LIBERTY Field Day

November 3 is the day. We are all looking forward to LIBERTY Field Day on November 3...but we're also looking forward to November 4.

Depending on who you are and what you do you want LIBERTY Field Day to come and go for different reasons. The farmers, who are working with the equipment, want the day to come and go so they can get the equipment back in their fields. The POET Communication team wants the day to come and go so they can get back to the work of marketing for a nice and clean product, ethanol instead of dirty ag equipment. Finally, the POET Biomass team wants the day to come and go so we can work with farmers to move from pre-commercial to the commercial harvesting of corn cobs. This includes offering incentives and marketing contracts to farmers who agree to participate in the collection of cobs.

After November 3, POET Biomass will be knocking on doors and drinking a lot of coffee at the kitchen tables of farmers explaining in detail how the incentives work. This all starts when LIBERTY Field Day is over.

November 4 is coming and we are looking forward to it.

VIPs attending LIBERTY Field Day

As we have noted on this blog before, LIBERTY Field Day is coming up on Tuesday. Those who attend will get a glimpse of pre-commercial equipment for harvesting biomass from several equipment companies. Much of that equipment will be viewed by the public for the first time.

But that's not all they'll see. There will also be two VIPs to accompany POET CEO Jeff Broin for the program starting at 11:30: Iowa Lt. Governor Patty Judge and Growth Energy co-chairman Gen. Wesley Clark.

Also expected to attend are USDA's Farm Service Agency Administrator Jonathan Coppess and other members of the USDA staff who will talk to farmers about the Biomass Crop Assistance Program. Staff from Idaho National Laboratory and the Department of Energy will also be there.

Who else might show up? To find out, you'll have to attend (details on at www.projectliberty.com). Or you can follow the events of the day and see who else shows up by tracking this blog, Twitter, POET TV and our event Photo Gallery.

LIBERTY Day is getting close

The preparations for LIBERTY Field Day on Tuesday, November 3 continue. We are working with caterers, folks that supply tables and chairs as well as equipment manufacturers and farmers using the cob collection equipment this harvest season. The choreography of the day is almost complete.

Part of the work is to let the media in on what is happening. This week AGCO announced the development and operation of a biomass harvester. The release stated: "After several years of research and development, AGCO's first prototype biomass harvesting system will be demonstrated November 3 at the POET Project LIBERTY Field Day near Emmetsburg, Iowa." From where I sit is pretty neat to see an agricultural implement manufacturer go to the lengths they have to develop the system they have.

We are all looking forward to showing it, and all the other equipment, off at LIBERTY Field Day on November 3. To see the event details, go to projectliberty.com.

POET Project LIBERTY Field Day

I am asked about corn cobs nearly every day. Can farmers harvest corn cobs efficiently and profitably? Will there be various cob harvest equipment options for various farm operations? Will there be incentives for the early cob farmers?

Come to POET Project LIBERTY Field Day to see and hear that the answer to all three of these questions is yes. The event will be at POET Biorefining - Emmetsburg on November 3rd. Leading agriculture equipment manufacturers will demonstrate new commercial and pre-commercial equipment for harvesting corn cobs for cellulosic ethanol. The equipment from last year's field day is pictured here. You can view videos on POET TV.

The main events will be two live demonstrations of equipment, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. In between there will be an informational session for area farmers on the opportunities afforded them by harvesting biomass for cellulosic ethanol. POET team members will describe incentives for early adopters. Agricultural equipment company representatives will be on hand. And if that isn't enough, there will also be a free lunch!

Agenda:

9:30      Welcome

10:00    Equipment Demonstration

11:30    Speaking Program

12:00    Lunch

1:00      Equipment Demonstration

3:30      Adjourn

POET Project LIBERTY, right in Emmetsburg, Iowa, is on track to become one of the world's first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plants. Project LIBERTY Field Day brings together the main ingredients: farmers, agriculture equipment companies, and POET--working together for U.S. energy independence.

NRDC: Cellulosic ethanol from crop waste is good for Indiana

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) released a study today that showed the potential benefits that cellulosic ethanol production from crop residues could bring to the state of Indiana. Specifically, the report said:

Existing usable Indiana crop and timber residues are sufficient to produce 770 million gallons of transportation fuels annually, equivalent to 28 percent of all the gasoline used in Indiana each year. An average corn farm could see potential gross revenue of $14,500 from harvesting corn stover. Ten cellulosic plants, each with a 50-million-gallon capacity would create 1,940 long-term jobs, $207 million in annual economic activity, and $12.4 million in local property taxes.

NRDC policy analyst Pierre Bull spoke on a conference call regarding the study which he summarized in a blog post for NRDC's SWiTCHBOARD.

POET has three ethanol production facilities in Indiana that produce about 200 million gallons of ethanol per year from corn starch. In the future, POET plans to add the ability to produce cellulosic ethanol from corn cobs (a portion of the stover) to those facilities which could produce as much as 75 million gallons per year. According to the details in the NRDC report, that would be a big boost to the state of Indiana.

For the full report from NRDC, click here.