Ontario Biomass Producers Co-Op

With Climate Change concerns heating up substantially, researchers point to concrete solutions in the Ag biomass sector. Corn based generation of ethanol has serious drawbacks and does not nearly contribute to the mitigation of climate change.  With second generation ethanol production, based on tall grasses, we can make a substantial contribution by reducing CO2 emissions.  The article in EcoWatch looks at the benefits of perennial tall grasses, like switchgrass and miscanth

Roger Samson, Executive Director of REAP-Canada, gave a switchgrass presentation to dairy farmers at the Grey-Bruce Farmers’ Week conference.  Switchgrass has been identified in various research papers as a premium bedding product for livestock and poultry operations.  OBPC, OMAFRA, the University of Guelph and REAP-Canada have joined forces to collect and consolidate the latest information and bring it to the farming community.  Representatives of the four organizations will

ExcerptAs I reflect on 2015 and the accomplishments of OBPC I can see measurable progress towards our vision. While it is disappointing that we have not, as yet, entered into a large scale commercial contract for agricultural biomass, markets are emerging. President's Report by Jamie Fisher DownloadWinter-2016-OBPC-NewsletterDownload

The Agri-Based Industrial Bioproducts Research and Development Challenge will fund $3 million for about 10 bioproduct development projects. Ontario has identified the development of bioproducts as having potential significant economic, environmental and health benefits. Full article in Agri-View:   Ontario funds bioproduct development

After a very long wait we could witness significant progress on various fronts with 2nd generation ethanol and limited production facilities are now emerging.  Link to article in Renewable Energy World

Researcher Marlene Paibomesai talks about the use of biomass as an animal feed component. She is speaking at the 2015 Ag Biomass Day event held by the Ontario Biomass Producers Co-operative (OBPC). Ontario grown switchgrass tested as a component of animal feed

Radio Canada article of switchgrass and animal bedding and interview in french with Rudy Zubler in Ridgetown. Link to Radio Canada article

Link to article in ChathamDailyNews

They say Switchgrass is a viable farm crop!

Warm-Season Grasses Limit Odors at Livestock Barns – Article in the Farmers’ Exchange

May 7, 2015 – Kimberly-Clark has announced it is launching a new slate of products that use renewable plant-based fiber, such as wheat straw in the making of Kleenex and Scott brand towel and tissue products. The paper products will be made with 20 per cent plant fiber in place of tree fiber or recycled fiber. These products required the development of an entirely new supply chain to directly obtain wheat straw from U.S. farmers and the creation of a first-of-its-kind manufac

n n n n n n n The OMAFRA – U of Guelph KTT project #KTT2014-10221  has been approved.  The project is a major collaborative initiative of OBPC, OMAFRA, the University of Guelph, OAFT and REAP-Canada. Growing the BiomassnMarketplace: Agronomy, and Livestock Bedding Knowledge and Application is a 2-year project, starting in April 2015 and ending in March 2017. The major planned deliverables are agronomy information for switchgrass and miscanthus producers as well a

The event was a real success; we had a full house (exactly 100 participants), great presentations, no hick-ups with our agenda timing and excellent networking opportunities.  Link to Presentations:Slides and Session Videosas well as Student Posters A big thank you to all contributors who worked hard to make the day worthwhile for organizers and everyone in attendance. Also a big thank you to everyone who joined us in Guelph and expressed keen interest in the progress of the A

ExcerptI am looking forward to this year. Finally we are engaging end users in purchase contract talks. Regardless of the outcome of those talks this is a huge step forward. OBPC has worked hard to be prepared for this moment. I think we have the right balance between production know how, logistics, market knowledge and actual agricultural biomass supply. We are set to ramp up the supply in response to a market without creating a glut before there is a market. OBPC has long r

Visit the Upcoming Events section to get detailed information. You can register online to get a seat at the Ag Biomass Day 2015. 

Link to full article

To accommodate farmers with small Ag biomass start-up projects, OBPC has introduced a new Start-up Producer membership.  nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn OBPC wants to promote smallnbiomass acreage on many farms to build a sufficient biomass production volumenand meet the needs of our expected near term projects. This option gives new biomassnstart-ups a chance to get comfortable with the new crop without entering majornrisks. The new membershipnstructure supports this biomass start-up st

To promote much needed biomass acreage, Urs Eggimann, with the support of Ray Robertson and his team at Grey Ag Services in Markdale, conducted a 2-hour information session with farmers in the Grey-Bruce region. The chief objective was to motivate leaders in the farming community of Grey & Bruce Counties to plant switchgrass and set the foundation for future biomass market requirements.  OBPC favours many farms with a modest purpose grown biomass acreage to create a low risk

The FarmSmart 2015 program dedicated 2 sessions for biomass one of which included OBPC presentations by Don Nott and David Smith. Don Nott’s presentation highlights the Profitability of Switchgrass, with a comparison to Spring Wheat. David Smith provided an update of the recent advancements with Miscanthus.

Read announcement in BiofuelsDigest:  http://www.biofuelsdigest.com/bdigest/2014/10/19/abengoa-opens-worlds-largest-cellulosic-biorefinery-as-us-energy-secretary-moniz-says-lets-get-going-on-advanced-biofuels/