State grants aid area bio companies

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

From The Capital Times:

A town of Oregon farm and a Baraboo bio-based plastics firm have received state grants to help them grow.

A $60,000 grant will help O'Brien Farms collaborate with Great Lakes BioFuels LLC to develop a containerized mobile processor that can be moved from farm to farm to process oilseeds such as soybeans and sunflowers into bio-diesel fuel and animal feed. The grant addresses the first phase of the project, the economic feasibility of crushing the seeds and extracting the raw meal.

"Today's energy prices are sparking the race towards energy independence," Rod Nilsestuen, state secretary of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, said in a statement. "We want that race to be won here in Wisconsin."

Gov. Jim Doyle's Declaration of Energy Independence challenges the state to generate 25 percent of electricity and 25 percent of transportation fuel from renewable fuels by 2025.

A $115,000 grant will help Teel Plastics develop and test a process for making composite siding products using waste wood flour and agricultural fibers.

Using wood waste to create new bio-based products is expected to help Wisconsin's saw mill industry, benefit the environment, and create new jobs. Saw mills generate millions of tons of wood flour, most of which must be disposed of at considerable expense to manufacturers and the environment.