f
Garden State Moving Ahead
With Ethanol Plans
Pa. Introduces Biofuel Bill In Senate
DAVE LEFEVER
Lancaster Farming Staff
BORDENTOWN, NJ. The
final planning stages are under
way for a New Jersey facility that
would produce ethanol and other
products from com, according to
members of the group working
on the project for the past two
years.
“Everything is down to the
wire now,” said David Fink of
the Garden State Ethanol (GSE)
Board, a group of farmers and
agribusiness professionals from
the region.
Fink, a Lehigh County farmer
and member of the Pennsylvania
Farm Bureau Commodity Com
mittee, said the board is review
ing contractor proposals for
building the plant and preparing
to file with the U.S. Securities
and Exchange Commission for
permission to sell stocks to farm
ers who want to invest in the
project.
While a site has not been se
lected for the facility, several pro
spective locations in South Jersey
are under consideration and will
be finalized within the next two
months, according to project
coordinator Ed Stahl. Permitting
and construction could potential
ly begin on the site within a year,
he said.
According to Stahl, the pro
posed plant would be capable of
converting 11 to 14.5 million
bushels of corn per year to etha
nol and its “co-products” food
grade carbon dioxide and dried
distiller’s grain.
Ethanol is not feasible to pro
duce 4n the easterm U.S. without
Lancaster Farming's quarterly exclusive booklet, Dairy Plus, begins its
2002 season with the Feb. 23 issue, devoted to
manure management issues and techniques.
Special features include managing odors,
manure handling guides, and other issues
important to the dairy producer. Also
scheduled: cooperative news and an update on
a calf cloning project, in addition to farm
calendar and university columns
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capitalizing on the other two
products, according to board
member Fink.
“The value of the co-products
is actually more important than
the ethanol,” he said. Carbon di
oxide would be marketable in the
form of dry ice and in the carbon
ization of beverages, while dried
distiller’s grain is an “enhanced
nutrient livestock feed.”
The farmer-owned facility
would be capable of producing
more than 90,000 tons of dried
distiller’s grains and 90,000 tons
of carbon dioxide per year,
according to Fink’s figures.
Producing ethanol in New Jer
sey would offer economic, agri
cultural, and environmental ben
efits as well as decreased
dependency on imported oil and
the gasoline additive MTBE,
according to a recent GSE report.
Nationwide proponents of
ethanol and other biofuels have
been expressing their support for
a federal Renewable Fuels Stan
dard (RFS), as recently intro
duced by several bills in Con
gress.
Such a new RES would would
mandate the increasing use of re
newable fuels in motor vehicles.
Additionally, Pennsylvania
Senator Mike Waugh (R-28) re
cently introduced legislation call
ing for support of the production
and use of biofuels.
If adopted. Pa. Senate Bill
1253 would mandate direct pro
ducer payments to encourage bio
fuel production in the state, a
capital investment program to
encourage the development of
production facilities, an agricul-
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717-273-4544
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tural fuels tax rebate, and prohi
bition of MTBE.
Meanwhile, agricultural and
economic development leaders
from York County and the sur
rounding region have been ex
ploring the possibility of ethanol
production in the area.
At a Jan. 17 meeting of the
Southcentral Pennsylvania
Young Farmers Association,
York County Ag Economic De
velopment Specialist Scott Welsh
spoke on the potential of ethanol
production in southcentral Penn
sylvania.
“The meeting was positive,”
Welsh said, estimating that about
50 farmers were in attendance.
Some who buy grain for their
livestock expressed concern that
a local ethanol plant would drive
up com prices.
Ethanol production, however,
would provide investment oppor
tunities for farmers rather than
“directly impact com prices,”
Welsh said.
A feasibility study begun late
last year is still looking at a nine
county area for a possible ethanol
production site. Results of the
$30,000 study should be available
in early March, according to
Welsh.
The ethanol steering commit
tee, originally based in York
County, is expanding to include
members from a wider area, in
cluding Adams, Berks, Lancaster,
Lebanon, Franklin, and several
Maryland counties.
According to Welsh, ethanol
facilities in both New Jersey and
Pennsylvania would not be detri
mental to the success of either
project.
“We feel the total area could
sustain two plants,” he said.
While ethanol production to
date has mostly occurred west of
the Mississippi River, plans me
under way for several plants in
more easterly states, including
Indiana, Kentucky, Florida, and
Tennessee, according to informa
tion provided by Garden State
Ethanol.
Bradford County Holstein Club
Conducts Annual Meeting
CAROLYN N. MOYER
Bradford Co. Correspondent
ATHENS (Bradford Co.)
An enthusiastic group of Brad
ford County Holstein breeders
braved winter weather conditions
Saturday, Jan. 19, to elect board
members and review plans for
the coming year.
Newly elected as directors for
2002 are Joe Kenyon, Keith
Thomson, and Dean Jackson.
They join continuing board mem
bers A 1 Calkins, Jeff Jenkins,
Scot Walrath, Sandy Crawford,
Dick Packard, and Linda Kisner.
Junior Pennsylvania Holstein
members are also planning a
busy year. As a fundraiser, junior
members plan to auction them
selves off to work on a farm for a
day. Suggested duties include
catching up on registrations,
fieldwork, and bam cleanup.
Bradford County junior mem
bers are also scheduled to com
pete in the Pennsylvania Dairy
Quarry ville To Host
Grazing Conference
Innovative Producer/Marketers On Slate
QUARRYVILLE (Lancaster
Co .) Focusing on “opportuni
ties for small farms,” a southeast
Pa. grazing conference set for
Feb. 11 and 12 will offer the
chance to leam about grazing
and marketing from those who
are doing it.
Mike Hartman of Minnesota
and Wilmer Newswanger, Frank
lin County, will discuss their ex
periences with on-farm process
ing and marketing.
David Kline, Amish farmer
from Holmes County, Ohio, and
author of several books, will de
tail the profitability of small
farms.
“Bigger isn’t always better”
will be the first of Kline’s presen
tations on Monday. On Tuesday,
he will discuss the future of small
farms and how they can stay
ahead.
Billy Wayson from Virginia
will take us with him on the jour
ney from a financial planner to a
small seasonal family dairy oper
ation. He has much practical ex
perience in thinking “outside of
the box.”
Jerry Brunetti from northeast
Pa., back by request, will discuss
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Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 26,2002-A25
Bowl competition. Serving on the
junior team are Courtney Slater,
Sierra Slater, Ben Miller, and
Crystal Miller with Heidi Miller
as the alternate. The senior team
consists of Joshua Ford, Justin
Ford, Angela Adams, and Bobby
Sue Adams. The teams will com
pete Feb. 9 in Altoona.
In other business, the North
east Holstein Championship
Show will be Aug. 20 at the Troy
Fairgrounds. Jim Burdette will
officiate.
Roger Kingsley, a Bradford
County Holstein member, enter
tained the group with a slide
show featuring some of his favor
ite pictures. Kingsley is a field ed
itor for Country, a national mag
azine. He has also had several
photos published in the Hoard’s
Dairyman calendar and other
farm publications. He also of
fered some tips to the group
about improving their own pic
tures.
how healthy soil contributes to
success with grass.
A round table on direct mar
keting is set for Monday at 6:30
p.m. The discussion will be led by
Newswanger, Hartman, and
Doug Gunnick from Minnesota.
Tuesday starts with Gunnick
detailing grass and portable fence
management.
Art Thicke from southeastern
Minnesota will talk about uncon
ventional and low-cost methods
of operating a grazing farm. In
the afternoon, Brunetti will ex
amine the basics of grass nutri
tion and how to supplement cows
on pasture to maintain a healthy
rumen and good milk flow.
Both days will allow plenty of
time to ask questions and discuss
with speakers various aspects of
this business opportunity for
small farms.
Exhibits will also be displayed
related to grass and grazing.
Registration is $30.00 per per
son and includes lunch both days.
Space is limited and early regis
tration is encouraged.
To register, contact Arden
Landis at (717) 529-6644.