June 2011, From the Editor
Not just for “breakfast” anymore ...
What do plastic, cancer meds, bullet-resistant vests and manure digesters have in common?
They are all products made from crops or agricultural byproducts.
State corn crops are being used to produce environmentally friendly plastics; spider silk grown in state tobacco crops is being put in bullet-resistant materials; and manure produced by dairy farm operations is generating energy.
This is the face of agribusiness in this great state of ours — and its future looks very bright.
Check out the following agribusiness happenings in our state over the past weeks, months and years.
Weeks ago, the state’s first cooperative manure digester went online. This $12 million project has three huge tanks that will process manure from a total of 2,500 cows to churn out $2 million a year in electricity, enough to power 2,500 homes. And, more digesters are planned for the state, which already has 18 in operation.
Last month Sigma-Aldrich, a company with Wisconsin operations, signed an agreement with Kraig Biocraft Laboratories to develop genetically modified silkworms for the production of spider silk. The transfer of silk genes from the spider to the silkworm is expected to allow the mass production of silk with enhanced strength and elasticity with potential textiles and biomedical applications, such as sutures, tendon and ligament repair, bulletproof vests and automobile airbags.
In the past year, InPro Corporation launched BioPolyPETG+ corn-based biopolymer for its door and wall protection products. Companies are increasingly using corn to produce everything from fuel to products — even ballpoint pens.
In 2010, Cedarburg Hauser Pharmaceuticals Inc., which specializes in making active pharmaceutical ingredients for the drug and biopharmaceutical industries, focused its efforts on the extraction, isolation, purification and synthetic modification of natural products such as plant, marine and microbial sources.
Then there are facilities cropping up to help spur agricultural innovations such as these along. The Wisconsin BioAgGateway is an idea incubator focused on solving global commercial challenges through innovative agriculture and biotech solutions. And the Central Wisconsin Agribusiness Innovation Center is expected to break ground this summer. When completed, the $9.8 million center will foster research and business development in the fields of agribusiness, biotechnology, renewable energy and related industries.
As entirely new agribusinesses emerge across our state it’s becoming increasingly clear — agricultural crops are not just for “breakfast” anymore.
There are plenty of markets that go far beyond food and feed.
Ronnie Garrett, Editor
crweditor@crwmag.com