Prairie
Lands Bio-Products, Inc. holds annual meeting
More than forty persons attended the Prairie Lands Bio-Products, Inc. annual meeting, which was held recently in Millerton, Iowa. Prairie Lands members gathered to listen to activity updates within the Chariton Valley Biomass Project as well as to elect officers for the 2000/2001 year. The biomass project evaluates growing switchgrass as an alternative fuel, while investigating its benefits to water, air, and soil quality, and wildlife habitat.
Iowa State University (ISU)
Soil Scientist, Lee Burras explained the carbon sequestration research
conducted through the biomass project. Under the direction of Burras, ISU
research assistant Julie McLaughlin pulls soil core samples from various
switchgrass fields as well as soil from row crop and woodlot ground. The
soil is evaluated at the ISU lab for carbon levels and comparisons are
made between the various soils.
Ed Woolsey, project
consultant, presented information surrounding biomass legislation.
Chariton Valley Biomass Project Coordinator, Marty Braster, updated the
group on progress for the switchgrass test burn, to be conducted later
this fall at the Ottumwa Generating Station. Switchgrass will be co-fired
with coal using the two recently installed switchgrass nozzles. Equipment
necessary to grind and feed the switchgrass into the plant is installed
outside the power plant.
Prairie Lands officers for 2000/2001 are John Sellers, President; Don Clark, Vice-president; Jim Schweizer, Secretary; Loren Eddy, Treasurer; and directors, Doug Goben, Gary Kelderman, and Bill Nye.
For Prairie Lands membership information, contact Prairie Lands President, John Sellers, 641-872-2657. For more information regarding the biomass project, contact Marty Braster, 641-437-4376, or visit the project website at www.cvrcd.org.
Pictured at left, front to back: Don Clark,
Vice-president; Bill Nye, Director; Jim Schweizer, Secretary; Loren Eddy,
Treasurer.
Pictured at right, front to back: Doug Goben, Director; John Sellers, President; and Gary
Kelderman, Director.
