Virginia Beach-Nutrients PLUS of Virginia Beach has an agreement with officials of Amherst, N.Y., to buy as much as 1,500 tons of pelletized biosolids produced at the town’s waste water treatment plant for use in the company’s organic and natural-based fertilizer production. Nutrients PLUS owner/manager John Moriarty told Green Markets that the deal is win-win. “Obviously it’s good for the citizens of Amherst,” Moriarty said. “There are only two dozen or so plants that process waste to fertilizer in this fashion out of tens of thousands. Society needs more facilities like this. The town can take great pride in that there’s not just a lot of Class A biosolids produced in this country.” He said the Amherst product will fit in nicely at Nutrients Plus, where he described processes as “waste stream neutral sourcing organic material from a variety of sources such as feather meal and corn gluten, but with a focus on poultry compost from the layer industry, as well as exceptional quality biosolids from waste water treatment plants.” Moriarty says talk about problems with the Amherst plant are overstated by detractors and the press. News reports describe the town as struggling for years to make “big bucks” off its $8 million investment in the pelletizer program, started in 1996. But the trouble-prone pelletizer never lived up to expectations, according to the reports, resulting in hundreds of tons of pellets being wasted each year. The agreement with Nutrients PLUS is said to have been produced from nearly a year of negotiations, resulting in as much as $45,000 in revenue for the town. Up until now, the most the pellets have sold for is $10 a ton, and some have been given away or thrown away.

Portland, Maine-Operators of Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway hope the day doesn’t come that they will have to stop serving the northern third of Maine, where they transport about 5,000 tons of fertilizer every year, along with potatoes, paper, and lumber. But that possibility is looming while talks continue between the railway and state officials about abandoning 233 miles of track that stretch from Madawaska to Millinocket because of losses estimated between $4 million and $5 million a year. About half of the service line in Maine could be affected by the slowdown, caused by the recession and a decline in the housing market, which has sharply reduced shipments of lumber, plywood, and other building materials. Notice has already been filed with the federal Surface Transportation Board. “We are actively engaged with the state of Maine to determine if there is a possible solution other than abandonment,” Robert Grinrod, railway president and CEO, told Green Markets. “We feel these discussions are proceeding well and will produce a solution to the problem. At least for this spring we do not expect an impact on shipments to this area, including those involving fertilizer.” Grinrod said fertilizer shipments are carried from all areas in the eastern part of the country plus Canada. According to press reports, the state has been looking to see whether it can buy the railroad, which dates back to 1891, when the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad was incorporated and began laying track. The line served as a connector between the isolated and sparsely populated expanses of northern Maine and points to the south. Montreal, Maine & Atlantic bought the railroad in 2003 and now owns 774 miles of track that run from Maine to Montreal, with a short side line into Vermont. The company has 225 employees and is based in Hermon near Bangor.

Greenville, Mich.-A Lake Odessa resident is expected to be sentenced next month in connection with an incident more than a year ago. What was believed to be a fertilizer bomb was used to explode sulfuric acid from a wooden box. The explosion seriously injured one person in a driveway here, according to Montcalm County Prosecutor Andrea Krause. Krause told Green Markets that the charge against Alan Bauer, 38, was originally unlawful possession of a harmful device causing serious injury. But Bauer pleaded no contest to “conspiracy to commit assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder.” Krause said the charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. According to police reports, Bauer left a wooden box containing sulfuric acid in the driveway in September 2008. Police stated that the box, which appeared to be rigged, fired chemicals when it was opened.

Milwaukee-In a little more than two years the producers of Milorganite specialty fertilizer hope to be bringing methane from a nearby landfill to handle the costly drying process for their product. “The methane will be the energy source that will run our dryers after it is brought in by pipeline from the landfill,” Milorganite spokesman Jeff Spence told Green Markets. “What better way to make a product than from renewable energy sources!” Spence said the $80 million project, which involves a 17-mile-long, 16-inch diameter pipeline from Muskego, Wisc., will save the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District at least $148 million over the next 20 years. Of course, procuring methane from a landfill is cheaper than buying from traditional sources. In this case, Spence reported, replacing natural gas and sometimes electricity to run the dryers will cut these purchases by 90 percent and eliminate the need to buy electricity from the local utility. Spence said the project will decrease the cost of Milorganite production; since energy is the biggest cost. In addition to saving money, the plant will cut greenhouse gas emissions by 500,000 tons a year. The district will seek bids from pipeline builders beginning in May or June, and start construction by August or September.

Nashville-Ashland Inc. and Cummins Filtration are the latest team to enter the Diesel Exhaust Fluid competition, announcing that their Air Shield brand is be packaged, marketed, and distributed throughout North America. Beginning this month, Ashland will operate through Ashland Consumer Markets, with its Valvoline brand offering Fleetguard Valvoline Air Shield DEF through the Cummins and Valvoline distribution channels in the U.S. and Canada. Ashland spokesman Jim Vitak said the alliance is not comfortable with disclosing major aspects of the arrangement, but he noted that “a robust distribution system already is set up for motor oil, anti-freeze, and the like to handle the new product, and Cummins likewise has its own distribution system.” He added, “We don’t want to get into too many details, but we already have a relationship with a source to provide a secure supply of urea, and we will be producing DEF at the Valvoline packaging facility in Covington, Ky.” Air Shield DEF will be available in 1-gallon and 2.5-gallon bottles, drums, and totes. The 2.5 gallon packaging – a vented bottle – is expected to be fast and easy to use, achieving complete dispensation in less than 30 seconds. The new alliance is an extension of the Valvoline and Cummins relationship initiated in 1995 to deliver products and services. Fertilizer and fertilizer-related products are nothing new to Ashland. A commercial unit, Ashland Hercules Water Technologies, produces fertilizer for golf course turf management, horticulture, lawn and garden, and specialty agriculture applications (GM March 1, p. 10).

Salt Lake City-Utah petroleum company Cardwell Distributing, Inc. has joined the Yara Air1 diesel exhaust fluid supply team to serve eastern Nevada, southwestern Wyoming, southeastern Idaho, and the state of Utah with education, equipment programs, and DEF supply options ranging from jugs to bulk supply.

Yonkers, N.Y.-Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, said on March 2 that a new poll conducted by the organization found that two-thirds of organic food consumers are concerned about genetically engineered (GE) ingredients contaminating organic food. Consumers Union accompanied the poll data with a request to USDA that it “consider the overwhelming consumer concern before deciding to allow GE alfalfa on the market.” The appeal came as USDA on March 3 concluded the public comment period on its draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on approval of GE alfalfa. “The EIS states that consumers and organic farmers don’t care if their organic food is GE contaminated,” said Michael Hansen, senior scientist with Consumers Union. “Consumers Union’s poll states the exact opposite: consumers care greatly.” The poll found that a majority of respondents expressed some level of concern with genetic engineering contamination of organic food crops. Overall, 58 percent said they were extremely concerned, very concerned, or somewhat concerned. It also found that 66 percent of consumers who purchase organic food indicated being concerned , versus 50 percent of those who don’t make organic food purchases. The poll consisted of 1,015 interviews done in a telephone survey on Feb. 4-7 of adults aged 18 or over. “Genetically engineered corn and soy are widely grown in the U.S., and organic farmers and processors are having a very hard time keeping it out of organic food and animal feed, where it is prohibited,” Hansen said. “Allowing GE alfalfa on the market will create a whole new set of problems for the organic industry in maintaining organic integrity. Once an engineered variety is grown outside, it is almost impossible to contain it. We are also concerned that there is no FDA safety approval process for GE foods – companies may consult with FDA, but it is up to the companies themselves to decide if an engineered food is safe.”