Canadian Biomass Magazine

Feedstox purchases harvesting upgrades

May 22, 2012
By KABB

May 22, 2012, Wichita, KS - Feedstox, a KABB company, has purchased seven new pieces of agricultural equipment as part of the nation's most advanced harvesting fleet.

May 22, 2012, Wichita, KS – Feedstox (a KABB company) has purchased seven new pieces of
agricultural equipment as part of the nation's most advanced harvesting
fleet.

The equipment consists of two Challenger combine-baler combination
units and five Challenger LB34BXD high-density pull-behind balers
manufactured by AGCO Corporation.

The machinery will be used to harvest biomass materials such as corn,
wheat, corn stalks, wheat straw, switchgrass and miscanthus. KABB plans
to lease the equipment to farmers, contractors and other parties
involved in the harvesting of biomass materials.

"Very few of these models are on the global market today," said Todd
Stucke, Director of Marketing Hay and Harvesting of AGCO Corporation.
"It will be exciting to see the positive results of Feedstox making this
equipment available for use."

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The two combine-baler units are fully integrated, allowing grain
harvest and residue baling to occur in a single pass through the field,
significantly reducing time, labor, fuel usage and soil compaction or
inclusion. The five pull-behind high-density balers produce large square
bales weighing 10 to 20 percent more than standard bales.

This machinery is designed to help maintain the quality of yields and
supports expanded acreage of crops with lower water and nitrogen input
requirements on marginal lands.

"According to our calculations, the use of this equipment — along
with our new- generation bale stacking, load and unloading equipment —
has the potential to cut biomass harvesting costs by about 40 percent on
a fully allocated cost basis,” said Jeff Roskam, CEO of KABB. “In a
time when corn input costs to an ethanol plant are about $2.00 per
gallon, cellulosic refiners using corn stover could cut input costs in
one-half while reducing price pressure on corn supplies.”

The new equipment joins other fleet components, including two Stinger
Stacker 6500 bale-handling trucks and a one-of-a-kind bale-picking
truck from Kelderman Manufacturing.

About KABB

The Kansas Alliance for Biorefining and Bioenergy (KABB) is a non‐profit,
industry led and directed Center of Innovation focused on identifying
barriers and solutions in the area of bioenergy. Initial funding for
KABB was a $4.1 million investment from the Kansas Bioscience Authority
through the Centers of Innovation Program.

About Feedstox

Feedstox is a subsidiary of KABB (Kansas Alliance for
Biorefining and Bioenergy). Through a $4.8 million investment of ARRA
funds administered by the Kansas Department of Commerce, Feedstox
assembled a fleet of advanced equipment to improve the harvest, storage
and transportation efficiency of biomass. Feedstox is dedicated to the
advancement of biofuels and the effort to establish a consistent,
reliable and renewable source of global bioenergy. For more information, visit www.kansasbioenergy.com/.


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