Working With Farm OEM’s

Chuck Zimmerman

Scott WeishaarThe Director of Business Development for POET is Scott Weishaar. He was the guy who told us about the various equipment options on display at their Project LIBERTY field day. That’s because he works directly with the farm OEM’s. He’s being interviewed in this picture (left).

He says the response from the OEM’s is phenomenal. There are several systems already being tested and they should be available in the near future. He says one of the important elements of harvesting cobs for the farmer is being able to do it without “slowing them down.” He also says they’re targeting the collection of cobs to all sizes of farms too. Therefore, there are multiple options and costs for some of these solutions

Options to collect the cobs include CCM (corn cob mix) where the cobs are mixed with the grain during harvest and then separated afterward and towable solutions where the cobs are collected in separate bins during the harvest process.

You can listen to my interview with Scott here: poet-liberty-08-weishaar.mp3

You can also download the interview with this link (mp3).

I also recorded Scott’s stage presentation in which he talks about the whole cob collection process which you can watch here:

Project LIBERTY Field Day Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, Ethanol

Jennifer Saylor Joins NAFB Staff

Chuck Zimmerman

Jennifer SaylorThe National Association of Farm Broadcasting has a new Member Services Manager. She’s Jennifer Saylor and you’ll get to meet her at this week’s NAFB convention.

Jennifer’s previous experience includes donor development, event and database management, and marketing communications with the YMCA of Greater Kansas City. She also has participated in volunteer projects with the Kansas City Convention and Visitors Association.

A 2003 graduate of the University of Missouri, earlier this year she challenged herself to compete in her first triathlon. She earned her master’s degree in business administration from Rockhurst University, Kansas City, in 2006.

A self-described “communications buff,” Jennifer looks forward to working with the NAFB member broadcast industry. While interviewing for the position, she familiarized herself by searching member Web sites and listening to farm radio stations.

NAFB

October ZimmNews

Chuck Zimmerman

October ZimmNewsThe latest edition of ZimmNews has been delivered to in-boxes everywhere.

In case you didn’t get it or just want to look at it online then you can find it here: October ZimmNews

Some highlights include:

I hope you enjoy it and thank you for reading.

ZimmNews

One Way To Harvest Corn Cobs

Chuck Zimmerman

Corn Cob PileThat’s a big pile of corn cobs. It’s just one of many that POET has made during all their research and testing ways to make ethanol out of them. One thing I can tell you is that farmers need some equipment to handle this leftover product of harvesting grain.

That’s why there are several farm equipment manufacturers working with POET on corn cob harvesting solutions. One of them is John Deere. Of the current options for harvesting/collecting the cobs, Deere is working on the corn cob mix kit (CCM) option. It’s basically an attachment to the combine according to John Deere’s Barry Nelson, who was attending the POET Project LIBERTY field day.

Barry says that this will allow farmers to produce up to 11 percent more ethanol per acre. That’s a pretty good gain in efficiency. He says they’re also looking at other equipment options including a special cart or new combine.

You can listen to my interview with Barry here: poet-liberty-08-nelson.mp3

You can also download the interview with this link (mp3).

Project LIBERTY Field Day Photo Album

Audio, Corn, Ethanol, John Deere

Farmer Perspective on Corn Cob Harvest

Chuck Zimmerman

FarmersWhen you’re attending a farm event it’s always nice to get a farmer’s perspective on things. That’s what I did at the POET Project LIBERTY field day when I spoke with Todd Mathisen who farms just east of Emmetsburg, IA. I asked him what he thought of POET’s idea to harvest corn cobs for cellulosic ethanol production. He said, “I think it’s a great idea. I think we’re definitely going to add value to corn. Anything that produces more revenue, it’s going to take more work but I think open-minded farmers will grab hold of this and I think it’ll be a good deal.”

Now that sounds positive. Todd says the cobs are basically a waste product that isn’t even that good for the ground and he likes the idea of turning them into energy. Seems to make sense to me too. He’s a little apprehensive of the equipment that’s being developed and the labor involved but he’s sure that improvements will be made over the next couple years.

I also asked him about President-Elect Obama. He likes the fact that the Illinois Senator has always been supportive of renewable fuels. He’s interested to see what will happen.

Todd says he just finished his harvesting. He worked it wet, planted it wet but thinks he still got a good crop and he seems pretty happy about it.

You can listen to my interview with Todd here: poet-liberty-08-mathisen.mp3

You can also download the interview with this link (mp3).

Project LIBERTY Field Day Photo Album

Audio, Corn, Ethanol, Farming

Pile Up Your Corn Cobs

Chuck Zimmerman

James SturdevantThe Director of Project LIBERTY for POET is Jim Sturdevant. He oversees all the activities across the company that are “pulling together to transform this ethanol plant into one of the nation’s first cellulosic ethanol plants.” The plant he’s referring to is POET’s Emmetsburg facility where they held a field day yesterday. He says they intend to replicate what they’re doing with the local plant at their other facilities. Jim was very happy with the turnout at their field day even though the weather was not very cooperative.

Jim says they’ve been doing research on corn cob harvesting as well as the economic viability of doing it. He says, “We will not move forward unless this is economical.” Their models show that it will be although there is no pricing on the prototype equipment that was on display at the event.

I think it was interesting to hear him talk about the research into how to store the cobs. It looks like all you have to do is pile them up at the edge of the field for POET to pick them up.

You can listen to my interview with Jim here: poet-liberty-08-sturdevant.mp3

You can also download the interview with this link (mp3).

Project LIBERTY Field Day Photo Album

Agribusiness, Audio, Corn, Ethanol

New Agriblogger Born

Chuck Zimmerman

Braden SlagleHe’s a future agriblogger. I think he needs an iPhone and he’s ready to rock and blog!

He’s Braden Slagle, born this morning to your Zimfo Bytes blogger, Melissa Slagle. She’s married to Nate by the way who had a lot to do with this new creation too. Melissa is taking a blogging break although I’m sure she could start teaching Braden how to blog while they hang out together at home!

Congratulations Melissa, Nate and Braden.

Uncategorized

Willie Nelson For Secretary of Agriculture

Chuck Zimmerman

Willie Nelson Letter to ObamaWhy not? He’s been advocating for family farmers for years right? He’s already started advising the incoming O-man. Read his letter here.

Farm Aid President Willie Nelson sent an open letter to President-elect Barack Obama today, congratulating him on his victory and offering Farm Aid as a resource for a new farm and food policy that supports a sustainable, family farm system of agriculture.

By way of introduction, Nelson explained, “I started Farm Aid in 1985 when family farmers were being forced off their land as a result of federal policy that paved the way for industrial agriculture. This shift replaced independent family farmers with factory farms that have wreaked havoc on our communities, our environment and our public health.”

Nelson pointed out that Farm Aid and a network of farm and food organizations across the country, together with family farmers, have been working for years to grow the alternative to the industrial food system–one centered around family farms. Nelson said now is the right time for the leaders of our country to take a leadership role in this movement.

“Now is the time for our country to recognize and call on family farmers’ ingenuity, strength and value to our past and our future,” Willie Nelson said. “We can have strong local economies, green energy, a clean environment, healthy citizens and good food–all of these start with family farmers.”

Uncategorized

USDA Podcasting Newslines

Chuck Zimmerman

USDA PodcastsI knew it was only a matter of time before USDA’s Office of Communications started podcasting their news feeds. I’ve discussed it with them several times since it makes it so much easier for farm podcasters to get them. It also opens the door to farmers who can now directly subscribe to USDA’s news! That’s as it should be since it’s their tax money helping make the news feeds happen in the first place.

USDA is now offering the ability of Podcasting of the Radio Newsline and Radio Features via iTunes, Internet Explorer 7 or the ability to copy the link to your favorite Podcast/RSS application. We have also upgraded our page to a more consistent USDA look and feel.

Podcasts, USDA

Corn Cobs Into Ethanol

Chuck Zimmerman

Jeff BroinJeff Broin is CEO of POET and his company just continues to make innovations in the ethanol production business. Lately they’ve been very focused on what they call Project LIBERTY. The goal is to make cellulosic ethanol out of corn cobs. The company held a field day to showcase some of the equipment that companies like John Deere, Case IH and others are developing to assist with the harvest and collection of this biomass that’s left over after harvesting the grain.

Forbes magazine calls Jeff, Mr. Ethanol and has a nice article on him titled “Mr. Ethanol Fights Back” in their latest edition. I spoke with him today about Project LIBERTY. He says they’re not only adding 100 million gallons of grain ethanol production to the Emmetsburg plant but an addition 25 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol production from corn cobs. They will begin construction on these additions late next year and will have the cellulosic production going by 2011.

Jeff says they’ve invested millions of dollars in the cellulosic ethanol process and have been working with ag equipment OEM’s on corn cob collection. I’ll have more interviews coming up on the various ways they’re doing that. One thing this effort to grow ethanol production from corn cobs does is show the close connection between agriculture and the renewable fuel business. Jeff says cellulosic ethanol production from corn cobs can potentially produce an additional 5 billions gallons of the fuel which would replace a significant portion of the fuel we have to import from foreign countries.

You can see photos of today’s event here: Project LIBERTY Field Day Photo Album. I’ll have a lot more tomorrow. Right now I’ve got a long drive home.

You can listen to my interview with Jeff here: poet-liberty-08-broin-1.mp3

You can also download the interview with this link (mp3).

Audio, Ethanol