ODEBOLT, Iowa - CornBoard Manufacturing, the company behind the environmentally-friendly wood substitute made from corn stover, has signed an agreement with C&B Operations to supply all of the tractors, balers, and skid steer equipment necessary for manufacturing.
Last December, CornBoard Manufacturing announced plans to build a $15 million 50,000 square foot plant in Northwest Iowa. The main product will be CornBoard pallets, but it will also produce skateboards, surfboards, and outdoor furniture.
“The use of corn stover as a sustainable product aligns with our vision to help promote precision agriculture within the communities we serve,” said C&B’s Chairman and CEO, Peter Burwell. “Our commitment to help drive innovation and technology within agriculture to help support our customers by giving them additional avenues and markets for their produce folds into what CornBoard is striving to do. We are excited to help with this important effort.”
“We’re looking at the big picture,” said CornBoard CEO Lane Segerstrom. “The time has come for business to adapt and deliver life’s essentials in a nature-positive way. This project is a collaborative effort between like-minded organizations who are striving to do the right thing for our environment and our communities. Bringing quality jobs and economic development to Rural America through this carbon negative plant is extremely exciting.”
The patented CornBoard product features a lighter weight than wood but has the same structural integrity, says the company. It has similar structural properties to oriented strand board (OSB).
In the manufacturing process, corn stover is sifted, sorted, and combined with a non-formaldehyde resin before being bonded under heat and pressure.
This will be the company's first large-scale plant. Around 30 people will be hired to work at the facility.
The company will work with between 30 and 50 farmers to provide the necessary 50 million pounds of corn stover each year. It will pay farmers as much as $750,000.
Iowa was chosen for the location because it's the leading corn-producing state.
Construction for the plant is set to begin spring 2021. A timetable is yet to be announced.
C & B Operations is a family-owned business that operates 37 John Deere dealerships in South Dakota, Minnesota, Montana, Wyoming, Iowa, and Idaho.
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