Corn Commentary

Corn Cobs Wanted

Wanted: 270,000 acres worth of corn cobs and kernel hulls to produce 30 million gallons of ethanol.

POET held a meeting last week to encourage area farmers, agribusiness representatives and others to supply them with the raw materials for the Project Liberty cellulosic project in Emmetsburg.

According to an article in the Emmetsburg News, Jim Sturdevant, Director of Project Liberty, told the group of 400 who attended the meeting, “Corn is the foundation for cellulosic ethanol and will be the building block that America’s energy independence will be built upon. That is why we are engaging in Project Liberty.”

“What are you going to pay for cobs” is the most asked question,” Sturdevant said. “Right now, it will be in the $30 to $60 a ton range, with the producers piling the cobs in their field. A third party will handle the collection and transport to the plant.”

Grower Darren Ihnen, of Hurley, SD, explained how the cob harvesting experiments went on his 5,000 acre farm last fall.

Ihnen began his corn harvest Sept. 18, and finished on Nov. 22. Starting moisture on the corn was 28 percent, with the cobs testing 55 percent, but at the end of the harvest, corn tested at 14 percent moisture and cobs tested at 13 percent.The cob harvest was completed with two methods, the corn and cob mixture, using a John Deer combine, and a Cob Caddy, coupled to a CaseIH combine.