that was my first thought as well.
Clay
MO Ozarks
----- Original Message -----
From: "Paula and Sumner Roberts" <meadowsweet@prexar.com>
To: <graze-l@witt.ac.nz>
Sent: Friday, August 27, 2004 10:16 PM
Subject: [SPAM] - Re: [Graze-l] [SPAM] - - Bayesian Filter detected spam -
Email found in subject
> I can't help but wonder how much of this interest is from federal
subsidies
> for manure handling, farm power generation, and ethanol production.
>
> Sumner Roberts
> Meadowsweet Farm
> Swanville, Maine
>
> > From: "gene schriefer" <sheepfarm@charter.net>
> > Reply-To: graze-l@witt.ac.nz
> > Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2004 19:18:40 -0500
> > To: <SHEEP-L@LISTSERV.UU.SE>, <graze-l@witt.ac.nz>
> > Subject: [Graze-l] [SPAM] - - Bayesian Filter detected spam
> >
> > Banks finance Hinkley dairy, energy farm
> > Futuristic complex would produce milk and cheese, ethanol and
electricity
> > By LARRY RAND/Staff Writer
> >
> > VICTORVILLE The Desert Community Bank has joined The Business Bank of
St.
> > Louis to finance $8 million worth of development on a Hinkley
dairy-energy
> > farm that could eventually generate 1,500 new jobs.
> >
> > The money represents the first major investment by banks into the
> > dairy-energy farm in Hinkley, according to Buck Johns, co-developer of
the
> > venture. The farm would churn millions of dollars into the High Desert
> > economy primarily by turning cow manure into power.
> >
> > "This is an interesting deal," said Robert Hughling, president and chief
> > credit officer of Desert Community Bank. "I didn't know anything about
the
> > dairy industry in California when I started, but I know now.
> >
> > "The project is based on present operating technology that is working in
> > various parts of the world, but ought to be the standard by which the
dairy
> > industry is run in the U.S. To have that in our back yard is fascinating
> > it's political, not just economic."
> >
> > Johns, co-developer of the High Desert Power Project, a 750-megawatt
power
> > plant in Victorville, said the $8 million investment will be enough to
pay
> > for much of the pre-construction costs. It will pay the permitting costs
and
> > consolidate any indebtedness on the land and water rights, plus cover
the
> > costs of starting the environmental studies, Johns said.
> >
> > Johns envisions 30 $10 million dairy barns, each owned by a different
> > dairyman, that would hold 90,000 cows kept indoors in a hygienic
> > environment, with bovine waste rinsed every four hours into a $100
million
> > manure cooker. The methane produced by the cooker would produce
commercial
> > power from a $50 million, 49 megawatt gas turbine generator.
> >
> > The cows would feed on distiller's grain, the corn leftovers from a $50
> > million factory on the Hinkley site that would produce ethanol, a
gasoline
> > additive since 2003 in California. A $50 million Scott's fertilizer
plant on
> > the site will use the cooked cow manure, a $50 million cheese factory
will
> > use some of the milk, and the rest of the milk would go to markets like
Las
> > Vegas and Los Angeles. There would be a meat packing facility on the
> > premises, too.
> >
> > The dairy operation aims to eliminate the pollution and health risks
> > associated with traditional dairy farming.
> >
> > Agriculture is a major factor in the San Bernardino County economy, with
a
> > yearly value of more than $600 million, according to a county
agricultural
> > commissioner's report. The High Desert has traditionally generated about
10
> > percent of the value.
> >
> > Hughling said that his bank was the logical local business bank to
> > participate in the Hinkley project, because of its knowledge of local
land
> > and water rights, and credited bank director Terry Caldwell,
Victorville's
> > mayor, for urging participation.
> >
> > The lead bank, Business Bank of St. Louis, is located in Clayton, a
suburb
> > of St. Louis. It was brought into the project by Midwestern investors
Rick
> > Mahue and his brother Wally Senney. Mahue had business experience with
> > Johns' co-developer, Henry Orlosky of Sacramento, who owned the land and
> > water rights in Hinkley. Both Orlosky and Mahue had run companies that
sold
> > dental tools.
> >
> > "Business Bank of St. Louis is a young, aggressive bank," said Mahue on
> > Thursday in a telephone interview. "In only two years, they have taken
their
> > original $10 million in assets to more than $150 million. Their second
> > public offering just oversold."
> >
> > Johns expected quick action now that initial funding has been approved.
> >
> > "We expect the funds to be released in about three weeks," he said.
"Shortly
> > thereafter, we'll make application to the county; there are no state
> > applications, because the energy plant is less than 50 megawatts. The
> > environmental studies will begin, and the architect will make some rough
> > designs to show prospective tenants."
> >
> > The architect for the dairy-energy farm will be Eric Lloyd Wright,
grandson
> > of Frank Lloyd Wright.
> >
> > "There will be a Frank Lloyd Wright flavor and an organic feel to
everything
> > we do," Johns said. "We are trying to elevate all of this. This is a
> > once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and we want to do something that we can
look
> > back on and say, 'we did something spectacular.' We understand that we
are
> > going to be the standard by which others are measured."
> >
> > Orlosky echoed the others' lofty ambitions.
> >
> > "I'm kind of a guy who is a visionary," he said Friday. "I want us to do
> > things that are different and cleaner. I am certainly a capitalist and
would
> > like to profit from development, but if you can do a project for the
right
> > reasons, to clean up air and water and enhance the quality of life for
> > dairymen and workers, that's great."
> >
> > Paul Tracy of Victorville, regional sales manager for DeLaval, the
world's
> > oldest and largest producer of dairy equipment, said, "When I saw this
> > project, I said, this is the next generation. It's fascinating I read
> > about it in the Daily Press on Sunday, and by noon Monday I was talking
with
> > Buck Johns. My company is going to outfit a demonstration barn to show
> > dairymen how it will work."
> >
> > The primary market for the condominium-style Hinkley dairy complex is
the
> > Chino dairy district, where land has become too valuable to farm and
> > neighbors are increasingly upset with the polluting aspects of
traditional
> > dairy operations. There are more than 200 dairies in Chino. Johns,
Orlosky
> > and company need only 30 of them to move to Hinkley.
> >
> > Johns already has the dairy's neighbor in mind. Next to the dairy
complex
> > would be a $300 million solar/geothermal power plant that Johns said
already
> > is generating interest from Southern California Edison and municipal
> > utilities.
> >
> > - - - - - -
> > Larry Rand can be reached at larry_rand@link.freedom.com or 951-6232.
> > - - - - - -
> >
> >
> > Gene Schriefer
> > Shepherd
> > Dodgeville, Wisconsin USA
> > Commercial Texel-x and Charollais-x Sheep
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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>
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