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By Tony Brown Maryville Daily Forum The newly formed Missouri BioProduct Producers Group of Burlington Junction has been awarded a $77,220 grant through the Missouri Department of Agriculture to assist in development of a feedstock supply operation that would provide raw material to a manufacturing facility now under development in northern Nodaway County. According to a department release, the funding comes from the Missouri Value-Added Grant Program, which provides seed money for projects that advance development of Missouri agricultural products in ways that enhance economic growth in rural communities. The producers group is working with California-based ChloroFill LLC, which plans to use hybridized sorghum as a component in the production of plywood-like construction panels. Lee Langerock of Nodaway County Economic Development said the grant will be used to study the feasibility of creating a new business that would act as a conduit between farmers growing the sorghum and ChloroFill. The set-up, she said, could eventually include a facility that would process raw sorghum into a production-ready form before delivering it to Chlorofill’s plant on Highway 71 north of Burlington Junction. ChloroFill’s president and CEO, Michael Hurst, publicly announced plans to build the panel manufacturing facility last October during a breakfast gathering attended by numerous elected officials and members of the local business and agricultural communities. Since then, the company has constructed a 5,400-square-foot building, which Langerock said has been tooled up sufficiently to complete production of sample panels for evaluation by potential customers. Sorghum for the test panels was grown on a 90-acre plot at Northwest Missouri State University’s R.T. Wright Farm. Langerock said the company has yet to begin hiring but has made substantial progress toward the start of commercial production, which will require seven to 10 employees. Anticipated growth, she said, means the plant could provide production and materials handling jobs for three times that many people in about two years. The plant is to manufacture a product trade-named DurahForm, which  consists of processed sorghum stalks fused together using a protein binder. Produced in sheets, DurahForm is similar to high-grade plywood made from bamboo or exotic hardwoods but is manufactured without using formaldehyde, a toxic compound that has been linked to a number of health concerns, including cancer. In announcing the start-up last year, Hurst said DurahForm applications include counter tops, wall and ceiling coverings, furniture, cabinetry, wainscoting, doors and flooring. According to the state Agriculture Department, the producer’s group grant was one of 12 awarded statewide that ranged from $17,000 to $198,000, for a total of $808,838. The grants are funded from the sale of tax credits and can be used for business planning purposes, such as feasibility studies and marketing plans. The maximum individual grant is $200,000 with a required 10 percent local cash match, which in the case of  Missouri BioProduct Producers was paid by Nodaway County Economic Development. Read more: http://www.maryvilledailyforum.com/article/20130807/NEWS/130809299#ixzz2bOPzaw6N  

New moisture meters provide fast, accurate readings in a self-contained, portable unit. Tyler Harris Published: Aug 2, 2013 These days, Northwest Missouri State University’s campus in Maryville houses more than students. Since May, Missouri Moisture Analyzers, LLC, has called the recently constructed Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship its home. “The CIE function is to bring in new companies and make it so they get a good start,” explains Stanley Sinclair, regional sales manager for Missouri Moisture Analyzers. “Most new companies will make it or break it in the first three years.” The CIE is a mixed-use business incubator serving technology-based companies like Missouri Moisture Analyzers. The company was looking for a location to establish itself, and with its proximity to primary grain-producing areas in the Midwest, Maryville fit the bill perfectly. The rental agreement gives the company a place to assemble its product, and gives Maryville a new local business. Students can gain valuable experience with the company, and the company has access to offices, laboratories and equipment. A new old company The company’s product is the model 999 portable moisture meter that can read the moisture content of 250 different kinds of grain, from various kinds of wheat to different kinds of corn and soybeans. Missouri Moisture Analyzers is derived from Motomco Inc. Founded in 1956 in New Jersey, Motomco was known for its model 919 moisture meter. In 1963, USDA adopted the 919 for all grain inspections under the U.S. Grain Inspections Act. Although the company ceased production of the 919 in 2004, it set the foundation for the new company and the new model, which is why Sinclair says it is a new old company. Just like the evolution of eight-track tapes to cassettes to CDs to MP3s, moisture meters have evolved over the years. They have become more portable, going from heavy metals to durable light-weight plastic. They have also cut down the time they need to read moisture levels, going from mechanical to digital. A process 40 years in the making, reading moisture levels used to take up to four hours – not including the time it takes to collect a grain sample. The new 999 series uses dielectric wavelengths that go through the middle of the grain, rather than going around, making a more accurate reading. When it goes through, it reads various components to determine the moisture and temperature based on years of statistics, and displays it as a number on the screen. “We have the ability to measure the moisture in grains and subdivisions of grain,” says Isac Linhares, international business manager for Missouri Moisture Analyzers. “With the 919, it was a process of 20 minutes. Now it’s as little as 10 seconds or 5 seconds.” Advantages for the farmer Why measure the moisture in grain? There are five major benefits, Sinclair says. First, it lets the grower know the best time to harvest. Second, it verifies the moisture reading at the elevator and what the elevator is paying for it. Third, it reduces drying costs and helps growers manage moisture. “If you go too wet, you’re going to have spoilage. If you are too dry you’re going to have breakage,” Sinclair explains. “When you have a moisture meter, it tells you how far to go.” Fourth is securing the grower’s reputation. “A farmer’s reputation is built on the product he delivers,” Sinclair adds. “If he delivers good loads, he gets more of a preferred supplier stature.” Fifth is meeting customer requirements, both at the elevator and at ethanol plants. For example, an ethanol plant might accept corn at 15.9% moisture, but not at 16%. “A farmer who tests his grain before delivery knows if he needs to dry a little more,” Sinclair says. “Having no rejection can save him a lot of money.” The company also calibrates its own moisture meters. The meters come with a sticker that, if removed by another entity to calibrate it, will void warranty. This ensures accuracy and uniformity. Sinclair makes the analogy to changing the weight on a scale while standing on it to read what you want it to say, not really what is accurate – the grower is only cheating themselves if they change the moisture reading by calibrating it elsewhere, like a grain elevator. The calibrated readings vary little from unit to unit, 0.2% maximum compared to the 0.4% standard for USDA. These models range from the portable 999FR to the desktop 999FB. Sinclair says they are worth the investment. They have ten major grains available for quick access, with a total of 250 different grains and their subdivisions. They come with USB drives, allowing farmers to plug data into their computer and keep records from previous years. It has a life expectancy of eight to ten years, and comes with a rechargeable battery that needs to be recharged after 150 to 200 tests. “This is one of the few moisture meters that is self-contained, all-inclusive, and that you can trust,” Sinclair says. More information is available at the Missouri Moisture Analyzers website, by emailing Sinclair at stanley@mtcmoisture.com, or by  phone at 660-562-0203.

OPEN HOUSE – Missouri Moisture Analyzers LLC Friday, July 19  – 9am to 4pm 1402 N College Drive Northwest’s CIE – Maryville

July 16, 2013 United Electric Cooperative is a partner in the MoBroadbandNow initiative; company is bringing high-speed access to nearly 5,500 homes in six counties During visit to United Electric Cooperative in northwest Missouri, Gov. Nixon highlights success of broadband initiative SAVANNAH, Mo. – Gov. Jay Nixon today visited United Electric Cooperative in Savannah to highlight the success of Missouri’s public/private partnership in expanding broadband. United Electric, a partner in the Governor’s MoBroadbandNow initiative, is installing 1,230 fiber miles throughout the six counties it serves in northwest Missouri as part of its UnitedFiber project. United Electric Cooperative is a partner in the MoBroadbandNow initiative; company is bringing high-speed access to nearly 5,500 homes in six counties. “To continue Missouri’s economic growth, we must make sure businesses and communities have access to broadband services so that they can stay competitive and successful in today’s global economy,” Gov. Nixon said. “That’s why the MoBroadbandNow initiative is helping local providers in rural Missouri and throughout the state connect their customers with broadband access. I congratulate United Electric on its accomplishments, and I thank them for their commitment to northwest Missouri.” Gov. Nixon launched the MoBroadbandNow initiative in 2009 to greatly expand broadband to reach more homes, businesses, schools, health care facilities, and public safety agencies. Over the next few years, Missouri will see a total investment of more than $310 million to expand broadband throughout the state, through a combination of federal, state, local and private sector resources, including more than $192 million in competitive federal funding obtained by the state of Missouri and its private and local partners. United Electric Cooperative worked closely with state officials through MoBroadbandNow and was awarded $21 million in grants and loans in competitive federal funding. The United Electric Cooperative broadband project will bring high speed internet access to nearly 5,500 households and local schools in northwest Missouri. Once the UnitedFiber project is finished, nearly 95 percent of the homes in United’s service area will have high-speed access, compared to less than 38 percent when the project was launched. The project is projected to create or retain more than 100 jobs in the area. To learn more about the MoBroadbandNow initiative, visit MO.gov.

Missouri Detour – August 29 The Downtown Sounds Summer Concert Series’ second installment will showcase the grown-up sounds of Missouri Detour. This St. Joseph band features Bob Thornton, Darryl House, Rob Schooler, Steve Wayne, and Rob Walkowiak. You will enjoy their diverse repertoire of cover songs when they perform on the square at 7:00 PM on August. “We play from the ’60s up to present day. We might do an Elvis song and turn around the next song’s going to be Shinedown or Collective Soul,” Thornton says. In all, they cover more than 50 songs from 44 different artists, spanning classic rock, rock, country, funk, folk and soul music. They do it all with top-notch three-part harmonies sung by House, Schooler and Thornton. The Downtown Sounds Summer Concert Series is an annual tradition, bringing FREE entertainment to the square downtown. Just bring a lawn chair and enjoy! Sponsored by our Chamber Champions: St. Francis Hospital & Health Services, 97.1 the ‘Vill-KNIM Radio; Hy-Vee, Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing, KCP&L, Nodaway Valley Bank, and SuddenLink Communications.