restrictions on their ability to transfer their units because our units will be tradable only in private transactions, and there will be no public market for our units.

They will have reduced access to our financial information once we are no longer an SEC reporting company, although we do intend to continue to make available to all unit holders.
holders an annual report containing audited financial statements and quarterly reports containing unaudited financial statements.

Once our SEC reporting obligations are terminated, we will not be directly subject to the provisions of SOX applicable to reporting companies or the liability provisions of Exchange Act, and our officers will not be required to certify the accuracy of our financial statements under the SEC rules.

Unaffiliated unit holders who do not believe that the Reclassification is fair to them do not have the right to dissent from the Reclassification.

Until the Reclassification is completed (or rejected by the members), transfers of our units will be prohibited. If the Reclassification is not approved by our members, transfers made in accordance with our Operating Agreement will be allowed to resume as soon as reasonably practicable after the Annual Meeting, likely within one week of the meeting.

Our Board believes that these potentially countervailing factors did not, individually or in the aggregate, outweigh the overall substantive fairness of the Reclassification to our unaffiliated unit holders and that the foregoing factors are outweighed by the positive factors previously described.

Procedural Fairness

We believe the Reclassification is procedurally fair to our unaffiliated unit holders, including those that will continue to hold our units as Common Units, and those that will be reclassified as Class C or Class D unit holders. In concluding that the Reclassification is procedurally fair to our unaffiliated unit holders, the Board considered several factors. The factors that our Board considered positive for our unaffiliated unit holders included the following:

The Reclassification is being effected in accordance with the applicable requirements of Iowa law.

Our Board discussed the possibility of forming an independent special committee to evaluate the Reclassification. However, because our directors would be treated the same as the other unit holders and no consideration was given to the unit ownership of the Board members in determining the unit cutoff number, the board concluded that a special committee for the Reclassification was not needed, as the Board was able to adequately balance the competing interest of the unaffiliated unit holders in accordance with their fiduciary duties.

Our Board retained and received advice from legal counsel in evaluating the terms of the Reclassification as provided in the Proposed Operating Agreement including the balancing of the rights of unaffiliated and affiliated Common unit holders, Class A unit holders, Class B unit holders, Class C unit holders and Class D unit holders.

Our Board considered alternative methods of effecting a transaction that would result in our becoming a non-SEC reporting company, each of which was determined to be impractical, more expensive than the Reclassification, involving a cash-out of unit holders, or potentially ineffective in achieving the goals of allowing unit holders to retain an equity ownership in the Company while at the same time eliminating the costs and burdens of being a publicly reporting company.


Board

Unaffiliated unit holders were given notice that they had until [Transfer End Date], 2022 to acquire or sell sufficient units to determine whether such unit holders will own Common, Class C or Class D Units after the Reclassification.

To implement the Reclassification, it must be approved by the affirmative vote of Directors.  Atmajority of the closingCommon Units, a majority of the Class A offering, Husker Ag would own 50 percent of Lincolnway.  Depending on how manyUnits, and a majority of the SeriesClass B unitsUnits that are purchasedoutstanding, eligible to vote and represented in person or by our members, Husker Ag would own between 40 and 60 percent of Lincolnway followingproxy at the member offering.  The Husker Terms Memorandum provides forAnnual Meeting, if a board composed of seven members; Husker Ag would be entitled to elect four directors and the holdersquorum is present.

Our Board considered each of the common and Series B units would be entitledforegoing factors to elect three directors.

4

Exclusive Period; Non-Binding Provisions.  The Husker Terms Memorandum is non-binding, and subject to certain conditions, including further due diligence by Husker Ag, the approval by membersweigh in favor of the amendmentsprocedural fairness of the Reclassification to the Operating Agreement provided for in this Proxy Statement and negotiationall of purchase documents.  We have a binding obligation, however, to deal exclusively with Husker Ag for 60 days from February 6, subject to our ability to accept another offer if required by our Directors’ fiduciary duties.
unaffiliated unit holders.

The Board asks for your careful considerationis aware of, and has considered, the impact of certain potentially countervailing factors on the procedural fairness of the proposals described below.  IfReclassification to all of our unaffiliated unit holders:

Although the proposalsinterests of holders receiving Class C or Class D Units are different from the interests of holders owning Common, Class A and Class B Units and may create conflicts of interest, neither the Board nor any of the directors retained an independent, unaffiliated representative to amendact solely on behalf of the unaffiliated unit holders receiving Class C or Class D Units to negotiate the terms of the Reclassification or prepare a report concerning the fairness of the Reclassification. However, our Board members will be treated the same as the unaffiliated unit holders in the proposed transaction.

The transaction is not structured to require approval of at least a majority of unaffiliated unit holders, although when the Reclassification was approved by our Board on [Record Date], 2022, members of our Board and our executive officers then collectively held only 1.0% of our total outstanding units.

We did not solicit any outside expressions of interest in acquiring the Company.

We did not receive a report, opinion, or appraisal from an outside party as to the value of our units, the fairness of the transaction to those unit holders receiving Class C or Class D Units or the fairness of the transaction to LWE.

Our Board believes that these potentially countervailing factors did not, individually or in the aggregate, outweigh the overall procedural fairness of the Reclassification to our unaffiliated unit holders and that the foregoing factors are outweighed by the procedural safeguards previously described. In particular, the Board felt that the consideration and approval of the transaction by the full Board, whose conflict of interest is a relatively insignificant increase in aggregate voting unit ownership following the Reclassification, was a sufficient procedural safeguard that made it unnecessary to form a special committee or retain an independent fairness advisor.

We have not made any provision in connection with the Reclassification to grant our unaffiliated unit holders access to our Company files beyond that granted generally under our Operating Agreement and Iowa law, or to obtain counsel or appraisal services at our expense. With respect to our unaffiliated unit holders’ access to our Company files, our Board determined that this proxy statement, together with our other SEC filings and information they may obtain under our Operating Agreement, provide adequate information for our unaffiliated unit holders. Under our Operating Agreement our members have rights to obtain from the Company and inspect and copy full information regarding the activities, financial condition, and other circumstances of the Company as is just and reasonable if the requirements under Section 5.3 of the Operating Agreement are approved, certain approvalmet. With respect to obtaining counsel or appraisal services at our expense, the Board did not consider these actions necessary or customary. In deciding not to adopt these additional procedures, the Board also took into account factors such as LWE’s size and the cost of such procedures.

Factors Not Considered Material

In reaching its conclusion that the Reclassification is fair to our unaffiliated unit holders, whether they will be continuing to hold Common Units or will be receiving Class C or Class D Units, the Board did not consider the following factors to be material:

The current or historical market price of our units because our units are not traded on a public market, and instead are traded in privately negotiated transactions in which the market price may or may not be determinative. Except as described above with respect to the possible lower value of Class C and Class D Units due to relatively restricted voting rights, historically heldany effect that the Reclassification has on the market price will be the same for our unaffiliated unit holders and affiliated unit holders.




Our going concern value because the going concern value will be determined by the membersmarket at the time of a sale, merger or other business combination. We expect that the Reclassification will have only an insignificant effect on the Company’s value on a going forward basis (a $480,000 per year savings) and will not be determinative of the going concern value.

Our net book value because, as shown in the pro forma balance sheet set forth below, the Reclassification and subsequent deregistration will have only an insignificant effect on the net book value of our units.

The liquidation value of our assets because the Company believes the Reclassification will not have a material effect on the liquidation value of our assets or units. Under the Proposed Operating Agreement, the rights of our Common unit holders will not change, and all of our Common unit holders will be grantedafforded the right to continue to share equally in the liquidation of the Company’s assets and in any residual funds allocated to our unit holders, subject to Class A and Class B unit holders’ liquidation preference.

Repurchases of units by the Company over the past two years because there were none.

Additionally, our Board believes that several of the above factors are immaterial because our unit holders are not being “cashed out” in connection with the Reclassification, and our units will have the same material economic rights and preferences. As a result, our smaller unit holders will continue to hold an equity interest in LWE as Class C or Class D unit holders and will therefore participate equally, and on the same basis that they would participate absent a transaction, with the holders of our Common Units in our profits, losses and the receipt of distributions. Moreover, unaffiliated holders will be treated the same as affiliated holders. Accordingly, we did not request or receive any reports, opinions or appraisals from any outside party relating to the Board, which means thatReclassification or the monetary value of the Common, Class C or Class D Units.

Instead of the foregoing factors, and as described in detail above, the Board will be solely authorizedsubjectively considered the collective advantages of the Common, Class, A, Class B, Class C or Class D Units, including the right of our Common, Class B, Class C and Class D Units to act on these matters without further approval fromcollectively elect three directors, and the ability of our Class C and D members to transfer units in the same manner as Common and Class B members. The Board however,also subjectively considered the relative disadvantages of the three classes, including limits on voting and decision-making in the case of the Class C and D Units. In addition, the Board also evaluated the benefits shared by all classes of units, such as the ability to benefit from the cost savings associated with the Reclassification and the opportunity to share in our future growth and earnings.


Board Recommendation

As a result of the analysis described above, the Board has unanimously concluded that the Reclassification is substantively and procedurally fair to all unit holders, including our unaffiliated unit holders receiving continuing to hold Common Units, or receiving Class C or Class D Units. In reaching this determination, we have not assigned specific weight to particular factors, and we considered all factors as a whole. None of the factors considered led us to believe that the Reclassification is unfair to any of our unit holders.

The Board unanimously approved the Reclassification and recommends that our members vote “FOR” the Reclassification and “FOR” the adoption of the Proposed Operating Agreement.

Purpose and Structure of the Reclassification

The primary purposes of the Reclassification are to:

Consolidate ownership of our registered units to less than 300 unit holders of record, which will terminate our SEC reporting requirements and thereby achieve significant cost savings. We estimate that we will be able to reallocate resources, eliminate costs and avoid anticipated future costs of approximately $480,000 annually by eliminating the requirement to prepare and file periodic reports and reducing the expenses of unit holder communications. We will also realize cost savings by avoiding the need to add additional staff and from reduced staff and management time spent on reporting and securities law compliance matters.

Help protect sensitive business information from disclosure that might benefit our competitors.

Allow our management and employees to refocus time spent on SEC reporting obligations and unit holder administrative duties to our core business.

Reduce the expectation to produce short-term per unit earnings, thereby increasing management’s flexibility to consider and balance actions between short-term and long-term growth objectives.




The structure of the Reclassification will give all of our unit holders the opportunity to retain an equity interest in LWE and therefore to participate in any future growth and earnings of the Company. Because we are not cashing out any of our unit holders, this structure minimizes the costs of our becoming a non-SEC reporting company while achieving the goals outlined in this proxy statement.

Our Board elected to structure the transaction to take effect at the unit holder level, meaning that we use the number of units registered in the name of each holder to determine how that holder’s units will be reclassified. The Board chose this structure in part because it determined that this method would provide us with the best understanding at the effective time of the Reclassification of how many unit holders would receive each class of units. In addition, on [Member Letter Date], 2022, the Company notified unit holders that they had until [Transfer End Date], 2022 to make transfers of units before the Reclassification. The purpose of this letter was to allow unit holders the opportunity to make transfers before the Reclassification so that they could own the requisite number of units to be in their desired class, which our Board felt would enhance the substantive fairness of the transaction to all unit holders. Overall, our Board determined that the structure would be the most efficient and cost-effective way to achieve its goals of deregistration, notwithstanding any uncertainty that may have been created by giving unit holders the flexibility to transfer their holdings through [Transfer End Date], 2022. We have restricted transfers after [Transfer End Date], 2022 to allow the Company to determine definitively the number of Common, Class A, Class B, Class C and Class D members that would result from the Reclassification before providing our members with proxy materials.

Effects of the Reclassification on LWE

The Board expects the Reclassification will have various positive and negative effects on LWE as described below.

Effect of the Proposed Transaction on Our Outstanding Units

As of the Record Date, the number of total outstanding units was 105,122. The Proposed Operating Agreement will authorize the issuance of five separate and distinct classes of units, Common, Class A, Class B, Class C, and Class D Units. Based upon our best estimates, if the Reclassification had been consummated as of the Record Date, approximately 26,568 units would remain Common Units, with the total number of Common unit holders reduced from approximately 921 to approximately 269. Additionally, 9,200 outstanding Common Units would be reclassified as Class C Units, and approximately 6,281 outstanding units would be reclassified as Class D Units. We have no other current plans, arrangements or understandings to issue any units as of the date of this proxy. The 56,086 outstanding Class A Units and 6,987 Class B Units will remain the same.

Termination of Exchange Act Registration and Reporting Requirements

Upon the completion of the Reclassification, we expect that our current outstanding Common Units, which will continue to be classified as Common Units will be held by fewer than 300 record unit holders, and our current Class A and Class B Units, along with the newly-created Class C and Class D Units will each be held by fewer than 500 record unit holders. Accordingly, our obligation to continue to file periodic reports with the SEC will be terminated under Rule 12g-4 of the Exchange Act.

The termination of the filing requirements will substantially reduce the information that we are required to furnish to our unit holders and the SEC. Therefore, we anticipate that we will eliminate costs of these filing requirements of approximately $380,000 annually, as follows:

Reduction in Accounting and Auditing Expenses$102,000 
SEC Counsel$168,000 
Staff and Executive Time (to the extent not otherwise reflected in other categories)$100,000 
XBRL Edgarization Reporting Compliance$64,000 
SOX compliance / internal control testing$22,000 
Miscellaneous, including Printing and Mailing$24,000 
Total$480,000

We will apply for termination of the registration of our units and suspension of our SEC reporting obligations as soon as practicable following completion of the Reclassification.

Potential Registration of the Units

After the Reclassification, we anticipate that there will be approximately 269 Common, 1 Class A, 61 Class B, 386 Class C, and 284 Class D unit holders of record. If the number of record holders of in any of these classes is 500 or more on the last day of



any fiscal year, LWE will be required to register such class under Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act. As a result, we would again be subject to all of the reporting and disclosure obligations under the Exchange Act. For this reason, the Proposed Operating Agreement includes a provision that gives our Board the authority to disallow a transfers of Common, Class B, Class C, and Class D Units if it believes that a transfer will result in the applicable class being held by 500 or more respective holders or another number that otherwise obligates the Company to register its units under the Exchange Act. We do not expect any significant change in the number of record holders of these classes in the near term that will obligate us to register any class of units.

Effect on Trading of Units

Our units are not traded on an exchange and are not otherwise actively traded, although we currently have a qualified matching service (QMS).

Because we will no longer be required to maintain current public information by filing reports with the SEC, and because of the reduction of the number of our record unit holders and the fact that our units will only be tradable in privately-negotiated transactions and without the availability of a QMS, the liquidity of our units may be reduced following the Reclassification.

Financial Effects of the Reclassification

We expect that the professional fees and other expenses related to the Reclassification of approximately $50,000 will not have any material adverse effect on our liquidity, results of operations or cash flow.

Effect on Conduct of Business after the Transaction

We expect our business and operations to continue as they are currently being conducted and, except as otherwise discussed in the proxy statement with regard to diverting resources that would otherwise be used for SEC reporting obligations, the transaction is not anticipated to affect the conduct of our business.

Effect on Our Directors and Executive Officers

It is not anticipated that the Reclassification will affect our directors and executive officers, other than with respect to their relative unit ownership and voting power and as described below with respect to affiliated unit holders. The annual compensation paid by us to our officers and directors will not increase as a result of the Reclassification, nor will the Reclassification result in any material alterations to existing employment agreements with our officers.

Plans or Proposals

Other than as described with respect to the Reclassification, neither we nor our management have any current plans or proposals to effect any extraordinary corporate transaction, such as a merger, reorganization or liquidation, to sell or transfer any material amount of our assets, to change our Board or management, to change materially our indebtedness or capitalization or otherwise to effect any material change in our corporate structure or business. As stated throughout this proxy statement, we believe there are significant advantages in effecting the Reclassification and becoming a non-reporting company. Although our management does not presently have any intention to enter into any transaction described above, management continues to consider all opportunities to increase liquidity, including through additional debt or equity financing and joint ventures or other arrangements with strategic business partners.

Effects of the Reclassification on Unit Holders of LWE

The general effects of the Reclassification on the unit holders of LWE are described below.

Effects of the Reclassification on Common Unit Holders

The Reclassification will have both positive and negative effects on the Common unit holders. All of these changes will affect affiliated and unaffiliated Common unit holders in the same way. The Board of LWE considered each of the following effects in determining to approve the Reclassification.




BenefitsDetriments
Due to the Reclassification, Common unit holders will:
Realize the potential benefits of termination of registration of our units, including reduced expenses from no longer being required to comply with reporting requirements under the Exchange Act;
Continue to be entitled to vote on all matters brought before the members of LWE, except as otherwise provided by the Proposed Operating Agreement or Iowa law; and
Have enhanced voting control over LWE in comparison to other classes of units.
Due to the Reclassification, Common unit holders will:
a.Hold unregistered securities and therefore lose the benefits of holding registered securities, such as access to information concerning LWE required to be contained in the Company’s periodic reports; and the requirement that our officers certify the accuracy of our financial statements;
b.Hold restricted securities which will require an appropriate exemption from registration to be eligible for transfer; and
c.Bear the risk of a decrease in the market value and liquidity of the Common Units due to the reduction in public information concerning the Company.

Effects of the Reclassification on Class C Unit Holders

The Reclassification will have both positive and negative effects on the Class C unit holders. All of these changes will affect affiliated and unaffiliated Class C unit holders in the same way. The Board of LWE considered each of the following effects in determining to approve the Reclassification.

BenefitsDetriments
Due to the Reclassification, Class C unit holders will:
Realize the potential benefits of termination of registration of our units, including reduced expenses from no longer being required to comply with reporting requirements under the Exchange Act; and
Continue to hold an equity interest in LWE, share in our distributions on the same basis as our Common and Class D unit holders, and share in liquidation equal with Common and Class D unit holders.
Due to the Reclassification, Class C unit holders will:
Be required to have their units reclassified into Class C Units, for which they will receive no additional consideration;
Be entitled to vote only to elect certain directors (collectively with Common, Class B and Class D unit holders), upon a proposed dissolution, and upon amendments to the Proposed Operating Agreement that would modify the limited liability of the Class C members; and
Hold restricted securities that will require an appropriate exemption from registration to be eligible for transfer.

Effects of the Reclassification on Class D Unit Holders

The Reclassification will have both positive and negative effects on the Class D unit holders. All of these changes will affect affiliated and unaffiliated Class D unit holders in the same way. The Board of LWE considered each of the following effects in determining to approve the Reclassification.

BenefitsDetriments
Due to the Reclassification, Class C unit holders will:
Realize the potential benefits of termination of registration of our units, including reduced expenses from no longer being required to comply with reporting requirements under the Exchange Act;
Continue to hold an equity interest in LWE, share in our distributions on the same basis as our Common and Class C unit holders, and share in liquidation equal with Common and Class C unit holders.
Due to the Reclassification, Class D unit holders will:
Be required to have their units reclassified into Class D Units, for which they will receive no additional consideration;
Be entitled to vote only to elect certain directors (collectively with Common, Class B and Class C unit holders) and upon amendments to the Proposed Operating Agreement that would modify the limited liability of the Class D members; and
Hold restricted securities that will require an appropriate exemption from registration to be eligible for transfer.

Effects of the Reclassification on Affiliated Unit Holders

The Reclassification will have some additional effects on our executive officers and directors. As used in this proxy statement, the term “affiliated unit holders” means any unit holder who is a director or executive officer of LWE and the term “unaffiliated unit holder” means any member other than an affiliated unit holder. As a result of the Reclassification:




Our affiliated unit holders will no longer be subject to Exchange Act reporting requirements and restrictions, and information about their compensation and unit ownership will not be publicly available; and
Our affiliated unit holders will lose the availability of the Rule 144 safe harbor for transfers. Because our units will not be registered under the Exchange Act after the Reclassification and we will no longer be required to furnish publicly available periodic reports, our executive officers and directors will lose the ability to dispose of their units under Rule 144 of the Securities Act of 1933, which provides a safe harbor for resales of securities by affiliates of an issuer.

UnitsHeld in a Brokerage or Custodial Account

Unit holders must understand how units that they hold in “street name” will be treated for purposes of the Reclassification. Unit holders who have transferred their units of LWE into a brokerage or custodial account are no longer shown on our membership register as the record holder of these units. Instead, the brokerage firms or custodians typically hold all units that its clients have deposited with it through a single nominee; this is what is meant by “street name.” If that single nominee is the holder of record of 50 or more units, then all units registered in that nominee’s name will be remain Common Units. At the end of the Reclassification, the beneficial owners will continue to beneficially own the same number of units as before the transaction. If you hold your units in “street name,” you should talk to your broker, nominee or agent to determine how they expect the Reclassification to affect you. Because other “street name” holders who hold through your broker, agent or nominee may have adjusted their holdings before the Reclassification, you may have no way of knowing how your units will be reclassified.


Interests of Certain Persons in the Reclassification

Our executive officers and directors who are also unit holders will participate in the Reclassification in the same manner as our other unit holders. We anticipate that two of our directors will own 50 or more units, and therefore will be Common unit holders if the Reclassification is approved. Because of the voting restrictions placed on Class C and D units, these directors may experience a larger relative percentage of voting power than they previously held. This represents a potential conflict of interest because our directors unanimously approved the Reclassification and are recommending that you approve it. Despite this potential conflict of interest, the Board believes the Reclassification is fair to all of our unit holders for the reasons discussed in this proxy statement.

The directors’ relative voting rights were not a consideration in the Board’s decision to approve the Reclassification or in deciding its terms, including setting the 50 Common unit threshold. In addition, the Board determined that any potential conflict of interest created by the directors’ ownership of our Common Units is relatively insignificant. In addition, the percentage of beneficial ownership of and voting power held by directors and executive officers of LWE as a group will increase from approximately 2.5% of the current units to approximately 4% of the Common Units after the Reclassification, which will not materially change their collective ability to control the Company in their capacity as members.

Our Board was aware of the actual or potential conflicts of interest discussed above and considered them along with the other matters that have been described in this proxy statement.

None of our executive officers or directors who beneficially owns an aggregate of 50 units has indicated to us that he or she intends to sell units between the public announcement of the transaction and the effective date. In addition, none of these individuals has indicated his or her intention to divide units among different record holders so that fewer than 50 units are held in each account to receive Class C or D Units.

Material Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Reclassification

The following is a summary of the anticipated material United States federal income tax consequences of the Reclassification. This discussion does not consider the particular facts or circumstances of any unit holder. This discussion assumes that you hold, and will continue to hold, your units as a capital asset within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, which we refer to as the “Code.” The federal income tax laws are complex and the tax consequences of the Reclassification may vary depending upon your individual circumstances or tax status. Accordingly, this description is not a complete description of all of the potential tax consequences of the Reclassification and, in particular, may not address United States federal income tax considerations that may affect the treatment of holders of units subject to special treatment under United States federal income tax law (including, for example, foreign persons, financial institutions, dealers in securities, traders in securities who elect to apply a mark-to-market method of accounting, insurance companies, tax-exempt entities, holders who acquired their units pursuant to the exercise of an employee unit option or right or otherwise as compensation and holders who hold units as part of a “hedge,” “straddle” or “conversion transaction”).

This discussion is based upon the Code, regulations promulgated by the United States Treasury Department, court cases and administrative rulings, all as in effect as of the date hereof, and all of which are subject to change at any time, possibly with retroactive effect. No assurance can be given that, after any such change, this discussion would not be different. Furthermore,



we have not and will not seek or obtain an opinion of counsel or ruling from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) with respect to the tax consequences of the Reclassification, and the conclusions contained in this summary are not binding on the IRS. Accordingly, the IRS or ultimately the courts could disagree with the following discussion.

Federal Income Tax Consequences to LWE

The Reclassification will likely be treated as a tax-free “recapitalization” for federal income tax purposes. As a result, we believe that the Reclassification will not have any material federal income tax consequences to LWE.

Federal Income Tax Consequences to Class C and D Unit Holders

We expect that unit holders receiving Class C or D Units in exchange for their existing units will not recognize any gain or loss in the Reclassification. We anticipate that you will have the same adjusted tax basis and holding period in your Class C or D Units as you had in your units immediately before the Reclassification. Further, we anticipate that the Reclassification will have no effect on your ability to use otherwise suspended passive activity losses or net operating loss carry forwards.

The above discussion of anticipated material United States federal income tax consequences of the Reclassification is based upon present law, which is subject to change possibly with retroactive effect. You should consult your tax advisor as to the particular federal, state, local, foreign and other tax consequences of the Reclassification, in light of your specific circumstances.

Appraisal and Dissenters’ Rights

Under Iowa law, you do not have appraisal rights in connection with the Reclassification. Moreover, under our Operating Agreement, you have waived any dissenter’s rights that may have otherwise been available. Other rights or actions under Iowa law or federal or state securities laws may exist for unit holders who can demonstrate that they have been damaged by the Reclassification. Although the nature and extent of these rights or actions are uncertain and may vary depending upon facts or circumstances, unit holder challenges to actions of the Company in general are related to the fiduciary responsibilities of limited liability company officers and directors and to the fairness of limited liability company transactions.

Regulatory Requirements

In connection with the Reclassification, we will be required to make several filings with, and obtain several approvals from, various federal and state governmental agencies, including complying with federal and state securities laws, which includes filing this proxy statement on Schedule 14A and a transaction statement on Schedule 13E-3 with the SEC.

Fees and Expenses; Financing of the Reclassification

We will be responsible for paying the Reclassification-related fees and expenses, consisting primarily of fees and expenses of our attorneys, and other related charges. We intend to pay the expenses of the Reclassification with working capital. We estimate that our expenses will total approximately $50,000, assuming the Reclassification is completed. This amount consists of the following estimated fees:

DescriptionAmount
Legal fees and expenses$45,000 
Printing, mailing costs and miscellaneous expenses$5,000 
Total$50,000 


THE FIFTH AMENDED AND RESTATED OPERATING AGREEMENT

We are governed by our Operating Agreement, which is attached to this proxy statement as Appendix A. In connection with the Reclassification, we are proposing amending and restating our Operating Agreement as set forth in the Proposed Operating Agreement, which is attached as Appendix B. The Proposed Operating Agreement includes several changes, including provisions to reclassify our units and revise the voting and transfer rights attributed to certain classes of units.

The Reclassification

The Proposed Operating Agreement provides for five separate classes of units: Common, Class A, Class B, Class C and Class D Units. It will also reclassify units held by holders of exactly 25 Common Units into Class C Units and units held by holders



of less than 25 or 26-29 Common Units into Class D Units. Units will be reclassified on the basis of one Class C or Class D Unit for each unit currently held by such unit holder. Unless otherwise elected by the Board as described in this proxy statement, we anticipate that the Reclassification will be effective upon the approval of the Proposed Operating Agreement by our members.

Description of Units

General

As of the Record Date, we had 105,122 total units issued and outstanding held by approximately 983 total holders of record. Of the total units, we had 42,049 Common Units issued and outstanding held by approximately 921 Common unit holders of record. Of those approximately 921 Common unit holders, approximately 269 or 29.2% hold 50 or more Common Units, approximately 368, or 40.0%, hold exactly 25 units each, and approximately 284 or 30.8% hold either less than 25 or between 26 and 49 units each. Of the total units, we had 56,086 issued and outstanding Class A Units held by one unit holder, and we had 6,987 issued and outstanding Class B Units held by approximately 61 unit holders. The exact number of Common, Class A, Class B, Class C and Class D Units following the Reclassification will depend on the number of units held by each member on the effective date of the Reclassification. All units when fully paid are nonassessable and are not subject to redemption or conversion. Generally, the rights and obligations of our members are governed by the Iowa Revised Uniform Limited Liability Company Act and our Operating Agreement.

Our units represent an ownership interest in the Company. Upon purchasing units, our unit holders enter into our Operating Agreement and become members of our limited liability company. Each member has the right to: a share of our profits and losses; receive distributions of our assets when declared by our Board; participate in the distribution of our assets if we dissolve; and access and copy certain information concerning our business, each as set forth in the Operating Agreement.

Comparison of Features of Common and Class A, B, C and D Units

The following table sets forth a comparison of the proposed features of each class of units as provided in the Proposed Operating Agreement. The features of Common, Class A and Class B Units will not change as a result of the adoption of the Proposed Operating Agreement the features of the units in these classes will remain the same as they currently exist under the Operating Agreement of the Company. Section references in the below table are to sections in the Proposed Operating Agreement.

CommonClass AClass BClass CClass D
Voting RightsHolders of Common Units are entitled to vote on all matters brought before the members of LWE, except as otherwise provided in the Proposed Operating Agreement or Iowa Law. (Article IV and Section 4.17)

Holders of Class A Units are entitled to vote on all matters brought before the members of LWE, except as otherwise provided in the Proposed Operating Agreement or Iowa Law.

Holders of Class A Units have special approval rights under Section 4.17 of the Proposed Operating Agreement.

Holders of Class B Units are entitled to vote on the election of our directors, voluntary dissolution, mergers and as may be required by Iowa law.

Holders of Class B Units have special approval rights under Section 4.18 of the Proposed Operating Agreement.


Holders of Class C Units are entitled to vote on dissolution, and on amendments to the Proposed Operating Agreement that would modify the limited liability of Class C members (Section 4.19)

Holders of Class D Units are entitled to vote on amendments to the Proposed Operating Agreement that would modify the limited liability of Class D members (Section 4.20)



Voting Rights - Director ElectionsHolders of Common Units are entitled to vote with Classes B, C and D for three directors, which are classified into three classes based on their term of office. (Section 4.2)Holders of Common Units are entitled to vote for four Class A directors from time to time, as determined in the discretion of the holders of the Class A Units. (Section 4.2)Holders of Class B Units are entitled to vote with Common and Classes C and D for three directors, which are classified into three classes based on their term of office. (Section 4.2)Holders of Class C Units are entitled to vote with Common and Classes B and D for three directors, which are classified into three classes based on their term of office. (Section 4.2)Holders of Class D Units are entitled to vote with Common and Classes B and C for three directors,which are classified into three classes based on their term of office. (Section 4.2)
Distribution Preference – Regular DistributionsAll classes equal for regular/non-liquidating distributions. (Section 8.2)All classes equal for regular/non-liquidating distributions. (Section 8.2)All classes equal for regular/non-liquidating distributions. (Section 8.2)All classes equal for regular/non-liquidating distributions. (Section 8.2)All classes equal for regular/non-liquidating distributions. (Section 8.2)
Liquidating Distribution PreferenceSubject to Class A and Class B liquidation preference; equal with Classes C and D. (Section 10.2)Liquidation preference equal to Class A unreturned contributions. (Section 10.2)Subject to Class A preference, liquidation preference equal to Class B unreturned contributions. (Section 10.2)Subject to Class A and Class B liquidation preference; equal with Common and Class D. (Section 10.2)Subject to Class A and Class B liquidation preference; equal with Common and Class C. (Section 10.2)
Transfer Restrictions
All transfers subject to board approval (Section 9.1).

Transfers permitted as provided in Section 9.14.
All transfers subject to board approval (Section 9.1).

All transfers subject to board approval (Section 9.1).

All transfers subject to board approval (Section 9.1).

Company Right of First RefusalRight of first refusal on all unit transfers. (Section 9.3)Right of first refusal on all unit transfers. (Section 9.3)Right of first refusal on all unit transfers. (Section 9.3)Right of first refusal on all unit transfers. (Section 9.3)
Drag Along RightsIf Class A unit holder plus a majority of the Common, Class B and Class C Units, with Board approval, vote to sell all or substantially all of the units that results in a change of control, selling members have right to require all members to sell their units. (Section 9.15)If Class A unit holder plus a majority of the Common, Class B and Class C Units, with Board approval, vote to sell all or substantially all of the units that results in a change of control, selling members have right to require all members to sell their units. (Section 9.15)If Class A unit holder plus a majority of the Common, Class B and Class C Units, with Board approval, vote to sell all or substantially all of the units that results in a change of control, selling members have right to require all members to sell their units. (Section 9.15)No voting rights on change of control.
If Class A unit holder plus a majority of the Common, Class B and Class C Units, with Board approval, vote to sell all or substantially all of the units that results in a change of control, selling members have right to require all members to sell their units. (Section 9.15)
Involuntary TransfersCompany has a right to redeem some or all of the units in the event of an involuntary transfer. (Section 9.4)Company has a right to redeem some or all of the units in the event of an involuntary transfer. (Section 9.4)Company has a right to redeem some or all of the units in the event of an involuntary transfer. (Section 9.4)Company has a right to redeem some or all of the units in the event of an involuntary transfer. (Section 9.4)





SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF MANAGEMENT AND CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS

The following table provides certain information as of [Proxy Mailed Date], 2022 with respect to the unit ownership of: (i) each director of the Company, (ii) each named executive officer of the Company, (iii) all current officers and directors of the Company as a group, and (iv) each person or group (as that term is defined in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act) who was known by the Company to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding units. The percentages in the table below are based on 42,049 Common Units, 56,086 Class A Units and 6,987 Class B Units outstanding on [Proxy Mailed Date], 2022. No family relationships exist among our directors and executive officers.

Security Ownership of Management

As of [Proxy Mailed Date], 2022, our directors and executive officers own units as listed in the following table. Unless otherwise indicated, all shares shown in the table below are held with sole voting and investment power.
Amount and NaturePercent
Title of Class
Name and Title of Beneficial Owner(1)
of Beneficial Owner(2)
of Class
Directors and Executive Officers:
Common UnitsJeff Taylor, Elected Director and Chairman
651 Common Units(3)
1.55%
Class B UnitsJeff Taylor, Elected Director and Chairman
1,199 Class B Units(4)
17.16%
Common UnitsWilliam Couser, Elected Director, Vice Chairman and Secretary
413 Common Units(5)
0.98%
--Rick Vaughan, Elected Director and Treasurer-0---
--
Robert E. Brummels, Class A Director(6)
-0---
--
Dan Heard, Class A Director(6)
-0---
--
James Krause, Class A Director(6)
-0---
--
Marvin Stech, Class A Director(6)
-0---
--
Seth Harder, General Manager, President and
Chief Executive Officer(7)
-0---
Class B UnitsJeff Kistner, Interim Chief Financial Officer
165 Class B Units(8)
2.36%
All Directors and Executive Officers as a Group
Common Units1,064 Common Units2.53%
Class B Units1,364 Class B Units19.52%
5% Beneficial Owners:
Class A Units
HALE, LLC(9)
56,086 Class A Units100%
(1)The address for all of our directors and executive officers is the address of the Company’s principal executive offices located at 59511 W. Lincoln Highway, Nevada, Iowa 50201
(2)Unless otherwise indicated by a footnote, all of the units are directly owned by the listed individual or jointly owned with their spouse and are not pledged as security by the listed individual.
(3)One hundred (100) of the Common Units are held in a family limited partnership and fifty (50) of the Common Units are held by children of Mr. Taylor for which he may be deemed to be an indirect beneficial owner.
(4)Fifty (50) of the Class B Units are held in a family limited partnership.
(5)All of the units are pledged as security by Mr. Couser.
(6)Appointed as a Class A Director effective April 1, 2020.
(7)Mr. Harder was appointed as our General Manager, President and Chief Executive Officer effective January 17, 2020.
(8)
The Class B Units are held by LKPK Holdings, LLC, a Nebraska limited liability company (“LKPK”). Mr. Kistner serves as President of LKPK. LKPK is owned 100% by Flag Leaf Financial Management, Inc., a Nebraska corporation (“Flag Leaf”) and Mr. Kistner owns 100% of Flag Leaf.
(9)The address for HALE, LLC is 54048 HWY 20, Plainview, NE 68769
Recent Transactions

There has been no change in the ownership of the Company's units by any of the Company's directors or officers within the last 60 days.





MEMBER PROPOSALS FOR THE 2023 ANNUAL MEETING OF MEMBERS

We currently anticipate holding the 2023 annual meeting of members in February or March of 2023. The Company is not required to consider any proposal or director nomination petition that does not meet the requirements of the SEC and our Operating Agreement and therefore, any member who wishes to submit a proposal or director nomination petition is encouraged to seek independent counsel about the requirements of the SEC and our Operating Agreement.

All proposals and nomination petitions should be directed to the Company’s principal executive office located at 59511 W. Lincoln Highway, Nevada, Iowa, 50201, to the attention of the Company’s Secretary. We also recommend that proposals and director nomination petitions be sent by electronic means or by certified mail, return receipt requested, or by another means that permits proof of the date of delivery.

Member Proposals to be Considered for Inclusion in the Company’s 2023 Proxy Statement Under SEC Rules
Under applicable SEC rules, including Rule 14a-8 of the Exchange Act, any member proposal to be considered by the Company for inclusion in the proxy materials for the 2023 Annual Meeting of Members must be received by the Secretary of the Company, at 59511 W. Lincoln Highway, Nevada, Iowa 50201, no later than one-hundred and twenty (120) days prior to when we mailed the proxy materials for the preceding year’s annual meeting. Accordingly, we determined that members must submit proposals related to the 2023 Annual Meeting of Members to the Company by [___], 2022. Proposals submitted later than [___], 2022 will be considered untimely and will not be included in the Company’s proxy statement for the 2023 Annual Meeting of Members.
In addition, all proposals will need to comply with Rule 14a-8 of the Exchange Act, which lists the requirements for inclusion of member proposals in company-sponsored proxy materials. Our directors will review proposals submitted by members for inclusion at our next annual meeting of members and will make recommendations to our directors on an appropriate response to such proposals. As the rules of the SEC make clear, simply submitting a proposal does not guarantee that it will be included in our proxy materials.

Requirements for Member Proposals to be Brought Before the 2023 Annual Meeting of Members
Pursuant to Rule 14a-4(c) under the Exchange Act, if the Company does not receive advance notice of a member proposal to be brought before its next annual meeting of members in accordance with the requirements of its Operating Agreement or other governing documents, the proxies solicited by the Company may confer discretionary voting authority to vote proxies on the member proposal without any discussion of the matter in the proxy statement.
Section 5.4 of our Operating Agreement provides that written notice of a member proposal or other business a member intends to present at the next annual meeting must be delivered to, or mailed and received at, the principal executive offices of the Company no later than one-hundred and twenty (120) days prior to when we mailed the proxy materials for the preceding year’s annual meeting. Members must therefore submit notice of any member proposals for the 2023 Annual Meeting of Members to the Company by [___], 2022. Proposals submitted later than [___], 2022 will be considered untimely and will not business that may properly be brought before the 2023 Annual Meeting of Members.
As to each matter the member proposes to bring before the 2023 Annual Meeting of Members, the member’s notice must set forth: (i) a description of the proposal or business desired to be brought before the annual meeting and the reasons for conducting such business at the annual meeting; (ii) the name and address, as they appear in the Company’s books, of the member making the proposal; (iii) the number of units beneficially owned by such member, the period of time the member has beneficially owned those units, and a statement that the member intends to continue to hold the units through the date of the annual meeting; (iv) any material interest of the member in the proposal or business; and (v) all other information that would be required to be provided by the member pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act if the member has submitted the proposal pursuant to Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act. The Company does not have any obligation to include any such proposal in the proxy statement, proxy or ballot or other proxy materials of the Company. Our Operating Agreement also provides that the presiding officer at an annual meeting shall, if the facts warrant, determine and declare to the meeting that business was not properly brought before the annual meeting and, if he should so determine, such business shall not be transacted.

A copy of our Operating Agreement will enable usbe furnished to members without charge upon written request delivered to the Secretary of the Company at the Company’s principal executive office.




2023 Annual Meeting Director Nominations

Pursuant to Section 4.3 of our Operating Agreement, a member or group of members owning at least five percent of the outstanding units may nominate an individual for election as an Elected Director at the next annual meeting by submitting a written nomination petition in a form provided by the Company if the nomination petition is received at the Company’s principal office no sooner than the October 1 but not later than the November 30 which precedes the annual meeting at which the member seeks to nominate a director. Each nomination petition must be accompanied by a nominee statement that complies with the requirements set forth in Section 4.3 of the Operating Agreement including, without limitation, an agreement that the nominee will (i) serve as an Elected Director if elected, (ii) prepare, execute and/or file all such reports and documents, and provide the Company with all such information, as may be necessary or appropriate in order for the Company to comply with all applicable laws, rules and regulations and (iii) provide all information and all agreements and representations as are determined to be necessary or appropriate by the directors or the President.

Any nomination petition or nominee statement which is not fully completed and properly executed, is not received within the time period provided above or is not true, accurate and complete in all respects, may be rejected by the Husker Ag transactionsCompany and, if rejected, shall be returned by the Company to the member or members submitting the nomination petition or to the nominee submitting the nominee statement, as outlinedthe case may be. Each nominee must meet all qualification requirements for Elected Directors as may exist at the time of the nomination and at the time of election.

Effect on Member Proposals and Director Nominations if Reclassification is Implemented

If the Reclassification and Proposed Operating Agreement are implemented, we do not expect to be subject to the proxy rules at the time of the 2023 Annual Meeting, and, therefore, Member proposals would be governed by our Proposed Operating Agreement rather than as set forth above. Additionally, if the Reclassification and Proposed Operating Agreement are implemented, the director nomination procedures would remain the same.
OTHER MATTERS

Reports, Opinions, Appraisals and Negotiations

We have not received any report, opinion or appraisal from an outside party that is materially related to the Reclassification.

Other Matters of the Annual Meeting

As of the date of this proxy statement, the only business that our management expects to be presented at the meeting is that set forth above. If any other matters are properly brought before the meeting, or any adjournments thereof, it is the intention of the persons named in the Husker Terms Memorandum,accompanying form of proxy to vote the proxy on such matters in accordance with their best judgment.

Forward Looking Statements

Statements contained herein that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements regarding our expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. We caution you not to place undo reliance on any forward-looking statements made by, or on behalf us in this proxy statement or in any of our filings with the SEC or otherwise. Additional information with respect to factors that may cause our results to differ materially from those contemplated by forward-looking statements is included in our current and if those transactions do not go forward, negotiate an alternative transactionsubsequent filings with the SEC. See “Where You Can Find More Information” below.

Where You Can Find More Information

We are subject to meet our present needs.

The Board also believes the proposed amendments are fair to,information requirements of the Exchange Act, and in accordance therewith we file reports, proxy statements and other information with the best interestSEC. Such reports, proxy statements and other information can be inspected and copied at the public reference facilities of the SEC at Room 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C., 20549. Copies of such materials can also be obtained at prescribed rates by writing to the Public Reference Section of the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C., 20549. You may obtain information on the operations of the SEC’s public reference room in Washington, DC by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. In addition, such reports, proxy statements and other information are available from the Edgar filings obtained through the SEC’s Internet Website (http://www.sec.gov).


QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE ANNUAL MEETING - REGULAR PROPOSALS

Q:    What is the purpose of the Proxy Statement, proxy card and Annual Report?




A:    The Proxy Statement, proxy card and Annual Report are being provided to our members pursuant to the requirements of the proxy rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and of our members and recommends that you vote “FOR” the proposals to amend our Operating Agreement.  We look forward to discussing these proposals with you at the Special Meeting.

Finally, for clarity of presentation, following the conclusion of the Special Meeting, the Directors will prepare a ThirdFourth Amended and Restated Operating Agreement which will incorporate prior amendments and all amendments adopteddated April 1, 2020 (the “Operating Agreement”). In particular, the materials are provided to solicit your vote on the five proposals to be voted upon by the members at the Special2022 Annual Meeting with conforming changes neededand to invite you to attend the 2022 Annual Meeting.

Q:    Who is providing the Proxy Statement, proxy card and Annual Report and soliciting proxies?

A.    The proxy materials are being provided to you by the Company and proxies will be solicited on behalf of the Company by our directors, officers and employees. The original solicitation of proxies by mail may be supplemented by solicitations by our directors, officers and employees by telephone, electronic or other means to request members return their proxy card or to attend the 2022 Annual Meeting. The Company has not employed any third party to solicit proxies for the restatement.  A copy of our current Second Amended and Restated Operating Agreement and amendments are posted on our website at www.lincolnwayenergy.com and clicking on2022 Annual Meeting.

Q:    Who is paying the “Investor” tab.  A copycosts of the Third Amendedsolicitation?

A:    The Company will bear the expense of this solicitation of proxies, including the preparation, assembly, printing and Restated Operating Agreement, assuming allmailing of the proposals are approved, is also available atInternet Availability Notice, this Proxy Statement, the same location.proxy and any additional solicitation material that the Company may provide to members. No compensation will be paid to our directors, officers or employees for any solicitations.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE SPECIAL MEETING

Q:What is the purpose of the Proxy Statement, and proxy card?

A:
The Proxy Statement and proxy card are being provided to our members pursuant to the requirements of the proxy rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and of our Second Amended and Restated Operating Agreement dated November 10, 2010, as amended March 4, 2013 and March 3, 2016 (the “Operating Agreement”).  In particular, the materials are provided to solicit your vote on the proposals to be voted upon by the members at the Special Meeting and to invite you to attend the Special Meeting.



Q:Who is providing the Proxy Statement, proxy card and soliciting proxies?

A.
The proxy materials are being provided to you by the Company and proxies will be solicited on behalf of the Company by our directors, officers and employees.  The original solicitation of proxies by mail may be supplemented by solicitations by our directors, officers and employees by telephone, electronic or other means to request members return their proxy card or to attend the Special Meeting.  The Company has not employed any third party to solicit proxies for the Special Meeting.



Q:Who is paying the costs of the solicitation?

A:
The Company will bear the expense of this solicitation of proxies, including the preparation, assembly, printing and mailing of this Proxy Statement, the proxy card and any additional solicitation material that the Company may provide to members.  No compensation will be paid to our directors, officers or employees for any solicitations.

Copies of the proxy materials and any other solicitation materials will be provided to brokerage firms, banks, fiduciaries, trustees, custodians or other nominees holding units in their names that are beneficially owned by others so that they may forward the solicitation materials to such beneficial owners. We will reimburse such brokerage firms, banks, fiduciaries, trustees, custodians or other nominees for the reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with forwarding the proxy materials and any other solicitation materials.


Q:    Who is entitled to notice of and to vote at the 2022 Annual Meeting?

5

A:    In accordance with Section 6.5 of our Operating Agreement, the record date for members entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the 2022 Annual Meeting is the close of business on [Record Date], 2022 (the “Record Date”). Only members of record on [Record Date], 2022 are entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the 2022 Annual Meeting.

Q:    How many votes does each member have?

A:    Members are entitled to one vote for each unit that they hold on each of the matters presented at the 2022 Annual Meeting.
Q:    How many units are outstanding?

A:    The Company has three classes of units and as of the Record Date we had an aggregate of 105,122 units outstanding and entitled to vote at the 2022 Annual Meeting consisting of 42,049 Common Units, 56,086 Class A Units and 6,987 Class B Units outstanding.

Q:    What constitutes a quorum for the 2022 Annual Meeting?

A:    Pursuant to Section 6.7 of our Operating Agreement, members holding at least 25% of the outstanding units (which shall include members holding at least 25% of the outstanding Common Units and Class B Units, in the aggregate and, with respect to any matter upon which the Class A Units are entitled to vote, shall include Members holding at least 25% of the outstanding Class A Units) will constitute a quorum of the members for the 2022 Annual Meeting. Since we had 42,049 Common Units, 6,987 Class B Units and 56,086 Class A Units outstanding and entitled to vote as of the Record Date, an aggregate of at least 12,259 Common Units and Class B Units in addition to at least 14,022 Class A Units need to be represented at the 2022 Annual Meeting in order for there to be a quorum.
Q:    What is the voting requirement for each of the proposals?

A:    If a quorum is represented at the 2022 Annual Meeting, the voting requirements for the five proposals are as follows:

Q:Who is entitled to notice of and to vote at the Special Meeting?




Approval of “Proposal 1 – Amend and restate our Fourth Amended and Restated Operating Agreement dated April 1, 2020 (our “Operating Agreement”) to provide for five separate and distinct classes of units: Common, Class A, Class B, Class C, and Class D Units” majority of the Common Units, a majority of the Class A Units, and a majority of the Class B Units that are outstanding, eligible to vote and represented in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting, if a quorum is present.

A:
In accordance with Section 6.5 of our Operating Agreement, the record date for members entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Special Meeting is the close of business on February 28, 2020 (the “Record Date”) which is the date on which we gave notice of the Special Meeting.  Only members of record on the Record Date are entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Special Meeting.
Approval of “Proposal 2 – Reclassify our units into Common, Class A, Class B, Class C, and Class D Units for the purpose of discontinuing the registration of our units under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”)” majority of the Common Units, a majority of the Class A Units, and a majority of the Class B Units that are outstanding, eligible to vote and represented in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting, if a quorum is present.



Approval of "Proposal 3 - Adjourn or postpone the Annual Meeting, if necessary or appropriate, for the purpose, among others, of soliciting additional proxies if there are not sufficient votes at the time of the Annual Meeting to approve the matters under consideration." requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the units represented in person or by proxy at the 2022 Annual Meeting.
Q:What proposals will the members vote on at the Special Meeting?


A:
The following proposals to amend our Operating Agreement will be voted on by the members:

PROPOSAL
NUMBER
OPERATING
AGREEMENT SECTION
AMENDED
SUMMARY OF AMENDMENT
Proposal 1Section 4.2
Provide the Directors Flexibility on Board Seats
Proposal 2Section 4.16(d)
Provide Board with Authority for Board Amendments to Operating Agreement
Proposal 3Section 4.16(f)
Remove Limitation on Number of Units which may be issued without Member Approval
Proposal 4Section 5.7
Remove Limitation on any Member Holding more than 49% of Units
Proposal 5Section 7.1 and 7.4
Provide authority for Board to issue new Series or Classes of Units
Proposal 6Section 8.7(b)
Provide authority for Board to elect to have the Company Taxed as a Corporation
Proposal 7Section 8.8
Change this section to conform to new IRS Rules on Partnership Audits

No member proposalsApproval of "Proposal 4 - Election of two (2) Common Directors" requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a plurality of the units represented in person or by proxy at the 2022 Annual Meeting. A plurality vote means that the two nominees who receive the highest number of votes will be ableelected to fill the two director positions.

Approval of "Proposal 5 - Ratify the appoint of RSM US LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2022" requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the units represented in person or by proxy at the 2022 Annual Meeting.
Q:    What is the effect of an abstention or votes withheld?

A:    In accordance with Section 6.6 of our Operating Agreement, abstentions or proxies or ballots marked to “withhold authority” will be counted for purposes of determining the presence or absence of a quorum for the transaction of business but will not be counted as votes cast for or against the proposals to be made or actedvoted upon at the Special2022 Annual Meeting.

Q:    What are the voting recommendations of our directors on each of the five proposals?

A:    Our directors recommend that our members vote as follows:

FOR Approval of “Proposal 1 – Amend and restate our Fourth Amended and Restated Operating Agreement dated April 1, 2020 (our “Operating Agreement”) to provide for five separate and distinct classes of units: Common, Class A, Class B, Class C, and Class D Units.

FOR Approval of “Proposal 2 – Reclassify our units into Common, Class A, Class B, Class C, and Class D Units for the purpose of discontinuing the registration of our units under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”).

FOR Approval of "Proposal 3 - Adjourn or postpone the Annual Meeting, if necessary or appropriate, for the purpose, among others, of soliciting additional proxies if there are not sufficient votes at the time of the Annual Meeting to approve the matters under consideration."

FOR the election of Jeff Taylor and no member action will otherwise be ableBill Couser under the section entitled "Proposal 4 - Election of two (2) Common Directors."

FOR Approval of "Proposal 5 - Ratify the appoint of RSM US LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2022."

Q:    Is there a deadline for delivery of my proxy card?

A:    Yes there is a delivery deadline. In order to be takenvalid and count as units represented at the Special2022 Annual Meeting, other than votinga proxy card must be received at the Company’s principal office at 59511 W. Lincoln Highway, Nevada, Iowa 50201 before 9:00 a.m. central time on [Meeting Date], 2022.




Q:    How must a member complete the proxy card in order for it to be valid?

A:    A proxy card must be signed and dated, and properly completed, in order to be valid. If a proxy card is signed, dated, properly completed and timely returned, the units it represents will be voted at the 2022 Annual Meeting in accordance with the specifications provided in the proxy card or if you did not provide any specifications or instructions, as set forth below under the following question: “How will the proxies designated on the above proposals.



Q:How many votes does each member have?

A:
Members are entitled to one vote for each unit that they hold on each of the matters presented at the Special Meeting.



Q:How many units are outstanding?

A:
The Company has a single class of units and as of the Record Date we had 42,049 units outstanding and entitled to vote at the Special Meeting.



Q:What constitutes a quorum for the Special Meeting?

A:
Pursuant to Section 6.7 of our Operating Agreement, members holding at least 25% of the outstanding units will constitute a quorum of the members for the Special Meeting.  Since we had 42,049 units outstanding and entitled to vote as of the Record Date, at least 10,513 units need to be represented at the Special Meeting in order for there to be a quorum.  A member attending the Special Meeting, in person or by proxy, will be counted for purposes of establishing a quorum.



Q:What is the voting requirement for each of the proposals?

A:
If a quorum is represented at the Special Meeting, to be adopted, each proposal requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the units represented in person or by proxy at the Special Meeting.



proxy card vote a member’s units with respect to each proposal6?”


Q:What is the effect of an abstention or votes withheld?
Q:    Can a member revoke a proxy?

A:
In accordance with Section 6.6 of our Operating Agreement, abstentions or proxies or ballots marked to “withhold authority” will be counted for purposes of determining the presence or absence of a quorum for the transaction of business but will not be counted as votes cast for or against the proposals to be voted upon at the Special Meeting.



Q:What are the voting recommendations of our directors on each of the proposals?

A:
Our directors recommend that our members vote for approval of all proposals.



Q:Is there a deadline for delivery of my proxy card?

A:
Yes, there is a delivery deadline.  In order to be valid and count as units represented at the Special Meeting, a proxy card must either be (a) received at the Company’s principal office at 59511 W. Lincoln Highway, Nevada, Iowa 50201 before 3:00 p.m. on March 23, 2020 or (b) delivered at the Special Meeting before the voting results are announced at the meeting.



Q:How must a member complete the proxy card in order for it to be valid?

A:
A proxy card must be signed and dated, and properly completed, in order to be valid.  If a proxy card is signed, dated, properly completed and timely returned, the units it represents will be voted at the Special Meeting in accordance with the specifications provided in the proxy card or if you did not provide any specifications or instructions, as set forth below under the following question: “How will the proxies designated on the proxy card vote a member’s units with respect to each proposal?



Q:Can a member revoke a proxy?

A:
A:    A member who returns a proxy card to the Company before the Special Meeting, but wants to change the member’s vote, can do so at any time before the voting results are announced at the meeting by either:

Coming to the principal office of the Company before 3:00 p.m. on March 23, 2020 and notifying the Company; or

Attending2022 Annual Meeting but wants to change the Special Meeting and notifying any directormember's vote, can do so at any time before the voting results are announced at the meeting.

Inby either case, the member will be given another(i) delivering a written revocation and/or completing and delivering a new proxy card to complete and deliver either (a) at the Special Meeting or (b) to the Company’s principal office at 59511 W. Lincoln Highway, Nevada, Iowa 50201 any time before 3:9:00 p.m.a.m. central time on March 23, 2020.  Attendance in person[Meeting Date], 2022, or (ii) attending the 2022 Annual Meeting and delivering a written revocation to any director at any time before the voting results are announced at the Special Meeting does not itself revoke a proxy unless a new proxy card is completed and submitted.meeting.

If your units are held in the name of your brokerage firm, bank, fiduciary, trustee, custodian or other nominee, you are considered the beneficial owner of units held in your name. If you are the beneficial owner of your units and not the holder of record, you will need to contact your brokerage firm, bank, fiduciary, trustee, custodian or other nominee to revoke any prior voting instructions or bring with you a legal proxy from your brokerage firm, bank, fiduciary, trustee, custodian or other nominee authorizing you to vote the units.



Q:    Will a vote be taken at the 2022 Annual Meeting?
Q:Will a vote be taken at the Special Meeting?


A:    Members will be permitted to deliver their proxy cards to the Company’s principal office at 59511 W. Lincoln Highway, Nevada, Iowa 50201 any time before 9:00 a.m. central time on [Meeting Date], 2022. We do not, however, contemplate calling for a vote on any of the proposals at the 2022 Annual Meeting, and we will instead tabulate the results of the voting by proxy and announce the results near the conclusion of the 2022 Annual Meeting.

A:
Members will be permitted to deliver their proxy cards at the Special Meeting at any time before the voting results are announced at the meeting.  We do not, however, contemplate calling for a vote on any of the proposals, and we will instead tabulate the results of the voting by proxy and announce the results near the conclusion of the Special Meeting.
Q:    How will the proxies designated on the proxy card vote a member’s units with respect to each proposal?

As stated above, ifA:    Your units will be voted in accordance with the instructions you requestindicate when you submit your proxy card. If you submit a proxy card, to votebut do not indicate your voting instructions, your units will be voted as follows:

FOR Approval of “Proposal 1 – Amend and restate our Fourth Amended and Restated Operating Agreement dated April 1, 2020 (our “Operating Agreement”) to provide for five separate and distinct classes of units: Common, Class A, Class B, Class C, and Class D Units.

FOR Approval of “Proposal 2 – Reclassify our units into Common, Class A, Class B, Class C, and Class D Units for the purpose of discontinuing the registration of our units under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”).

FOR Approval of "Proposal 3 - Adjourn or postpone the Annual Meeting, if necessary or appropriate, for the purpose, among others, of soliciting additional proxies if there are not sufficient votes at the Specialtime of the Annual Meeting and you areto approve the beneficial owner of your units and not the holder of record, you will need to matters under considerationbring with you a legal proxy from your brokerage firm, bank, fiduciary, trustee, custodian or other nominee authorizing you to vote the units.



7."


FOR the election of Jeff Taylor and Bill Couser under the section entitled "Proposal 4 - Election of two (2) Common Directors."
Q:How will the proxies designated on the proxy card vote a member’s units with respect to each proposal?


FOR Approval of "Proposal 5 - Ratify the appoint of RSM US LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2022."
A:
Your units will be voted in accordance with the instructions you indicate when you submit your proxy card.  If you submit a proxy card, but do not indicate your voting instructions, your units will be voted as FOR
the adoption of each of the seven proposals to amend our Operating Agreement.

As to any other business that may properly come before the Special2022 Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof, your units will be voted at the discretion of the proxies in a manner that they consider to be in the best interest of the Company and its members.


Q:    When will the voting results be announced?




Q:When will the voting results be announced?
A:    We will announce the preliminary voting results at the conclusion of the 2022 Annual Meeting. The final voting results will be tallied and published in a Current Report on Form 8-K to be filed with the SEC within four business days following the 2022 Annual Meeting.

Q:    How can a member make a proposal for next year's annual meeting?

A:    This question is answered above in the section entitled “Member Proposals for the 2023 Annual Meeting of Members.”

Q:    How can a member nominate director candidates for next year's annual meeting?

A:    This question is answered above in the section entitled “Directors and Corporation Governance – Director Nomination Process.”

DIRECTORS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Board of Directors Structure

The Company is currently governed by seven (7) directors. The holders of Common Units and Class B Units, voting collectively as a class, are entitled to elect three (3) Directors (the “Elected Directors”). Except as set forth below with respect to the terms of our current Elected Directors, pursuant to the terms of the Operating Agreement, Elected Directors will generally be arranged into three classes with one director in each class and each elected for staggered three-year terms. The current Elected Directors are Jeff Taylor, Bill Couser, and Rick Vaughan each of whom was serving as a director of the Company as of the date of the adoption of the Operating Agreement and each who will serve terms as set forth below in accordance with the terms of the Operating Agreement:

Jeff Taylor will continue serving as an Elected Director until the 2022 annual meeting of the members, at which time he will be eligible for election to a three-year term expiring in 2025.

Bill Couser will continue serving as an Elected Director until the 2022 annual meeting of the members, at which time he will be eligible for election to a two-year term expiring in 2024, with three-year terms available thereafter.

Rick Vaughan will continue serving as an Elected Director until the 2023 annual meeting of the members, at which time he will be eligible for election to a three-year term expiring in 2026.

Additional information regarding the Elected Directors is set forth below under the section entitled “Elected Directors.”

Our Operating Agreement also provides that the holders of Class A Units, by majority vote of the holders of the Class A Units, are entitled to appoint four Directors (the “Class A Directors”) from time to time, as determined in the discretion of the holders of the Class A Units. The Class A Directors serve until they resign, or the Class A Member removes them. Currently, HALE is the only holder of Class A Units and is therefore the sole “Class A Member.” As the sole Class A Member, HALE has the right to designate the four Class A Directors. Additional information regarding the Class A Directors is set forth below under the section entitled “Class A Directors.”

PROPOSAL 4
ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

Three elected Common Directors and Four appointed Class A Directors comprise the Board. The elected directors are divided into three classes. Two directors are to be elected by the members at the 2022 Annual Meeting and the terms of the remaining elected director's term expires in 2023.

Our Nominating Committee has nominated Jeff Taylor to stand for election to a three-year term and William Couser to stand for election to a two-year term. The nominees were recommended by members of the Company and the nominating committee nominated each of the director nominees. No other nominees were properly nominated to stand for election at the 2022 Annual Meeting.

Director Independence




A:
We will announce the preliminary voting results at the conclusion of the Special Meeting.  The final voting results will be tallied and published in a Current Report on Form 8-K to be filed with the SEC within four business days following the Special Meeting.
The Company has determined that each of our Elected Directors meet the standards of independence applicable to companies listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market (though our units are not listed on any exchange or quotation system), including that each Elected Director is free of any relationship that would interfere with his individual exercise of independent judgment.


The Class A Directors do not meet the “independent director” standards applicable to companies listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market (though our units are not listed on any exchange or quotation system) and therefore constitute “Interested Directors.”

PROPOSALS TO AMEND OUR OPERATING AGREEMENT
Director Qualifications

In making its recommendations for Elected Director nominees, the following discussionNominating Committee takes into consideration the diversity considerations and other criteria discussed above in the section entitled “Directors and Corporate Governance – Nominating Committee” when selecting and evaluating director candidates. In particular, the Nominating Committee believes that a director should:
be an individual of Proposals 1the highest character and integrity;

be free of any conflict of interest that would violate any applicable laws, rules, or regulations or interfere with the proper performance of the responsibilities of a director;

be willing and able to devote sufficient time to the affairs of the Company; and

have the capacity and desire to represent the balanced, best interests of the Company’s members as a whole.
We believe that each of our Elected Directors as well as the Class A Directors bring these qualifications to the Company. In addition to the foregoing general criteria, as previously discussed, the Nominating Committee considers specific criteria relating to the skills, experience, particular areas of expertise, specific backgrounds and other characteristics of the Elected Director nominees that may enhance the effectiveness of our directors and their committees.

We believe our continuing Elected Directors and the Class A Directors represent a diverse complement of specific business skills, experience and perspectives including: financial and accounting expertise, historic experience with the Company, industry experience, business expertise and experience and senior leadership skills and experience. Listed below are key skills and experience that we consider important for our directors in light of our current business and structure.

Knowledge of the Company. The Nominating Committee and our directors recognize that our current Elected Directors have gained substantial experience, background and institutional knowledge regarding the Company’s operations and the ethanol industry in general through 7, language proposedtheir long-term service as directors of the Company. Each of our current Elected Directors have served as directors since the Company was organized in May 2004.

Industry Experience. Since its organization in May 2004, the Company, along with the ethanol industry in general and the economy as a whole, has experienced a wide range of political, economic and market circumstances, ranging from very favorable to very difficult circumstances. Our current directors have therefore gained valuable background and experience relating to the renewable fuels industry, the operation of an ethanol plant and management and oversight of agricultural and commodities markets critical for our operation over a diverse range of regulatory and economic market conditions. This experience aids our directors in preparing for and dealing with challenging market conditions that may arise in the future.

Business Expertise and Experience. Each of our directors has substantial individual experience in operating or managing a business through their own personal business endeavors that are discussed in the biographies below. Each director has also demonstrated a willingness and ability in their individual businesses to consider and pursue innovative or new approaches, as well as a willingness and ability to assume leadership roles in those businesses and industries, all of which are attributes that are helpful in an evolving and changing industry such as the ethanol industry.

Financial Expertise. We believe our directors bring a significant collective knowledge of financial markets, financing and funding operations, and accounting and financial reporting processes and related skills and experiences necessary to understand and oversee our capital structure, financing and investing activities, financial reporting and internal control of such activities.




Senior Leadership Experience. Many of our directors have served in senior leadership positions which is important, as these directors bring experience and perspective in analyzing, shaping, and overseeing the execution of important strategic, operational and policy issues at a senior level. The insights and guidance of these directors, and their ability to assess and respond to situations encountered in serving as directors of our Company, is also enhanced when their leadership experience has been developed at businesses or organizations that operate within the ethanol, renewable energy, agricultural or financial industries.

Elected Directors

Information regarding our current Elected Directors is set forth below. Each of our Elected Directors meet the standards of independence applicable to companies listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market (though our units are not listed on any exchange or quotation system).

Terms Expiring at the 2022 Annual Meeting of Members

William Couser, age 67. Bill Couser has been a director of the Company since it was organized in May 2004. His current term as a director will end at the annual meeting of the members to be deletedheld in 2022 at which time he will be eligible for election to a two-year term expiring at the annual meeting of members to be held in 2024. Bill is marked by strikethoughcurrently serving as Vice Chairman of the text,Company and new languagehas served in this role since April 2018. Bill is underlined.also serving as Secretary of the Company and has been serving as Secretary since April 1, 2020. Bill previously served as Secretary of the Company from March 2016 to April 2018. Bill served as Chairman from the time the Company was organized in May 2004 until April 2008. He also served as our interim President and Chief Executive Officer from May 2004 until July 13, 2005. Bill has served as a director of Iowa Renewable Fuels Association for the past thirteen years, and he served as the president of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association from January 2004 to December 2010. He is also serving as a director of the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association and Iowa Institute for Coops. He has served as a director on those boards for the past ten years. Bill has been self-employed as a farmer since 1977. His farming operations include row crops and cattle. Bill brings, among other things, additional agricultural and management background and experience to the directors. Bill also brings outside board and affiliations background and experience to the directors, including in the ethanol industry as noted above. Bill has agreed to serve if he is elected.

PROPOSAL
NUMBER
OPERATING
AGREEMENT SECTION
AMENDED
SUMMARY OF AMENDMENT
Proposal 1
Section 4.2
Provide the Directors Flexibility on Board Seats

Amend Section 4.2 to addJeff Taylor, age 55. Jeff Taylor has been a director of the following new paragraphCompany since it was organized in May 2004. His current term as a director will end at the endannual meeting of the section:members to be held in 2022 at which time he will be eligible for election to a three-year term expiring at the annual meeting of members to be held in 2025. Jeff is currently serving as the Chairman and has served as the Chairman since May 2008. Jeff served as the Vice Chairman of our organization from May 2004 until April 2008. Jeff has been self-employed as a farmer since 1988, and he owns and operates farms in Story County, Iowa. Jeff received a Bachelor of Science degree from Iowa State University in farm operations and agricultural studies. Jeff provides, among other things, agriculture and management background and experience to the directors. Jeff also completed board member and chairman certification from the Iowa Institute of Cooperatives. Jeff has agreed to serve if he is elected.

NotwithstandingRequired Vote and Board Recommendation

Each member that holds Common Units and Class B Units is entitled to vote in the foregoing provisionsgeneral election of this Section 4.2,directors and may vote for two nominees for each unit the member owns. As indicated on the proxy card, if you do not mark any choices for directors on the proxy card, then your votes will be cast FOR Jeff Taylor and William Couser. Withheld votes for director elections will not be counted either for or against any nominee because directors are elected by plurality vote, meaning that the persons receiving the greatest number of votes relative to the other nominees will be elected. If you mark only one choice on the proxy card for the director election, the proxies will vote your units ONLY for the nominee you have selected. If you mark contradicting choices on the proxy card, such as both FOR and WITHHOLD for a nominee, your votes will not be counted with respect to the director nominee for whom you have marked contradicting choices. If any nominee should withdraw or otherwise become unavailable, which is not expected, such nominee's votes will be disregarded in connection withdetermining which nominees received the issuancegreatest number of votes. Members who do not submit a classproxy card will not be counted as either a vote for or seriesagainst any nominee in the election of Units with rights different from thosedirectors. Any member entitled to vote who submits a signed proxy card will be treated as present at the meeting for purposes of determining a quorum.

THE BOARD RECOMMENDS A VOTE FOR THE ELECTION OF JEFF TAYLOR AND WILLIAM COUSER.

Term Expiring at the 2023 Annual Meeting of Members

Rick Vaughan, age 62. Rick Vaughan has been a director of the previously outstanding Units,Company since it was organized in May 2004. Rick is currently serving as Treasurer of the Company. His current term as a director will end at the annual meeting of the members to



be held in 2023 at which time he will be eligible for election to a three-year term expiring at the annual meeting of members to be held in 2026. Rick served as the General Manager of Prairie Land Cooperative from February 1995 until August 2011. Prairie Land Cooperative merged with Innovative Ag Services on September 1, 2011. He became Co-CEO of Innovative Ag Services on September 1, 2011 and CEO in December 2012. Innovative Ag Services is a farm supply business serving producers in grain marketing and services, agronomy products and services, feed manufacturing, diesel fuel and propane products and services. Rick brings, among other things, agricultural, cooperative, management and marketing experience and background to the directors.

Class A Directors

Information regarding the current Class A Directors, shalleach of whom is an Interested Director, is set forth below. The Class A Directors do not have the authority to adjust the number of Directors, and to provide for the designation of a specified number of Directorsterms that expire as these directors are appointed by the holders of any such classClass A Units and serve until they resign, or seriesthe Class A Members remove them. Currently HALE is the sole Class A Member and therefore, HALE has the right to designate and remove the four Class A Directors.

Robert E. Brummels, age 71. Bob Brummels was appointed as a Class A Director on April 1, 2020. Bob is currently a director of Units, in such mannerHusker Ag and has served on the Board of Directors of Husker Ag since 2004. Mr. Brummels has served as the Directors shall determine.

Discussion:  The intentChairman of the new languageBoard and President of Husker Ag since June 2012. Prior to that, Bob served as Treasurer of Husker Ag from June 2004 to June 2012. He and his wife, Kathy, currently operate a diversified farming operation northeast of Coleridge, Nebraska, and are the parents of three grown sons. Bob has been involved directly and indirectly with various agricultural enterprises and served in various leadership roles. In 1973 Bob graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Agriculture with a Bachelor of Science degree in animal science.

Dan Heard, age 59. Dan Heard was appointed as a Class A Director on April 1, 2020. Dan is to provide the directors with flexibility to restructurecurrently a director of Husker Ag and has served on the Board of Directors of Husker Ag since 2012. A resident of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Dan is a CPA and has been a partner in a local public accounting firm for over 30 years. He has been involved in the ethanol industry as an auditor, advisor and consultant since 1995. He has also served on a number of boards in the ethanol industry during that time. For the past thirteen years, Dan has devoted the majority of his professional time to accommodate a new investor where board seats might be requiredconsulting on various renewable energy projects. Mr. Heard has been married to his wife, Connie, for 35 years and they have four daughters.

James Krause, age 70. Jim Krause was appointed as a conditionClass A Director on April 1, 2020. Jim is currently a director of investment.
OUR DIRECTORS RECOMMEND THAT THE MEMBERS VOTE “FOR” PROPOSAL 1.



PROPOSAL
NUMBER
OPERATING
AGREEMENT SECTION
AMENDED
SUMMARY OF AMENDMENT
Proposal 2
Section 4.16(d)
Provide Board with Authority for Board Amendments to Operating Agreement

Amend Section 4.16(d)Husker Ag and has served on the Board of Directors of Husker Ag since 2007. He served as Chairman of the Board and President of Husker Ag from June 2009 to readJune 2012. Jim currently resides in Plainview, Nebraska, where he and his wife, Janet, own Krause Family Farms, Inc., which operates a family farm raising irrigated corn and soybeans as follows (new language underlined):

well as hogs and cattle. Jim is a member of the Antelope County corn, soybean and pork growers associations and he has served as a member of the Antelope County Zoning Board. He also served as a member of the Plainview school board for nine years. Jim has a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural science and animal science with a minor in agricultural economics, as well as a master’s degree in agronomy, all from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Jim and Janet have been married 45 years and have four sons each married and residing with their families in Nebraska.
4.16
Member Action RequiredMarvin Stech, age 63. Notwithstanding anythingMarvin Stech was appointed as a Class A Director on April 1, 2020. Marvin, of Osmond, Nebraska, is currently a director of Husker Ag and has served on the Board of Directors of Husker Ag since 2009. Mr. Stech has served as Secretary of Husker Ag since June 2009. Mr, Stech is a lifelong farmer and is currently a co-owner of Stech Farms in this AgreementOsmond. Mr. Stech currently serves on St. Mary's Church Finance Committee. He is a past President of both St. Mary’s Church Board and the St. Mary’s School Board. He is also a past director of Osmond Coop Board and Farm Credit Services Advisory Board. Mr. Stech is a 2007 graduate of the Nebraska LEAD Program, a two year agricultural leadership training course. He and his wife, Mary Beth, have been married for 38 years and have six children.

Leadership Structure

Our directors elect a Chairman and a Vice Chairman with the Chairman responsible for presiding over and acting as chairperson of all meetings of our directors and our members. If the Chairman is not present, the Vice Chairman serves as chairperson of the director or member meeting. Jeff Taylor is currently the Chairman and William Couser is the current Vice Chairman. Seth Harder serves as our President and Chief Executive Officer which may appear to be tois separate from the contrary, including Section 4.1, neitherrole of the Directors nor any officerChairman so the same individual does not serve as both the Chairman and the Chief Executive Officer.

We believe a leadership structure providing for the separation of the role of the Chairman and the Chief Executive Officer is in the best interest of the Company shall take, or cause to be taken, anyand its members because it allocates the oversight of the following acts or matters withoutbusiness among the votedirectors and the executive officers so that our Chief Executive Officer, who reports to our directors, can focus on the day-to-day business



operations, and our Chairman and directors can oversee the activities of the Members takenChief Executive Officer, other executive officers and the business as a whole. We have determined that this leadership structure allows our directors to better focus on their oversight role and provide us a perspective that is independent from that of our management. We do not have a policy mandating the leadership structure and our directors reserve the right to determine the appropriate leadership structure from time to time.

Directors’ Role in Risk Oversight

Although management is responsible for the day-to-day management of risks to the Company, our directors provide broad oversight of the Company’s risk management programs. In this oversight role, our directors are responsible for satisfying themselves that the risk management processes designed and implemented by the Company’s management are functioning and that the systems and processes in place will bring to their attention the material risks facing the Company in order to permit our directors to effectively oversee the management of these risks. A fundamental part of risk management is not only understanding the risks a company faces and what steps management is taking to manage those risks, but also understanding what level of risk is appropriate for the Company. The involvement of our directors in the risk oversight process allows our directors to assess management’s appetite for risk and also to determine what constitutes an appropriate level of risk for the Company. Our directors regularly include agenda items at their meetings relating to their risk oversight role and meet with various members of management on a range of topics, including corporate governance and regulatory obligations, operations and significant transactions, business continuity planning, succession planning, risk management, insurance, pending and threatened litigation and significant commercial disputes.

While our directors as a whole provide broad oversight of the Company’s risk management processes, various committees of our directors also oversee risk management in their respective areas and regularly report on their activities to all of our directors. Principally, the Risk Committee assists our directors in identifying and quantifying methods of mitigating or otherwise obtainedeliminating risk, primarily those relating to commodity prices. In addition, the Audit Committee focuses on assessing and mitigating financial risk, including internal controls and the Finance Committee also assists our directors in accordancethe oversight of financial risk, including, without limitation, risks relating to our capital structure, investments, tax and financing activities. The Human Resources and Compensation Committee strives to create compensation incentives that encourage a level of risk-taking behavior consistent with Article 6:the Company’s business strategy. Additional information on the standing director committees is set forth below in the section entitled “Directors and Corporate Governance - Committees of the Directors.”

We believe the division of risk management responsibilities described above is an effective approach for addressing the risks facing the Company and that our leadership structure provides appropriate checks and balances against undue risk taking.
……..Compensation Risk Analysis
8

We have reviewed our material compensation policies and practices for all employees and have concluded that these policies and practices are not reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company. While risk-taking is a necessary part of growing a business, our compensation philosophy, as discussed below in the section entitled “Compensation Discussion and Analysis,” is focused on aligning compensation with the long-term interests of our members as opposed to rewarding short-term management decisions that could pose long-term risks. Our compensation programs have historically contained features designed to mitigate the likelihood of inducing excessive risk-taking behavior.
(d)
Director and Committee Meetings and Director Attendance

The directors held a total of 11 meetings (including regularly-scheduled and special meetings) during Fiscal Year 2021. In addition, the amendment or restatementAudit Committee held 4 meetings, the Risk Committee held 11 meetings, and the Nominating Committee held one meeting during Fiscal year 2021. No incumbent director attended fewer than seventy-five percent (75%) of the Certificate of Organization or this Agreement, except that the Directors may amend the Certificate of Organization and this Agreement without the voteaggregate of the Membersdirector meetings and committee meetings held on which such director served during Fiscal Year 2021.

We do not have any formal policy with regard to (i) changedirectors' attendance at annual meetings of our members; however, we encourage all of our directors to attend the name,annual meeting of our members. During the registered office and/orCompany's 2021 Annual Meeting, each of our Elected Directors and Appointed Directors attend the registered agent2021 Annual Meeting.

Committees of the Directors

Our directors have standing Audit, Nominating and Company Governance, Human Resource and Compensation, Finance and Risk Committees.




Nominating and Company Governance Committee

The Nominating and Company Governance Committee (the “Nominating Committee”) operates under a written charter which is available on our website at www.lincolnwayenergy.com in the “Investors” section. During Fiscal Year 2021, the entire Board served as the Nominating Committee with Jeff Taylor currently serving as the Chair of the Nominating Committee. The general functions performed by the Nominating Committee are to:

oversee the governance of the Company, (ii) implement any change to this Agreement whichincluding the Directors are permitted to make to this Agreement without a voteoperations of the Members,directors and (iii) amendtheir committees;
identify individuals qualified to become directors and restaterecommend nominees for election as Elected Directors;
monitor developments in corporate governance practices; and
oversee the Company’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.

The Nominating Committee reviews with the directors the skills and characteristics that should be required of Elected Director nominees in the context of the current skill sets and characteristics of the existing directors and the business and operational environment of the Company at the time of the recommendation.

The Nominating Committee attempts to determine the appropriate characteristics, skills and experiences for the directors as a whole and for individual Elected Directors, with the objective of having an overall composition of directors with diverse backgrounds and experience in business and public service, and not necessarily only in the ethanol industry. The Nominating Committee does not have a policy with regard to, and does not otherwise consider, diversity in identifying Elected Director nominees for Elected Director, other than diversity in backgrounds and experience as otherwise discussed in this Agreementparagraph. Prospective Elected Director nominees are not discriminated against on the basis of age, gender, race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability or any other basis proscribed by law.

The Nominating Committee considers the need for diverse backgrounds and experience together with the qualifications of individual Elected Director candidates and the characteristics expected of all directors which include independence, integrity, high personal and professional ethics, sound business judgment, and the ability and willingness to reflect any changes approvedcommit sufficient time to serve as a director. In evaluating the suitability of individual Elected Director candidates, the Nominating Committee takes into account many factors, including the individual's general understanding of marketing, finance, agricultural markets and other disciplines relevant to the success of a company of our size with our capital structure in the renewable fuels industry; the individual's understanding of our business and operations; the individual's educational and professional background and the individual's personal accomplishments.

In addition, the Nominating Committee evaluates each individual Elected Director candidate in the context of the directors as a whole, with the objective of recommending Elected Director nominees that will best represent our member interests through the exercise of sound business judgment using the directors’ diversity of experience and better position us for success. In determining whether to recommend an incumbent director for re-election as an Elected Director, the Nominating Committee also considers the director’s past attendance at meetings and the director’s participation in and contributions to the activities of the directors. All Elected Director nominees recommended by the MembersNominating Committee are subject to approval by the directors.

The Nominating Committee will generally first look to our members to identify possible Elected Director nominees. The Nominating Committee will consider and evaluate members for possible Elected Director nominees on its own, but will also consider any suggestions by other directors. The Nominating Committee also may, but is not required to, consider any suggestions for Elected Director nominees by our members. The Nominating Committee is not, however, required to only consider or Directorsto only nominate members as nominees for Elected Director, and the Nominating Committee is free to recommend any individual as an Elected Director nominee. Although we do not currently contemplate using any search firm or other outside parties to identify or evaluate or assist in identifying or evaluating Elected Director nominees, the Nominating Committee, with the approval of the directors, may retain search firms or other outside parties and approve payment of fees to those firms or parties.

Audit Committee

The Audit Committee operates under a written charter which is available on our website at www.lincolnwayenergy.com in the “Investors” section. During Fiscal Year 2021, the entire Board is serving as the Audit Committee.

During Fiscal Year 2021, the directors determined that Rick Vaughn met the definition of an “audit committee financial expert” as that term is defined in applicable SEC regulations. Mr. Vaughn meets the “independent director” standards applicable to companies listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market (though our units are not listed on any exchange or quotation system).



Discussion: 
The new language provides clear authoritygeneral function performed by the Audit Committee is to assist the directors in their oversight of the quality and integrity of the accounting, auditing and reporting practices of the Company. The Audit Committee's role includes overseeing the audit of our financial statements and the work of the Company’s internal accounting and financial reporting and internal auditing processes, and discussing with management the Company’s processes to manage business and financial risk. The Audit Committee is also responsible for the appointment, compensation, retention and oversight of the independent auditor engaged to prepare or issue audit reports on our financial statements and internal control over financial reporting. The Audit Committee relies on the expertise and knowledge of management and the independent auditor in carrying out its oversight responsibilities.

Human Resources and Compensation Committee

The Human Resources and Compensation Committee (the “Compensation Committee”) operates under a written charter which is available on our website at www.lincolnwayenergy.com in the “Investors” section. During Fiscal Year 2021, the entire Board served as the Compensation Committee. The general functions performed by the Compensation Committee are the following:

Recommending to amendthe directors the annual goals and objectives of the Chief Executive Officer and other senior management positions;

Recommending to the directors the compensation of the directors and of the Chief Executive Officer and other senior management positions;

Conducting and overseeing the performance evaluation of the Chief Executive Officer and other senior management positions;

Approving the base salary and incentive compensation arrangement of the Chief Financial Officer and the other key employees;

Recommending to the directors the policies that govern our compensation programs, and overseeing any such programs as are adopted by the directors; and

Review and coordinate review by our directors of our compensation and benefit plans for alignment with Company objectives.
The Compensation Committee has the authority to retain outside advisors or consultants to assist the committee in carrying out its duties and responsibilities, but no such consultants were utilized during Fiscal Year 2021.

Finance Committee

The Finance Committee operates under a written charter which is available on our website at www.lincolnwayenergy.com in the “Investors” section. During Fiscal Year 2021, the entire Board served as the Finance Committee. The general functions performed by the Finance Committee are to assist our directors in the oversight of the Company’s financial performance, capital structure, financing, investment, tax, insurance, divestiture, merger and acquisition activities.

Risk Committee

The Risk Committee advises our directors on methods of effectively managing the Company’s physical assets, contractual commitments, seeking market opportunities and adding value to the Company’s operating facility. The Risk Committee also assists our directors in identifying and quantifying methods of mitigating or eliminating risk, including those relating to commodity prices. During Fiscal Year 2021, the entire Board served as the Risk Committee.

Member Communications with Our Directors

A member desiring to send any communication to our directors may do so in writing by either delivering the writing to the Company’s principal office at 59511 W. Lincoln Highway, Nevada, Iowa 50201, or by mailing the writing to that address, in either case, to the attention of the President. The Company will provide a copy of each such writing to each director.

Code of Ethics




The Company adopted a Code of Ethics that applies to its directors, principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller and other senior financial officers effective August 27, 2008. The Code of Ethics was filed as an exhibit to our annual report on Form 10-K for our fiscal year ended September 30, 2010. We will disclose amendments to, or waivers of, certain provisions of our Code of Ethics relating to our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, controller or persons performing similar functions on our website promptly following the adoption of any such amendment or waiver.

Elected Director Nomination Process

Section 4.3 of the Operating Agreement provides that the directors, or a Nominating Committee established by the directors, shall prepare a list of nominees for each Elected Director position to be filled at the next annual meeting of the members. Our directors have a standing Nominating Committee and the role of the Nominating Committee includes identifying, evaluating and recommending Elected Director candidates to providethe directors. The Nominating Committee reviews Elected Director nominee candidates from the incumbent Elected Directors and recommendations from members or other third parties and then makes a recommendation to our directors regarding the Elected Director nominees. When reviewing Elected Director nominee candidates, the Nominating Committee takes into consideration the criteria described above in the section entitled “Director Qualifications.”

Member Recommendations

The Nominating Committee considers member recommendations for a complete amended and restatedElected Director nominee candidates. The Nominating Committee reviews any recommendations received from its members using the same criteria used to review incumbent Elected Directors which criteria is described in the section above entitled “Director Qualifications.”

Member Nomination Process

Pursuant to Section 4.3 of our Operating Agreement, to reflect changes made by the Boarda member or members.

OUR DIRECTORS RECOMMEND THAT THE MEMBERS VOTE “FOR” PROPOSAL 2.



PROPOSAL
NUMBER
OPERATING
AGREEMENT SECTION
AMENDED
SUMMARY OF AMENDMENT
Proposal 3
Section 4.16(f)
Remove Limitation on Number of Units which may be issued without Member Approval

Amend Section 4.16(f) to remove this entire paragraph and renumber the following paragraphsgroup of Section 4.16:

4.16Member Action Required. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement which may appear to be to the contrary, including Section 4.1, neither the Directors nor any officermembers owning at least 5% of the Company shall take, or cause to be taken, any ofoutstanding units may nominate an individual for election as an Elected Director at the following acts or matters without the vote of the Members taken or otherwise obtainednext annual meeting by submitting a written nomination petition in accordance with Article 6:
……………..

(f) the issuance of any Unitsa form provided by the Company if after giving effectthe nomination petition is received at the Company’s principal office no sooner than the October 1 but not later than the November 30 which precedes the annual meeting at which the member seeks to nominate a director. Each nomination petition must be accompanied by a nominee statement that complies with the issuancerequirements set forth in Section 4.3 of the Units, the Company would have more than 90,000 1 outstanding Units; provided, however,Operating Agreement including, without limitation, an agreement that the Directors may from time to time authorize, approvenominee will (i) serve as an Elected Director if elected, (ii) prepare, execute and/or file all such reports and effectuate a split of the outstanding Units into a lesser or greater number of Units based upon a uniform multiple (a “Unit Split”), without the vote of the Members, in which event the 90,000 1 amount (or the then current such amount by reason of any prior Unit Splits) shall also be decreased or increased, as the case may be, by the same multiple that was utilized in the Unit Split;

Discussion:  Existing 4.16(f) is removed, eliminating the need for member approval of the issuance of units over the specified amount.  Note that under Section 7.1, an unlimited number of units is currently authorized.

OUR DIRECTORS RECOMMEND THAT THE MEMBERS VOTE “FOR” PROPOSAL 3.



PROPOSAL
NUMBER
OPERATING
AGREEMENT SECTION
AMENDED
SUMMARY OF AMENDMENT
Proposal 4Section 5.7
Remove Limitation on any Member Holding more than 49% of Units

Remove Section 5.7 in its entirety:

5.7           Limitation on Ownership of Units. Notwithstanding any term or condition of this Agreement which may appear to be to the contrary, no Member shall, directly or indirectly, own, hold or control more than forty-nine percent (49%) of the outstanding Units at any time, unless the Member exceeds that percentage by reason of the Company redeeming or purchasing Units, but in that case, the Member shall not increase the number of Units owned, held or controlled by the Member.
For purposes of this Section, the term “control” means the right or ability to vote or direct the vote of any Units, whether pursuant to a proxy, voting agreement, voting trust, or otherwise.

9

For purposes of this Section, a Member shall be deemed to indirectly own, hold or control anydocuments, and all Units which are owned or held by the Member’s spouse or any of the Member’s parents or minor children (including by adoption) (collectively, the “Relatives”), and by any entity of which any one or more of the Member or any Relative or Relatives owns or holds at least ten percent (10%) of Additional and different classes or series of Units may be created and issued to new or existing Members on such terms and conditions as the Directors may determine.

The Company shall not be required to recognize or honor the ownership, holding or control of any Units which are owned, held or controlled in violation of this Section. Each Member shall provide the Company with all such information, and documentation as is requested by the Company from time to time in order to determine whether the Member is in compliance with this Section, and each Member shall otherwise promptly and fully cooperate with the Company in this regard.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Section shall not be applicable to, and shall not otherwise limit or restrict, the solicitation and receipt of proxies, ballots or written consents or written actions by the Company or by any Director in the capacity as a Director.

Discussion:  The limit on the number of units which may be held by one member is removed.

OUR DIRECTORS RECOMMEND THAT THE MEMBERS VOTE “FOR” PROPOSAL 4.



PROPOSAL
NUMBER
OPERATING
AGREEMENT SECTION
AMENDED
SUMMARY OF AMENDMENT
Proposal 5Section 7.1 and 7.4
Provide authority for Board to issue new Series or Classes of Units

Amend Section 7.1 by adding the following new paragraph at the end of the section:

Additional and different classes or series of Units may be created and issued to new or existing Members on such terms and conditions as the Directors may determine.  Such additional and different classes or series of Units may have different rights, powers and preferences (including, without limitation, designation of Directors, voting rights and distribution preferences), which may be different from or superior to those of existing Members. In the event of creation of additional classes or series of Units, the Company’s Unit records shall be updated as necessary by the Directors to reflect such Units and the Directors shall amend this Agreement, and the Members hereby consent to the amendment hereof, to reflect (a) the sale of additional Units with such terms as the Directors shall deem appropriate, (b) the admission of the additional Members.

Amend Section 7.4 to coordinate with the change to Section 7.1:
Except as may be expressly provided with respect to any class or series of Units established hereunder, no Member shall have priority over any other Member as to the return of Contributions or Capital Accounts or as to Net Profits, Net Losses or Distributions. This Section shall not, however, apply to loans (as distinguished from Contributions) which a Member has made to the Company.

Discussion:  New language is provided to permit the Board to issue new series or classes of units with special rights, such as appointment of directors, distribution preferences, etc.

OUR DIRECTORS RECOMMEND THAT THE MEMBERS VOTE “FOR” PROPOSAL 5.



PROPOSAL
NUMBER
OPERATING
AGREEMENT SECTION
AMENDED
SUMMARY OF AMENDMENT
Proposal 6Section 8.7(b)
Provide authority for Board to elect to have the Company Taxed as a Corporation

10

Amend Section 8.7 to add a new paragraph (b) and renumber the following paragraph:

8.7Returns and Other Elections. The Directors shall cause the preparation and timely filing of all tax returns required to be filed by the Company pursuant to the Code and all other tax returns deemed necessary and required in each jurisdiction in which the Company does business.
All elections required or permitted to be made by the Company under federal, state or foreign tax or other laws shall be made by the Directors, including the following:

……………..

(b)           an election for the Company to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes under Treasury Regulations Section 301.7701-3 or any corresponding elections under state or local law; and
Discussion:  The proposal will add a new section 8.7(b) to provide express authority to ‘check the box’ to be taxed as a corporation, in the event this makes sense at a future point in time or for transaction purposes.

OUR DIRECTORS RECOMMEND THAT THE MEMBERS VOTE “FOR” PROPOSAL 6.



PROPOSAL
NUMBER
OPERATING
AGREEMENT SECTION
AMENDED
SUMMARY OF AMENDMENT
Proposal 7Section 8.8
Change this section to conform to new IRS Rules on Partnership Audits

Amend Section 8.8 to amend the section in its entirety to read as follows:

8.8Tax Returns; Partnership Representative.

(a)          Tax Returns.  The Company shall, without any further consent of the Members being required (except as specifically required herein), make any and all elections for federal, state, local and foreign tax purposes as the Company shall determine appropriate and shall have the right and authority to represent the Company and the Members before taxing authorities or courts of competent jurisdiction in tax matters affecting the Company or the Members in their capacities as Members, and to file any tax returns and execute any agreements or other documents relating to or affecting such tax matters, including agreements or other documents that bind the Members with respect to such tax matters or otherwise affect the rights of the Company and the Members.
(b)         Tax Matters Partner.       For all tax years prior to the tax year for which the Partnership Adjustment Procedures (as hereinafter defined) are first applicable to the Company, the Directors shall designate a Person as the “Tax Matters Member” of the Company in accordance with Section 6231(a)(7) of the Code (prior to amendment by the Budget Act (as hereinafter defined) and any regulations issued thereunder. “Partnership Adjustment Procedures” means Code sections 6221 through 6241, as amended by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (the “Budget Act”), including any other Code provisions with respect to the same subject matter and any Treasury Regulations promulgated or proposed under any such sections and any administrative guidance with respect thereto.   The Tax Matters Partner has the right and obligation to perform all actions authorized and required, respectively, by statute or regulation. The Directors shall have the authority to designate, remove and replace the Tax Matters Member.
(c)           Partnership Representative.  If, and to the extent that, provisions of the Budget Act apply to any audit of any income Tax Return of the Company (“Affected Tax Return”), then the following provisions shall apply:
(i)         Designation of Partnership Representative. The Company (or its designee) shall be the “partnership representative” (the “Partnership Representative”) in connection with any audit of such Affected Tax Return and shall serve as Partnership Representative pursuant to the terms of this Agreement and the Partnership Adjustment Procedures that apply to audits conducted pursuant to the Budget Act including notifying the IRS of its designation as such, as may be necessary or appropriate underin order for the Budget Act.Company to comply with all applicable laws, rules and regulations and (iii) provide all information and all agreements and representations as are determined to be necessary or appropriate by the directors or the President.

11

(ii)         Authority ofAny nomination petition or nominee statement which is not fully completed and properly executed, is not received within the Partnership Representative. To the maximum extent permitted under the Partnership Adjustment Procedures, the Partnership Representative shall have the exclusive right to controltime period provided above or is not true, accurate and complete in all income Tax issues relating to an Affected Tax Return, including, by way of illustration and not in limitation, the power and authority without the consent of any Member to:
(A)           enter into any agreement with the IRS to extend the period for assessing any Tax that is attributable to any item thatrespects, may be the subject of an audit of an Affected Tax Return;
(B)           settle any audit of an Affected Tax Return with the IRS concerning the adjustment of any Company item;
(C)           commence or settle any Tax court case or other judicial or administrative proceeding with respect to any Affected Tax Return; or
(D)           elect to have the provisions of the Budget Act apply to any Tax Return of the Company for any Tax year that commences prior to 2018.
(iii)          Liability to be Paid at the Company Level.  Any tax liability determined pursuant to an audit of an Affected Tax Return shall be paid at the Company level.  Notwithstanding any provision in this section to the contrary, to the extent permittedrejected by the Partnership Adjustment Procedures, with respect to any taxable year of the Company subject to the Partnership Adjustment Procedures, a Partnership Representative shall not take any of the following actions:
(A)           Make an election to opt out of the application of the Partnership Adjustment Procedures under Code Section 6221; or
(B)           Make an election under Code Section 6226(a) to push out a tax liability; or
(C)           Request any modification to an imputed underpayment under Code Section 6225 without prior approval of the Directors.
(iv)          Notices, Consent and Failure to Obtain Consent.  The Partnership Representative shall keep the Members advised of any dispute the Company may have with any federal, state or local taxing authority.
(v)          Indemnification of Tax Matters Member and Partnership Representative.  The Company and the Members specifically acknowledge, without limiting the general applicability of this Section, that the Partnership Representative, or the designated individual, if any, shall not be liable, responsible or accountable in damages or otherwise to the Company or any Member with respect to any action taken by him or her in this capacity and shall indemnify the Tax Matters Partner, the Partnership Representative and the designated individual against any liabilities arising out of such service, as long as the Partnership Representative or the designated individual, as applicable, did not act in bad faith or gross negligence.  All out of pocket expenses incurred by the Partnership Representative or the designated individual in this capacity shall be considered expenses of the Company for which the Partnership Representative, or the designated individual shall be entitled to full reimbursement.
Discussion:

Prior Partnership Tax Audit Rules

For income tax years of a partnership (including LLCs that are taxed as partnerships) beginning prior to January 1, 2018, partnership tax audits were generally conducted at the entity level, but any tax deficiencies were paid by the persons who were partners of the partnership in the tax year under audit.  Neither current partners in the partnership who were not partners in the tax year under audit nor the partnership itself owed tax resulting from an audit adjustment.

Partnerships designated one of the partners to act as “tax matters partner,” but the other partners were required to receive notice of an audit and had a unilateral right to individually challenge the IRS’s position in litigation.

12

New Partnership Tax Audit Rules

Through the enactment of new partnership audit rules (the “Rules”), which became effective for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2018, Congress fundamentally changed how tax related to partnerships is assessed and collected upon audit.  Due to these new Rules which are described in more detail below, our legal and tax advisors have recommended that the Company amend its Operating Agreement.

The primary purpose of these Rules is to assist the IRS with auditing tax partnerships.  This purpose is accomplished through two mechanisms.  First, the Rules eliminated the “tax matters partner” and created a new role called the “partnership representative.”  The partnership representative has the sole authority act on behalf of and to bind the Company and, if rejected, shall be returned by the partnersCompany to the member or members submitting the nomination petition or to the nominee submitting the nominee statement, as the case may be. Each nominee must meet all qualification requirements for Elected Directors as may exist at the time of the nomination and at the time of election.

No Floor Nominations

Section 4.3 of the Operating Agreement expressly provides that no nominations for any director position may be made from the floor at any meeting of the members.

Policy Regarding Employee, Officer and Director Hedging

We do not have a policy prohibiting our directors, officers or employees from purchasing financial instruments that are designed to hedge or offset any decrease in federal, partnership-related tax matters.the market value of the Company's units held by such persons. The Company must designateis a limited liability company taxed as a partnership representative each year on its tax return and if the representative is an entity, an individual must be appointed to communicate with the IRS.

In addition to creating the partnership representative role, the Rules change how tax partnerships are assessed tax.  The default position under these Rules is that on audit the Company itself, not its owners, will be liable for any U.S. federal income tax purposes and therefore, we must comply with complex trading restrictions under the Internal Revenue Code. In order to not be deemed a publicly-traded partnership for tax purposes and preserve our partnership tax status, our units may not be traded on any established securities market or readily traded on a secondary market (or the substantial equivalent thereof). Since there is no public market for our units, our Board has determined that such a policy is not necessary.

COMPENSATION OF DIRECTORS



Compensation paid to our directors is reviewed and adjusted.  Tax deficiencies are paiddetermined on an annual basis by the partnershipdirectors. We do not provide our directors with any equity or equity option awards, nor any non-equity incentive payments or deferred compensation. Similarly, we do not provide our directors with any other perquisites, “gross-ups,” defined contribution plans, consulting fees, life insurance premium payments or otherwise. Our director compensation program provides that each director receives an annual retainer of $18,000 which constitutes a fee of $1,500 per month. The Chairman is paid an additional $6,000 annual retainer and the Vice Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer are each paid an additional $1,200 annual retainer. There was no change in the year in which the audit concludes. This impacts which owners are subjectfees paid to the economic cost ofdirectors in Fiscal Year 2021 from the audit adjustments.  If there are any changes infees paid during the identity of the members (new members are admitted, former members dispose of their units, etc.) between the year under audit and the year in which the audit concludes (which could be three or more years after the end of the year under audit), the current members may bear the economic burden for tax liabilities of prior members.

The Rules do provide several elections and procedural methods to avoid the income tax being assessed against a partnership thereby permitting the income tax adjustments (and any resulting income tax) to be allocated and paid at the owner level.  However, these elections and methods are complicated and may require detailed records relating to the ownership of the Company’s units in a given year, information regarding certain tax attributes of such owners as well as the potential enforcement of contractual obligations against former owners.  Moreover, the cost savings to any one member will not be significant, when weighed against the cost necessary to undertake tracking and enforcement.

Under the recommended changes, tax liability would be assessed and paid at the Company level.
OUR DIRECTORS RECOMMEND THAT THE MEMBERS VOTE “FOR” PROPOSAL 7.

13

SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF MANAGEMENT AND CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS

previous fiscal year. The following table provides certain information concerning all compensation paid to each of our directors during the Fiscal Year 2021 for service as of February 28, 2020a director.

NameFee Earned or Paid in CashAll Other CompensationEquity or Non-Equity IncentivesTotal
Robert Brummels$18,000 $— $— $18,000 
William Couser$19,200 $— $— $19,200 
Dan Heard$18,000 $— $— $18,000 
James Krause$18,000 $— $— $18,000 
Marvin Stech$18,000 $— $— $18,000 
Jeff Taylor$24,000 $— $— $24,000 
Rick Vaughan$19,200 $— $— $19,200 


EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

Our Executive Officers

The information below lists our current executive officers. Except for the Management Agreement and Restated Management Agreement (each as defined below) with respect to Seth Harder, and the unit ownership of: (i) each directorCFO Services Agreement (as defined below) with respect to Jeff Kistner, there are no arrangements or understandings between any of the Company, (ii) each Named Executive Officer of the Company (as that term is defined in Item 402(a)(3) of Regulation S-K (17 CFR § 229.402(a)(3)), (iii) all currentCompany’s executive officers and directors of the Company as a group and (iv) certain former executive officers who served as executive officers during a portion of Fiscal Year 2019 or Fiscal Year 2020.  The Company is not aware of any person or group (as that term is defined in Section 13(d)(3) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)) was the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding units, and no person or group held more than 5% of our outstanding unitsother persons pursuant to any voting trustwhich he or similar agreement.  The percentages in the table below are based on 42,049 units outstanding on February 28, 2020.she was selected as an executive officer. No family relationships exist among our directors and executive officers.

Name and Address1 of Beneficial Owner
Amount and Nature
Of Beneficial2
Ownership2
Percent of Class
   
Jeff Taylor, Director and Chairman
7013
1.66%
William Couser, Director and Vice Chairman
4134
0.98%
Brian Conrad, Director and Treasurer6051.44%
Timothy Fevold, Director and Secretary1260.30%
Rick Vaughan, Director-0--
Kurt Olson, Director
2505
0.59%
James E. Dickson, Director
506
0.12%
Doug Moore, Director250.06%
Seth Harder, General Manager, President and Chief Executive Officer7
-0--
Jeff Kistner, Interim Chief Financial Officer8
-0--
All current directors and executive officers as a group (10 Persons)2,1705.15%
Eric Hakmiller, Former President and Chief Executive Office9
17510
0.42%
Kristine Strum, Former Chief Financial Officer11
-0--
Michael Hollenberg, Former President and Chief Executive Officer12
-0--
Principal Executive Officer
Seth Harder, age 43. Mr. Harder was appointed as the Company’s General Manager, President and Chief Executive Officer on January 17, 2020. Mr. Harder has served as General Manager of Husker Ag, LLC for 14 years beginning in January of 2006, during which time Husker Ag has grown from its original capacity of 20 million gallons to currently producing 110 million gallons per year. Prior to his appointment as General Manager, Mr. Harder served as Husker Ag’s Plant Manager from September 2004 through December 2005. He originally joined Husker Ag in November 2002 as the Company's first Production Manager followed by a time with ICM, Inc. where he worked as an ethanol trainer and plant startup specialist. Mr. Harder is a current Board member and former executive officer of Renewal Fuels Nebraska. He is also a Board member of the Renewable Fuels Association and the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE). In 2019, Mr. Harder was appointed by Governor Pete Ricketts to the Nebraska Environmental Quality Council. Mr. Harder also currently services on the Board of Laurel BioComposite, LLC, a company that transforms Husker Ag’s dry distillers grain into organic bio resin filler.
Effective January 15, 2020 the Company entered into a Management Services Agreement (the “Management Agreement”) with Husker Ag, LLC (“Husker Ag”) for management services pertaining to the Company’s ethanol facility. Pursuant to the terms of the Management Agreement, Husker Ag will provide the Company with individuals to serve as General Manager, Environmental and Safety Manager and Commodity Risk Manager who will perform the respective management services for each such position.

Effective April 1, 2020, the Company entered into an Amended and Restated Management Services Agreement (the “Restated Management Agreement”) with HALE, an affiliate of Husker Ag, which replaced and superseded the original Management Agreement between the Company and Husker Ag. Pursuant to the terms of the Restated Management Agreement, HALE will provide management services to the Company’s ethanol facility located in Nevada, Iowa, including providing the Company with individuals to (a) serve as General Manager, Environmental and Safety Manager, Commodity Risk Manager, and to fill such other positions as may be necessary from time to time; and (b) perform the respective management services for each such



position. See section below entitled “Executive Compensation - Agreements with Our Executive Officers – CEO Management Services Agreement” for a discussion of the terms of the Management Agreement and Restated Management Agreement.

Mr. Harder was appointed as our General Manager, President and Chief Executive Officer in connection with our execution of the Management Agreement and continues to serve in such capacity under the Restated Management Agreement.

Principal Financial Officer

Jeff Kistner, age 58. Mr. Kistner has served as the Company’s Interim Chief Financial Officer since July 31, 2019. Mr. Kistner is the founder and President of Flag Leaf Financial Management Inc. (“Flag Leaf”). Mr. Kistner founded Flag Leaf Financial Management Inc. in May 2008, offering financial advisory and interim CFO services to agribusiness, food and renewable energy companies. Since its start, Flag Leaf has helped businesses succeed financially during periods of uncertain economic volatility. Flag Leaf works with its clients to enable them to enhance cash flow, maximize liquidity, improve capital allocation, forecast operational performance, manage capital structures, and improve strategies for increasing the intrinsic value of the business. See section below entitled “Executive Compensation - Agreements with Our Executive Officers – CFO Professional Services Agreement” for a discussion of the terms of the Professional Services Agreement between the Company and Flag Leaf.

Mr. Kistner was raised on a diversified family farm in southeast Nebraska and graduated in 1986 with a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics from the University of Nebraska. In 1991 he earned his MBA in Finance from Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri. Mr. Kistner has 19 years of banking experience, with the most recent position at CoBank as a member of the business development team specializing in renewable fuel and agricultural processing businesses. He then worked 4 years at BBI International focusing on project development and management of renewable fuel projects around the globe. At BBI, he had a strong influence in business economics, equity valuations and capital structures for early stage to operating renewable energy companies. For the past 11 years, Mr. Kistner primarily has worked with ethanol processing plants, biodiesel facilities and renewable diesel companies.





COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

This Compensation Discussion and Analysis is designed to provide our members with an understanding of our compensation philosophy, core principles and decision making process. It discusses the determinations of the Compensation Committee of how and why, in addition to what, compensation actions were taken for the following executive officers (collectively, the “Named Executive Officers”) during Fiscal Year 2021:

Seth Harder        President and Chief Executive Officer
Jeff Kistner        Interim Chief Financial Officer

Since our Named Executive Officers are not employees of the Company and are compensated based on agreements the Company has with third-party entities, all compensation arrangements with our Named Executive Officers are negotiated by the Board and are based on the terms of those agreements.

Mr. Harder is an independent contractor and compensation for his services was paid to Husker Ag or HALE under the terms of the Management Agreement and Restated Management Agreement, respectively. See the section below entitled “Executive Compensation - Agreements with Our Executive Officers – CEO Management Services Agreement” for information relating to the compensation paid by us pursuant to the terms of this agreement.
Mr. Kistner is an independent contractor and compensation for his services is paid to Flag Leaf Financial Management Inc. pursuant to the terms of a Professional Services Agreement between the Company and Flag Leaf Financial Management Inc. See the section below entitled “Executive Compensation - Agreements with Our Executive Officers - CFO Services Agreement” for information relating to the compensation paid by us pursuant to the terms of this agreement.
Details of the compensation provided to our Named Executive Officers (including Mr. Harder and Mr. Kistner) for Fiscal Year 2021 are set forth in the “Summary Compensation Table” and narrative discussions set forth in the section entitled “Executive Compensation” that follow this Compensation Discussion and Analysis.

COMPENSATION COMMITTEE REPORT

The Compensation Committee has reviewed and discussed the compensation discussion and analysis set forth in this Proxy Statement with management, and, based on that review and discussion, recommended to the directors that the compensation discussion and analysis be included in this Proxy Statement.

COMPENSATION COMMITTEE

Jeff Taylor
Dan Heard
William Couser
James Krause
Rick Vaughan
Marvin Stech
Robert E. Brummels

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

The following table sets forth the compensation paid to or earned by our Named Executive Officers in Fiscal Year 2021 and the two preceding fiscal years.




Name and Principal PositionFiscal YearSalaryNon-Equity Incentive Plan CompensationAll Other CompensationTotal
Seth Harder, President and Chief Executive Officer1
2021$— $— $160,000 $160,000 
2020$— $— $160,000 $160,000 
2019$— $— $— $— 
Jeff Kistner, Interim Chief Financial Officer2
2021$— $— $114,199 $114,199 
2020$— $— $175,338 $175,338 
2019$— $— $45,544 $45,544 
1.Mr. Harder was appointed the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company effective January 17, 2020. The amount reflected represents payments made to Husker Ag or HALE, respectively, for Mr. Harder’s services pursuant to the terms of the Management Agreement and Restated Management Agreement as allocated by Husker Ag and HALE to the CEO services provided by Mr. Harder to the Company. See section below entitled “Agreements with Our Executive Officers – CEO Management Services Agreement” for additional details on the terms of the Management Agreement and Restated Management Agreement.
2.The amounts reflected represent payments made to Flag Leaf Financial Management Inc. for Mr. Kistner’s services pursuant to the terms of the Professional Services Agreement between the Company and Flag Leaf Financial Management Inc. and include payments related to travel reimbursements. See section below entitled “Agreements with Our Executive Officers – CFO Services Agreement” for additional details on the terms of the Professional Services Agreement.

Agreements with Our Executive Officers
CEO Management Services Agreement
Effective January 15, 2020 the Company entered into a Management Services Agreement (the “Management Agreement”) with Husker Ag, LLC (“Husker Ag”) for management services pertaining to the Company’s ethanol facility. Pursuant to the terms of the Management Agreement, Husker Ag agreed to provide the Company with individuals to serve as General Manager, Environmental and Safety Manager and Commodity Risk Manager who will perform the respective management services for each such position. Mr. Harder was appointed as our General Manager, President and Chief Executive Officer in connection with our execution of the Management Agreement.

The initial term of the Management Agreement was four months from January 15, 2020 and therefore would have expired on May 15, 2020. However, as discussed below, the Management Agreement was replaced and superseded by the Restated Management Agreement effective April 1, 2020. During the initial term, the Management Agreement required that the Company pay Husker Ag a monthly fee of $36,000 for the management services and thereafter that the parties had to mutually agree upon the compensation for any renewal term prior to the expiration of the then-current term.

Effective April 1, 2020, the Company entered into an Amended and Restated Management Services Agreement (the “Restated Management Agreement”) with HALE, an affiliate of Husker Ag, which replaced and superseded the Management Agreement. Pursuant to the terms of the Restated Management Agreement, HALE will provide management services to the Company’s ethanol facility located in Nevada, Iowa, including providing the Company with individuals to (a) serve as General Manager, Environmental and Safety Manager, Commodity Risk Manager, and to fill such other positions as may be necessary from time to time; and (b) perform the respective management services for each such position.

The initial term of the Restated Management Agreement is twelve months from April 1, 2020. Upon expiration of the initial term, the Restated Management Agreement will automatically renew for one-year periods unless either party provides notice of non-renewal at least ninety days prior to the expiration of the then-current term. Either party may terminate the Restated Management Agreement for cause as defined in the Restated Management Agreement. In the event of a change of control event pursuant to which a third party other than HALE or Husker Ag acquires control of the Company, either party has the right to terminate the Restated Management Agreement upon ninety days written notice.

During the initial term, the Restated Management Agreement provides that the Company will pay HALE a monthly fee of $36,000 for the management services. The parties shall mutually agree upon the compensation for any renewal term prior to the expiration of the then-current term. In the event the parties are unable to agree upon compensation for any renewal term, the Company shall pay HALE, on a monthly basis, an amount equal to 50% of the total salary, bonuses, benefits, expenses and



costs incurred by the HALE and Husker Ag employees performing the services. The monthly payment will be paid on an estimated basis with a true up calculation and payment occurring as soon as possible at the end of the applicable fiscal year.

During Fiscal Year 2021, the Company made payments to Husker Ag or HALE pursuant to the terms of the Management Agreement and Restated Management Agreement, respectively, which were allocated by Husker Ag or HALE to Mr. Harder for the CEO services he provided to the Company, in the amount of $160,000. HALE has determined that $180,000 of the aggregate $432,000 annual fee payable to HALE by the Company pursuant to the Restated Management Agreement should be allocable to the CEO services provided to the Company by Mr. Harder, subject to reasonable adjustment based on the level of CEO services required by the Company. For instance, during the first several months following the acquisition of control of the Company by HALE, HALE allocated a greater portion of the monthly fees payable by the Company to HALE under the Restated Management Agreement to Mr. Harder due to the additional transition services provided.

CFO Services Agreement
Effective July 31, 2019, we entered into a Professional Services Agreement (the “CFO Services Agreement”) with Flag Leaf Financial Management Inc. (“Flag Leaf”) pursuant to which Flag Leaf provides CFO services in connection with our annual audit, SEC filings, reports to members, lender reporting and tax filings along strategic planning, forecasting and budgeting and day-to-day leadership and oversight of our financial department. The CFO Services Agreement had an initial term which expired January 31, 2020 and automatically renews for two six month terms unless terminated by either the Company or Flag Leaf. Either party may terminate the CFO Services Agreement for any reason, or for no reason, upon thirty (30) days prior written notice to the other party.
Pursuant to the terms of the CFO Services Agreement, we pay Flag Leaf as an independent contractor on a retainer basis based on the estimated amount of time to be devoted to the Company which was $8,000 per month. The CFO Services Agreement provides that the monthly retainer for any services provided following the twelve months shall be mutually agreed to by the parties. The Company will also reimburse Flag Leaf for expenses incurred while performing services under the CFO Services Agreement.
Change of Control or Severance Agreements

The Company does not have any change of control or severance agreements or similar obligations.

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

No member of the Compensation Committee was at any time during Fiscal Year 2021, or at any other time, an officer or employee of the Company. No executive officer of the Company serves as a director or a member of a compensation committee of any entity that has one or more executive officers serving as one of our directors or as a member of the Compensation Committee.

Chief Executive Officer Pay Ratio
As required by Item 402(u) of Regulation S-K, we are providing the following information about the relationship of the annual total compensation of our employees and the annual total compensation of Seth Harder, our Chief Executive Officer at the end of Fiscal Year 2020 (our “CEO”).
The CEO pay ratio is a reasonable estimate calculated in a manner consistent with Item 402(u) of Regulation S-K. For Fiscal Year 2021, the ratio of the annual total compensation of our CEO to the annual total compensation of the medial employee was as follows:


1
The address for all of our directors and executive officers is the address of the Company’s principal executive offices located at 59511 W. Lincoln Highway, Nevada, Iowa 50201.
Total Annual Compensation
Chief Executive Officer$160,000 
Median Employee$68,870 
CEO Pay Ratio2.32

To identify the median of the annual total compensation of all the Company’s employees, as well as to determine the annual total compensation of our median employee and our CEO, the Company took the following steps:





2
Unless otherwise indicated by a footnote, all of the units are directly owned by the listed individual or jointly owned with their spouse and are not pledged as security by the listed individual.
1.The Company determined that, as of September 30, 2021, the last day of Fiscal Year 2021, our employee population consisted of forty individuals including temp service staffing with all of these individuals located in the United States. This population consisted of our full-time and part-time employees. The Company selected September 30, 2021, which is the last day of our Fiscal Year 2021 as the date upon which we would identify the “median employee” because it enabled us to make such identification in a reasonably efficient and economical manner.

2.To identify the median employee from our employee population, the Company calculated the amount of the total cash compensation earned during Fiscal Year 2021 as reflected in our payroll records which was consistently applied to all of our employees, excluding our CEO, who were employed by us on September 30, 2021 (whether employed on a full-time or part-time basis). The Company believes the use of total cash compensation earned by our employees is a consistently applied compensation measure because the Company does not distribute equity awards to employees. For purposes of calculating the total cash compensation earned, we included the following for each of our employees in the calculation: (i) actual base salary paid (in the case of hourly workers, base salary paid included overtime pay), (ii) cash bonuses earned for Fiscal Year 2021 and (iii) paid time off. The Company did not perform any full-time equivalency adjustments for part-time or temporary employees or annualize for employees hired throughout the year with the exception of our CEO as noted in the footnote to the table above and in Item 4 below.

3.The Company identified our median employee using this compensation measure, which was consistently applied to all our employees included in the calculation. Since all our employees are located in the United States, as is our CEO, we did not make any cost-of-living adjustments in identifying the median employee.

4.The CEO amount is based on a determination by HALE that $180,000 of the aggregate $432,000 annual fees payable to HALE by the Company pursuant to the Restated Management Agreement is allocable to the CEO services provided to the Company.

The pay ratio disclosed above was calculated in accordance with SEC rules based upon the Company’s reasonable judgment and assumptions using the methodology described above. The SEC rules do not specify a single methodology for identification of the median employee or calculation of the pay ratio, and other companies may use assumptions and methodologies that are different from those used by the Company in calculating their pay ratio. Accordingly, the pay ratio disclosed by other companies may not be comparable to the Company’s estimated pay ratio as disclosed above.

PROPOSAL 5
RATIFICATION OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

Our directors and the Audit Committee have selected RSM US LLP (“RSM”) as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm (sometimes referred to in this Proxy Statement as our “independent auditor”) for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2021, and our directors are asking the members to ratify that selection. RSM has served as our independent registered public accounting firm since October 2005. Although the engagement, retention and supervision of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm is within the authority of our directors and the Audit Committee, the directors consider the selection of the auditor to be an important matter of member concern and are submitting the selection of RSM for ratification by the members as a matter of good corporate practice.

One or more representatives of RSM are expected to be virtually present at the 2021 Annual Meeting and will have the opportunity to make a statement at the meeting if they desire to do so, and are also expected to be available to respond to appropriate questions.

Disclosure of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm Fees

The following table presents fees for professional services rendered by RSM for the audit of our annual financial statements for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2021 and 2020 and fees billed for other services rendered by RSM during those periods:

Year Ended September 30,
20212020
Audit Fees$117,975 $115,770 
Tax Fees$177,500 $174,569 
TOTAL$295,475 $290,339 





3
One hundred (100) of the units are held in a family limited partnership and fifty (50) of the units are held by minor children of Mr. Taylor.
Audit Fees. The audit fees were billed for the audit by RSM of our annual financial statements and review of the financial statements included in our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q or services that are normally provided by RSM in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements.

Tax Fees. The tax fees were billed for services rendered by RSM for tax compliance, tax advice and tax planning. The nature of the services comprising the tax fees was for year-end tax preparation of the partnership return and associated K-1's. Tax fees also include services provided relating to research and development tax credits and refund opportunities for state and local sales and use taxes ($110,500 and $127,000 in Fiscal Year 2021 and Fiscal Year 2020, respectively).

Our Audit Committee has concluded that the provision of the non-audit services listed above is compatible with maintaining the independence of RSM.

Pre-Approval of Audit and Non-Audit Services

As set forth in the charter of the Audit Committee, it is the policy of the Company that all audit and non-audit engagements of RSM are pre-approved by the Audit Committee.

Vote Required

Assuming a quorum is represented at the 2022 Annual Meeting, The affirmative vote of a majority of the units represented in person or by proxy at the 2022 Annual Meeting, assuming a quorum is present, is required for the approval of the proposal. Abstentions or proxies or ballots marked to “withhold authority” will be counted for purposes of determining the presence or absence of a quorum for the transaction of business but will not be counted as votes cast for or against Proposal 5.

OUR DIRECTORS RECOMMEND THAT MEMBERS VOTE “FOR” RATIFICATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF RSM US LLP AS OUR INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2022.


AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT

Members should be aware that under Securities and Exchange Commission rules, the following report issued by the Audit Committee relating to certain of its activities during Fiscal Year 2021 is not considered “filed” with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and is not incorporated by reference in any past or future filing by the Company under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or the Securities Act of 1933, unless specifically referenced.

Our directors have the ultimate authority for effective corporate governance, including the role of oversight of the management of the Company. The Audit Committee's general purpose is to assist our directors in fulfilling their responsibilities by overseeing the accounting and financial reporting processes of the Company, the audits of our financial statements, the qualifications and performance of the independent registered public accounting firm engaged as our independent auditor, and the performance of our internal accounting, financial reporting and auditing processes.

The Audit Committee relies on the expertise and knowledge of management and the independent auditor in carrying out its oversight responsibilities. Management is responsible for the preparation, presentation, and integrity of the Company’s financial statements, accounting and financial reporting principles, internal control over financial reporting, and disclosure controls and procedures designed to ensure compliance with accounting standards, applicable laws, and regulations. Management is also responsible for objectively reviewing and evaluating the adequacy, effectiveness and quality of the Company’s system of internal control. The Company’s independent auditor, RSM, is responsible for performing an independent audit of the financial statements and expressing an opinion on the conformity of those financial statements with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States.

The Audit Committee has reviewed and discussed the Company’s audited financial statements and related footnotes for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2021, and the independent auditor's report on those financial statements, with the Company’s management and with RSM. Management represented to the Audit Committee that the Company’s financial statements were prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

The Audit Committee has discussed with RSM the matters required to be discussed by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Audit Committee has also received the written disclosures and the letter from RSM required by applicable requirements of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board regarding




4
All of the units are pledged as security by the listed individual
RSM communications with the Audit Committee concerning independence, and has discussed with RSM that firm's independence.

5
Fifty (50) of the units are held in a revocable family trust created by Mr. Olson’s parents for which Mr. Olson is one of the beneficiaries and was appointed one of two successor trustees.  Mr. Olson’s parents are the primary trustees.

6
Mr. Dickson’s units are held in the James E. Dickson Trust dated September 24, 2014 of which Mr. Dickson serves as trustee.

7
Mr. Harder was appointed as our General Manager, President and Chief Executive Officer effective January 17, 2020 in connection with the execution of the Management Agreement with Husker Ag, LLC.

8
Mr. Kistner was appointed as our Interim Chief Financial Officer effective July 31, 2019.

9
Mr. Hakmiller ceased serving as our President and Chief Executive Officer effective March 4, 2019.

10
All of the units are owned by the spouse of Mr. Hakmiller and Mr. Hakmiller disclaims beneficial ownership of all such securities.

11
Ms. Strum ceased serving as our Chief Financial Officer effective May 29, 2019.

12
Mr. Hollenberg ceased serving as our President and Chief Executive Officer effective January 17, 2020.

14

Based on the review and discussions referred to above, the Audit Committee recommended to the directors that the audited financial statements be included in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2020.

AUDIT COMMITTEE

Jeff Taylor
Dan Heard
William Couser
James Krause
Rick Vaughan
Marvin Stech
Robert E. Brummels
Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports

Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act and the rules of the SEC require our directors, certain officers and beneficial owners of more than 10% of our outstanding units to file reports of their ownership and changes in ownership of our units with the SEC. Company employees generally prepare these reports on behalf of our executive officers on the basis of information obtained from them and review the forms submitted to us by our non-employee directors and beneficial owners of more than 10% of the units. Based on such information, we believe that all reports required by Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act to be filed by our directors, officers and beneficial owners of more than 10% of the units during or with respect to Fiscal Year 2021 to the date of this filing.

CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS

In January 2018, our directors adopted a Related Party Policy which requires that the Nominating and Company Corporate Governance Committee review the material facts of any related party transaction and approve or ratify such transaction. The Related Party Policy also formalized certain practices and procedures historically followed by our directors relating to the approval of any transaction, arrangement or series of similar transactions, arrangements or relations, including indebtedness or guarantees of indebtedness, with related parties. Related persons include our directors or executive officers and their respective immediate family members and 5% beneficial owners of our units. Our Related Party Policy exempts any commodity market purchase or sale transactions from the definition of “related party transaction” if such purchase or sale is at the then current market prices and therefore, such transactions do not require review or prior approval. The Company did not have any related party transactions during Fiscal Year 2021.
OTHER MATTERS

The directors do not intend to bring any other business before the Special2022 Annual Meeting, and no member proposals will be able to be made or acted upon at the Special2021 Annual Meeting, so the only member actions to be acted upon at the Special2022 Annual Meeting will be the vote on the three proposals as described and provided in this Proxy Statement. However, pursuant to Section 6.7
By Order of the Operating Agreement, if a quorum is not present for the conductDirectors,

William Couser,
Secretary
Nevada, Iowa
[Proxy Mailed Date], 2022








EXHIBITS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

The following exhibits are incorporated by reference as part of business, the proxies will be entitled to vote shares represented at the meeting to adjourn the meeting.this proxy statement.

By Order of the Directors,
Timothy Fevold,
Secretary
Nevada, Iowa
February 28, 2020

15

CONFIDENTIAL

LINCOLNWAY ENERGY, LLC
MEMORANDUM OF TERMS

This Memorandum of Terms outlines the principal terms and conditions of a potential investment transaction between the below-named Issuer and potential Investor.  Except for the terms set forth herein under the Section designated “Binding Terms”, this Memorandum of Terms is not an enforceable agreement between Issuer and Investor.  This Memorandum of Terms does not constitute an offer to sell or an offer to purchase securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.

THE OFFERING

Issuer:
Lincolnway Energy, LLC, an Iowa limited liability company (the “Company” or “Issuer”))
Exhibit No.Current Units Outstanding:
42,049 common units (“Common Units”)
Initial Issuance:
Securities Issued (Class A):
A newly created class of preferred A units of the Company senior to all existing units of the Company (the “Class A Units”)
Amount of the Investment:
$5,000,000
Consideration:
Cash
Number of units:
42,049 units
Price per unit:
$118.91/unit (the “Class A Per Unit Price”)
Investor:
To-be-formed Nebraska LLC, wholly owned by Husker Ag, LLC (“Husker Ag”)
Anticipated Closing:
As soon as possible following satisfaction of conditions precedent (including Member Approval (as defined below) and completion of Definitive Agreements), but no later than March 31, 2020
Description
Member Offering99.1:
Registrant's 10-K FYE 9-30-2021 filed with the Commission on December 22, 2021
Securities Issued (Class B):
A newly created class of preferred B units ofRegistrant's 10-Q FQE 12-31-2021 filed with the Company senior to all Common Units and junior to the newly created preferred A units of the Company (the “Class B Units”)
Commission on February 18, 2022
Amount of the Investment:
$2,500,000
Consideration:
Cash
Number of units:
21,024  units
Price per unit:
$118.91/unit (the “Class B Per Unit Price”)
Investors:
Members of Issuer who are Accredited Investors and subscribe in Member Offering
Post-closing capitalization:
The Company’s capital structure before and after the Closing is set forth on Exhibit A.
Anticipated Closing Date:
May 1, 2020
TERMS OF THE CLASS A AND CLASS B UNITS
Distributions:
All distributions shall be approved by the Company’s Board of Directors.  All Distributions other than Liquidation Events shall be made ratably to Common Units, Class B and Class A Units on a per unit basis. Distributions made in connection with a Liquidation Event shall be subject to the priority described below.
Priority in Liquidation:99.3 Distributions of proceeds from any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company or Deemed Liquidation Event (a “Liquidation Event”), will be made in the following order and priority:
(a) First, distributions shall be made to the holders of Class A Units until such holders are paid in full one (1) times the amount of their equity capital contributions (including both operating and liquidation distributions);

1

(b) Second, distributions shall be made to the holders of Class B Units (after Class A is paid in full first) until such holders are paid in full one (1) times the amount of their Class B equity capital contributions (including both operating and liquidation distributions);
(c) Thereafter, distributions shall be made ratably to the holders of Common Units, Class B and Class A Units.
Deemed liquidation: A sale of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets in a single transaction or a series of transactions or a merger or consolidation of the Company with any other company or other transaction in which the holders of the Company’s voting power prior to the transaction will hold less than 50% of the voting power of the surviving entity will be treated as a Liquidation Event (a “Deemed Liquidation”), thereby triggering payment of the liquidation preferences described above.   A Deemed Liquidation may be waived upon the election of the holders of a majority of the outstanding Class A Units.
Voting rights:
Each Class A Unit will have the right to one vote per unit.  The Class A Units will vote with the Class B and Common Units on all matters except the election of directors.  (See “Board of Directors” below.)
Each Class B Unit will have the right to one vote per unit.  The Class B Units will vote with the Common Units on all matters.
Protective provisions:
So long as any of the Class A Units are outstanding, consent of the holders of at least a majority of the Class A Units will be required for any action that (i) alters any provision of the Certificate of Organization or Operating Agreement if it would adversely alter the rights, preferences, privileges or powers of or restrictions on the Class A Units; (ii) create or authorize the creation of or issue any other security convertible into or exercisable for any equity security, having rights, preferences or privileges senior to or on parity with the Class A Units, or increase the authorized number of Class A Units; (iii) approves any merger, sale of assets or other corporate reorganization or acquisition; (v) approves the purchase, redemption or other acquisition of any common units of the Company, other than repurchases pursuant to units restriction agreements approved by the Board of Directors upon termination of a consultant, director or employee; (vi) declares or pays any distribution with respect to any capital units prior to the Class A Units (except as otherwise provided in the Operating Agreement); (vii) incur or guaranty indebtedness for borrowed money in excess of $25,000,000; (viii) create or hold capital units in any subsidiary that is not a wholly-owned subsidiary or dispose of any subsidiary units or all or substantially all of any subsidiary assets; or (ix) increase or decrease the size of the Board of Directors; (x) makes any material change to the Company’s business, or (xi) approves the liquidation or dissolution of the Company.
So long as any of the Class B Units are outstanding, consent of the holders of at least a majority of the Class B Units will be required for any action that alters any provision of the Certificate of Organization or Operating Agreement if it would adversely alter the rights, preferences, privileges or powers of or restrictions on the Class B Units.

2

Board of Directors:
The Board of Directors of the Company will be comprised of seven (7) directors.  The Class A Unit holders shall be entitled to elect four (4) directors to the Board of Directors.  The Class B and Common Unit holders shall be entitled to elect three (3) directors to the Board of Directors, and such three seats shall initially be held by Jeff Taylor, Bill Couser, and Rick Vaughan.  The Company will purchase D&O insurance with coverage and in an amount satisfactory to the Board and will indemnify directors to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law.
Preemptive Rights:
Husker Ag will have a right to purchase its pro rata share of any subsequent issuance of equity securities, other than the Member Offering described below.
Transfer right:
Husker Ag shall have the unrestricted right to transfer the Class A units, along with all rights pertaining thereto, to any third party, subject to (i) compliance with applicable securities laws, and (ii) such transfer or transfers not resulting in the Company becoming taxable as a corporation.
Information rights:
The Company will provide customary information rights to Husker Ag, including audited annual financial reports, unaudited quarterly financial reports, and annual operating budget and business plan.
OTHER MATTERS
Definitive Agreements:
The issuance of the Class A Units will be made pursuant to a membership unit purchase agreement drafted by counsel to Husker Ag, which will contain, among other things, appropriate representations and warranties of the Company, and appropriate conditions of closing, and anFourth Amended and Restated Operating Agreement implementing the rights, powers, and preferences of the Class A Units (collectively, the “Definitive Agreements”).
Lincolnway Energy, LLC
Member Offering:
Subsequent to the issuance of Class A Units to Husker Ag, the Company shall offer to each existing member who meets the definition of an accredited investor (“Accredited Existing LWE Members”) the right to purchase a proportional share of 21,024 Class B Units at the Class B Per Unit Price ($118.91), for a total offering price of $2,500,000.00 (the “Member Offering99.4”).
Proportional share units not purchased by Accredited Existing LWE Members will be offered to Accredited LWE Existing Members as a reallocated proportional share to those that wish to purchase more than their proportional share.
The Member Offering will close no later than May 1, 2020.  LWE will notify Husker Ag within five days after the Member Offering closing of the number or Class B Units remaining, if any.   To the extent of any Class B Units not purchased by Accredited Existing LWE Members under the Member Offering either as a Proportional Share or Reallocated Proportional Share (the “Unsubscribed Units”), Husker Ag shall purchase that number of additional Class A Units equal to the number of Unsubscribed Units in the Member Offering, at the Class B Per Unit Price.

No fractional Class A or Class B Units will be sold

3

Management Services:
The CompanyFifth Amended and Husker Ag have entered into a Management Agreement dated January 15, 2020, pursuant to which Husker Ag shall provide management services, in consideration for a management fee equal to $36,000 per month ($432,000 annually).  The initial term of the Management Agreement is four (4) months.  As a condition to the issuance of the Class A Units, the parties shall have agreed upon a renewal of the Management Agreement on terms mutually acceptable to both parties.
Finders:
The Company and Husker Ag will each indemnify the other for any finder’s fees for which they are respectively responsible.
Conditions precedent:
The issuance of the Class A units will be subject to the following conditions:

•      Completion of due diligence to the satisfaction of Husker Ag;

•      Negotiation and execution of closing documents customary in transactions of this nature;

•      Evidence that the Company has entered into employment agreements with all key employees and proprietary information agreements with all employees and independent contractors containing provisions satisfactory to Husker Ag with respect to confidentiality, ownership of intellectual property, non-competition, and non-solicitation;

•      Receipt of all required authorizations, approvals and consents, including approval of the Company’s members at a special meeting (expected to be held the third week of March, 2020) of certain amendments to theRestated Operating Agreement of the Company allowing the Board to finalize and execute the Definitive Agreements (“Member Approval”);

•      Delivery of customary closing certificates; and

•      The absence of material adverse changes with respect to the Company.

4

BINDING TERMS
Confidentiality:
Except as provided below, the Company shall not disclose the existence or terms of this Memorandum of Terms, or the fact that Husker Ag is considering an investment in the Company, to any party (other than directors, officers, employees, and advisors of the parties), without the prior approval of Husker Ag or as required by applicable law.  Husker Ag acknowledges the Company filed an 8-K regarding the Management Agreement and understands and approves filing of this Memorandum of Terms as an exhibit to a proxy statement seeking approval of Operating Agreement changes necessary to implement the terms hereof.
Fiduciary Out:
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, nothing in this Memorandum of Terms shall require the Company or any of the Company’s directors or officers (in such person’s capacity as a director or officer) to take any action, or to refrain from taking any action, including, without limitation, participating in discussions or negotiations regarding potential Alternative Transactions (as defined below), to the extent that taking such action or refraining from taking such action would be inconsistent with such person’s fiduciary obligations under applicable law (the rights of the Company and its officers and directors under this provision, the “Fiduciary Out”) as determined in good faith by the directors of the Company; provided that, in consideration of the time and expense incurred by Husker Ag and the management services provided by Husker Ag under the Management Agreement in contemplation of the proposed transaction under this Memorandum of Terms, if the Company during the Exclusivity Period participates in discussions or negotiations regarding a potential Alternative Transaction and does not enter into the Definitive Agreements with Husker Ag prior to the Expiration Date, the Company shall pay to Husker Ag (in addition to reimbursement of out of pocket expenses as set forth below) an amount equal to the greater of $100,000 OR 5% of the total purchase price received by the Company in connection with the Alternative Transaction.
Exclusivity:
The Memorandum of Terms will expire without any action by either party if the Definitive Agreements are not executed prior to the date sixty (60) days following the Effective Date set forth below (the “Expiration Date”).  From the Effective Date of this Memorandum of Terms until the Expiration Date (the “Exclusivity Period”) and subject to the Fiduciary Out, the Company agrees that it will not directly or indirectly pursue or solicit any agreement or commitments regarding investment by any other potential equity investors in the Company or any merger or sale of all or substantially all of the assets or units of the Company (“Alternative Transactions”).
Expenses:
The Company shall pay the reasonable out of pocket expenses of Husker Ag, including fees for legal counsel up to a maximum of $100,000, based on reasonable efforts in work performed and accompanied with detailed invoices.
Lincolnway Energy, LLC

(Signature page follows
)

5

This Memorandum of Terms may be executed in counterparts, which together will constitute one document. Facsimile signatures shall have the same legal effect as original signatures. The legally binding portions of this Memorandum of Terms will be governed by Nebraska law, without regard to conflicts-of-law principles.
Effective Date:  February 6, 2020

LINCOLNWAY ENERGY, LLCHUSKER AG, LLC
/s/ Jeff Taylor
/s/ Robert Brummels
SignatureSignature
Jeff Taylor
Robert Brummels
Print namePrint name
Chairman of the Board
Chairman of the Board
Print titlePrint title
02/06/2020
02/06/2020
Date
Date

6

EXHIBIT A
CAPITALIZATION

 
Member
 
Class
Pre-Investment
Post-Investment
(Husker Ag)
Post – Investment
(Member Offering)
Units%Units%Units%
 
Current Members
 
Common
42,049100%42,04950%42,04940.00%
 Husker Ag Class A--42,04950%42,04940.00%
 
Subscribers in Member Offering
 
Class B
----21,024**20.00%

**Assumes Member Offering is fully subscribed.
** Post invested is offered at $118.91 per unit


7


APPENDIX A
LINCOLNWAY ENERGY, LLC
PROXY CARDPRELIMINARY COPY - NOT FOR USE
2020 SPECIALFORM OF PROXY
2022 ANNUAL MEETING OF MEMBERS
March 23, 2020
[Proxy Mailed Date], 2022

The undersigned hereby appoints Jeff TaylorRick Vaughan and William Couser,Robert Brummels, and each of them, with full power of substitution, and hereby authorizes them to represent the undersigned and to vote all of the units of LINCOLNWAY ENERGY, LLC (the Company“Company”) held of record by the undersigned on February 28, 2020,[Record Date], 2022, at a Specialthe Annual Meeting of membersMembers of the Company to be held on March 23, 2020[Meeting Date], 2022 (the Special Meeting“2022 Annual Meeting”), commencing at 6:30 p.m.,9:00 a.m. central, at the Radisson Hotel Ames Conference Center at ISU, 2609 University Blvd., Ames, Iowa, and any postponements or adjournments thereof. If you need directions to the Radisson, Hotel Ames Conference Center at ISU, please call Lincolnway Energy at (515) 232-1010.

This proxy card when properly executed will be voted as directed by the undersigned member. If no direction is made, this proxy will be voted FOR” Proposals 1, 2, 3, and 5 and “FOR” each of the seven (7) amendments to the Company’s Second Amended and Restated Operating Agreement dated November 10, 2010, as amended March 4, 2013 and March 3, 2016 (the “Operating Agreement”).director nominees nominated in Proposal 4. The proxies, in their discretion, are further authorized to vote on other matters which may properly come before the Special2022 Annual Meeting and any adjournments or postponements thereof.

You can deliver this proxy card in person at the Special2022 Annual Meeting prior to the announcement of the voting results. You can also deliver this proxy card to the principal office of the Company at 59511 W. Lincoln Highway, Nevada, Iowa 50201 in person or by mail provided the proxy card must be RECEIVEDby the Company before 3:9:00 p.m.a.m. on March 23, 2020[Meeting Date], 2022 in order to be valid and counted.

If you return your proxy card before the Special2022 Annual Meeting and decide that you want to change your vote, you can do so by coming to the Company’s principal office before 3:9:00 p.m.a.m. on March 23, 2020[Meeting Date], 2022 or by coming to the Special2022 Annual Meeting and notifying any director at any time before the voting results are announced at the Special2022 Annual Meeting. In either case, you will be given another proxy card to complete and deliver either at the Special2022 Annual Meeting or to the Company’s principal office at any time before 3:9:00 p.m.a.m. on March 23, 2020.[Meeting Date], 2022.

PLEASE INDICATE YOUR SELECTIONS BY FIRMLY PLACING AN “X”"X" IN THE APPROPRIATE BOX(ES) RELATING TO EACH PROPOSAL WITH BLUE OR BLACK INK

PROPOSALS 1PROPOSAL 1-AMEND AND RESTATE OUR FOURTH AMENDED AND RESTATED OPERATING AGREEMENT: Proposal to 7 - VOTE ON ALL AMENDMENTS TO THE COMPANY’S OPERATING AGREEMENT:  Note that you may vote individually onapprove, the seven amendments as provided below.  If you wishproposed Fifth Amended and Restated Operating Agreement to voteprovide for or against all proposals, please so indicate here,five separate and then skip the individual proposals and sign the proxy as provided below.distinct classes of units. Our directors recommend a vote “FOR” all seven proposals."FOR" this proposal.

FORAGAINSTABSTAIN
0FOR0AGAINST0ABSTAIN

PROPOSAL 1 - VOTE ON AMENDMENT TO SECTION 4.2 OF THE COMPANY’S OPERATING AGREEMENT:  2-RECLASSIFY OUR UNITS INTO FIVE CLASSES: Proposal to amend Section 4.2approve the reclassification of our units into Common, Class A, Class B, Class C, and Class D Units for the purpose of discontinuing the registration of our units under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Our directors recommend a vote "FOR" this proposal.

0FOR0AGAINST0ABSTAIN

PROPOSAL 3-ADJOURN OR POSTPONE THE ANNUAL MEETING: Proposal to Adjourn or postpone the Annual Meeting, if necessary or appropriate, for the purpose, among others, of soliciting additional proxies if there are not sufficient votes at the time of the Company’s Operating AgreementAnnual Meeting to provideapprove the matters under consideration. Our directors flexibility on board seats.recommend a vote "FOR" this proposal.

0FOR0AGAINST0ABSTAIN





PROPOSAL 4-VOTE ON ELECTION OF DIRECTORS: Proposal to elect two director nominees identified below to serve until the 2025 Annual Meeting of Members or until their successors shall be elected and qualified. If no voting direction is made below, the proxies will vote your units FOR“FOR” each of the amendment to Section 4.2.  nominees. Our directors recommend a vote “FOR” this proposal.each of the two nominees.

FORAGAINSTABSTAIN
William Couser0FOR0WITHHOLD/ABSTAIN
Jeff Taylor0FOR0WITHHOLD/ABSTAIN

PROPOSAL 2 - 5-VOTE ON AMENDMENT TO SECTION 4.16(d)RATIFICATION OF SELECTION OF THE COMPANY’S OPERATING AGREEMENT:  INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM:Proposal to amend Section 4.16(d)ratify the selection of RSM US LLP to act as the Company’s Operating Agreement to provideindependent registered public accounting firm for the board with authorityCompany for board amendments to the Operating Agreement.fiscal year ending September 30, 2022. If no voting direction is made below, the proxies will vote your units FOR“FOR” the amendment to Section 4.16(d).  ratification of RSM US LLP. Our directors recommend a vote “FOR”"FOR" this proposal.
FORAGAINSTABSTAIN


0FOR0AGAINST0ABSTAIN
PROPOSAL 3 - VOTE ON AMENDMENT TO SECTION 4.16(f) OF THE COMPANY’S OPERATING AGREEMENT:  Proposal to amend Section 4.16(f) of the Company’s Operating Agreement to remove the limitation on the number of units which may be issued without member approval.  If no voting direction is made below, the proxies will vote your units “FOR” the amendment to Section 4.16(f).  Our directors recommend a vote “FOR” this proposal.
FORAGAINSTABSTAIN

PROPOSAL 4 - VOTE ON AMENDMENT TO SECTION 5.7 OF THE COMPANY’S OPERATING AGREEMENT:  Proposal to amend Section 5.7 of the Company’s Operating Agreement to remove the limitation on any member holding more than 49% of the outstanding units.  If no voting direction is made below, the proxies will vote your units “FOR” the amendment to Section 5.7.  Our directors recommend a vote “FOR” this proposal.
FORAGAINSTABSTAIN

PROPOSAL 5 - VOTE ON AMENDMENT TO SECTIONS 7.1 AND 7.4 OF THE COMPANY’S OPERATING AGREEMENT:  Proposal to amend Sections 7.1 and 7.4 of the Company’s Operating Agreement to provide authority for the board to issue new series or classes of units.  If no voting direction is made below, the proxies will vote your units “FOR” the amendment to Sections 7.1 and 7.4.  Our directors recommend a vote “FOR” this proposal.
FORAGAINSTABSTAIN

PROPOSAL 6 - VOTE ON AMENDMENT TO SECTION 8.7(b) OF THE COMPANY’S OPERATING AGREEMENT:  Proposal to amend Section 8.7(b) of the Company’s Operating Agreement to provide authority for board to elect to have the Company taxed as a corporation.  If no voting direction is made below, the proxies will vote your units “FOR” the amendment to Section 8.7(b).  Our directors recommend a vote “FOR” this proposal.
FORAGAINSTABSTAIN

PROPOSAL 7 - VOTE ON AMENDMENT TO SECTION 8.8 OF THE COMPANY’S OPERATING AGREEMENT:  Proposal to amend Section 8.8 of the Company’s Operating Agreement to change this section to conform to new IRS rules on Partnership Audits.  If no voting direction is made below, the proxies will vote your units “FOR” the amendment to Section 8.8.  Our directors recommend a vote “FOR” this proposal.
FORAGAINSTABSTAIN


PLEASE SIGN, DATE AND RETURN THIS PROXY as soon as possible to Lincolnway Energy, LLC, 59511 W. Lincoln Highway, Nevada, Iowa 50201.

Dated: __________________, 20202022

SIGNATURE BLOCK FOR INDIVIDUALS OR JOINT OWNERS*SIGNATURE BLOCK FOR ENTITY**
OR JOINT OWNERS*
(Corporation, Partnership, Trust, IRA)IRA
(Signature 1)(PRINTED Entity Name)
Printed Name 1:
(Authorized Signature)
Printed Authorized Name:
(Signature 2)
Printed Name 2:Title:

*If units are held jointly, each holder should sign.  Please sign your name exactly as it appears on the unit certificate.
*** If units are held jointly, each holder should sign. Please sign your name exactly as it appears on the unit certificate.  If signing for estates, trusts, corporations, IRAs or partnerships, title or capacity should be stated.
** Please sign your name exactly as it appears on the unit certificate. If signing for estates, trusts, corporations, IRAs or partnerships, title or capacity should be stated.






APPENDIX B

FORM OF TRANSMITTAL LETTER


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LINCOLNWAY ENERGY, LLC
59511 W. Lincoln Highway
Nevada, Iowa 50201

[Date]

[name]
[address]
[city, state, zip code]

Re: Lincolnway Energy, LLC Membership Certificates

Dear Member:

As you know, the Members of Lincolnway Energy, LLC (the “Company”) affirmatively voted on [Meeting Date], 2022 to reclassify the membership units of the Company into five classes: Common, Class A, Class B, Class C and Class D. We now ask that you return your original membership certificate(s) to the Company so that we may re-issue a new certificate to you which will identify the Class of membership units you now own. If your original membership certificates are being held by a bank as security interest for debt or by a trustee or other third party, please make arrangements with such third parties to return your original membership certificates as soon as possible.

Please mail or hand-deliver your membership certificates to:

Lincolnway Energy, LLC
59511 W. Lincoln Highway
Nevada, Iowa 50201

Please feel free to contact Jeff Kistner at (515) 232-1010 if you have any questions regarding the return of your membership certificates.
Very truly yours,
/s/ William Couser
William Couser
Chairman of the Board