JOPLIN, Mo. —
Nearly a month after a tornado affected as many as 5,000 Joplin jobs, federal officials announced a biofuels project for Southwest Missouri that they said could lead to the creation of hundreds of new jobs in the region.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., on Wednesday in a conference call announced the creation of two Biomass Crop Assistance Program areas in Missouri. The program will sign up farmers who are willing to grow a plant that can be rendered into alternative fuel.
“More American energy means more American jobs,” Blunt said.
The program will encourage the production and refinement of giant miscanthus, a sterile, warm-season grass that can be used to meet energy needs. Miscanthus is a volunteer crop, which means that once it is planted, it returns each year without being replanted.
Vilsack said it requires little attention from farmers, does not need fertilizer and grows on soil that is unfit for food crops.
The two project areas in Missouri will be organized around processing plants to be built in Columbia and Aurora. No timeline for building the plants was available Wednesday.
The Southwest Missouri site targets enrollment in 2011 of 5,250 acres in Barry, Christian, Dade, Jasper, Lawrence, Newton and Stone counties.
The sponsor for this project is MFA Oil Biomass, which will build the Aurora plant.
960 jobs forecast
In addition to the sites in Missouri, other project areas were announced Wednesday in Arkansas, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Growing and processing the grass into energy has the potential to create a total of 4,000 jobs, Vilsack said.
The Department of Agriculture estimates that 960 jobs will be created in Southwest Missouri counties. Blunt said an estimated 180 jobs would be created at the Aurora processing plant alone.
Blunt said the project could have benefits for other area industries. He said miscanthus in pellet form could be burned as an economical heat source for poultry farmers, reducing their cost and improving profits.
When asked if farmers might plant miscanthus instead of food crops, Blunt said that wouldn’t make good business sense.
“Food crops produce a higher profit, so a good farmer will grow food crops on good land and grow miscanthus on less productive land,” he said.
Dustin Dover, an MFA Oil Biomass scientist, said miscanthus was selected over other grasses because it does not spread; it produces much higher yields; and when processed into pellets, it produces 7,800 British thermal units per pound, which is comparable with wood. Dover said that unlike wood, miscanthus can be harvested every year.
Dover said Southwest Missouri was selected because it has a high percentage of marginal soil.
“For years, the most common crop in Southwest Missouri has been rocks,” he joked.
According to MFA, miscanthus is pest- and drought-resistant, and has been used as a source of heat and electricity in Europe for more than a decade. It can produce three times more fuel per acre than corn.
MFA currently has 250 acres of miscanthus planted in test fields near Lockwood and Golden City.
Vilsack said biofuel production has not caused an increase in crop prices; he said that 4 million to 5 million more acres of corn were planted this year than last. He considers the biofuel industry to be key to the nation’s economic growth.
Farmers who participate in the project are eligible for reimbursement of up to 75 percent of the cost of establishing the crop. They also are eligible to receive up to five years of annual payments.
Although the program’s funding may be a target for cuts as part of U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget proposal, Blunt thinks the program is in line with conservative fiscal policy.
“It’s a small amount of money, just $20 million, and it creates jobs in the private sector,” he said.
The sign-up period for the project will begin Monday. The deadline for signing up will be announced at a later date.
Landowners who are interested in participating in the project are being encouraged to contact their local Farm Service Agency county office.
Local News
Southwest Missouri selected as site for biofuels project
- Local News
-
-
County commission opens bids on renovating sheriff’s space
Jasper County commissioners said Friday they hope to be ready to make a decision Tuesday on a proposal to renovate a former bank building for use as a new headquarters for the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department.
-
Interfaith service explores different faiths
The interfaith service, scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Sunday in Joplin’s Landreth Park, will explore the theme of “Different Faiths — One Community.’’ The community service is held around the anniversary of the May 22, 2011, tornado, but organizers say the focus is not specifically on the tornado.
-
Duquesne mayor target of lawsuit from council member
Duquesne City Council member Lisa Daugherty recently filed a lawsuit against Mayor Denny White seeking unspecified damages for an investigation that he triggered just before White and Daugherty each ran for mayor.
-
Schifferdecker water park opening delayed week or two
Wet spring weather has delayed work on the Schifferdecker Aquatic Center, and it will not open over Memorial Day weekend, city officials said Friday. No date was given for the expected opening, but it could be delayed one to two weeks, according to Chris Cotten, Joplin parks and recreation director.
-
Foundation announces $10 million milestone
The Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas announced Friday that it has reached the once seemingly impossible amount of $10 million in cash assets. The foundation, which was created for charitable giving in 2001 with matching funds from Kansas Health Foundation, had $545,000 in assets by the end of its first year.
-
VIDEO: Nearly 2,300 take part in second Joplin Memorial Run
Having just cruised across the line to finish in first place in the Joplin Memorial Run’s half-marathon, Andrew Webb paused for a moment to catch his breath and take it all in.
-
Mike Pound: No cure for ‘worst parent ever syndrome’
I may be the worst parent ever. The reason I say that is because our 15-year-old daughter, Emma, suggested that was the case the other day when I was driving her home from school.
-
Summer classes scheduled for Joplin, MSSU
Summer classes for Joplin Schools have been scheduled for Monday, June 3, through Friday, June 28.
-
PBS stations to broadcast ‘Deadline in Disaster’ documentary
Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) stations across Missouri this week will broadcast “Deadline in Disaster,’’ a one-hour documentary that chronicles how The Joplin Globe helped its readers find hope in the aftermath of the EF-5 tornado that struck Joplin two years ago this week.
-
Wally Kennedy: Ye Olde King Pizza to open by September
Let’s start at the beginning. Earlier this year, Brian and Tracy Myers, of Joplin, signed a licensing agreement to bring a Ye Olde King Pizza to Joplin. This style of pizza was the forerunner for what eventually would become Joplin’s signature pizza restaurant, Pizza by Stout. That restaurant at 2101 S. Range Line Road was destroyed by the May 2011 tornado.
- More Local News Headlines
-
County commission opens bids on renovating sheriff’s space
