Center for Advanced BioEnergy Research, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Biomass pellets drawing interest of farmers seeking to curb rising fuel costs

herald&review.com (Decatur, IL) By CHRIS LUSVARDI - H&R Staff Writer Herald-Review.com Posted: Wednesday, March 30, 2011 12:01 am Biomass pellets drawing interest of farmers seeking to curb rising fuel costs DECATUR - With the cost of fuel an increasing concern, farmers are among those looking for ways to save on expenses. One cost-saving method that has caught the interest of an increasing number of farmers is making biomass pellets to be used for heating purposes. A meeting organized by the nonprofit Decatur-based Agricultural Watershed Institute on Tuesday at Rock Springs Nature Center addressed how alternative fuel sources can benefit farmers in particular. "We've got some good processes in place," said Andrew Clarkson, a Macon County hay producer who makes pellets as part of the Local Bioenergy Initiative. "We're going to keep plugging away at it." Read more