BDO ZoneCONNECT Webinar:
FLAGSTAFF COUNTY, ALBERTA
& CHIPPEWA COUNTY, WISCONSIN
On February 6, 2024, Ecostrat Inc. and the BDO Zone Initiative, in collaboration with TheDigest, hosted the BDO ZoneCONNECT webinar, highlighting two investment grade BDO Zone communities in North America: Flagstaff County, Alberta, rated ‘A’ for Wheat Straw, and Chippewa County, Wisconsin, rated ‘A’ for Corn Stover.
The webinar was moderated by Jim Lane, Editor of TheDigest, and featured key insights from Aryn Garswood, Head of the BDO Zone Initiative. Participants included Jenalee Waring, Economic Development Officer at Flagstaff County, Alberta; and key executives from Chippewa Economic Development Corporation: Charlie Walker, President/CEO; and Casey Hedrington, Economic Development Specialist. The webinar underscored the regions’ abundant biomass resources, robust infrastructure, shovel-ready sites and attractive local incentives, positioning these BDO Zones as prime locations for biobased projects seeking a reliable supply of agricultural biomass feedstock.
BDO ZoneCONNECT, a joint initiative with The Daily Digest, aims to facilitate connections and stimulate development interest within BDO Zone communities. It serves as a catalyst for networking, sharing new BDO Zone ratings, and attracting a diverse global audience of stakeholders, including investors, bio-based project developers, financiers, and community leaders.
To view the webinar, please click below:
Summary of Presenter Remarks
Marian Marinescu, Project Director, Ecostrat:
- “Wheat producers in Flagstaff County have a long multi-generational history of wheat production and straw collection, some farms date back to early settlers.”
- “There is sufficient baling and transportation equipment available in the BDO Zone to supply the rated quantity. [450,000 odt/year]”
- “The Flagstaff County producers have previous experience supplying large quantities of wheatstraw. A strawboard plant used to operate there, which employed 15 local residents. The plant and supply chain were co-financed by local investors, many of whom were crop producers. The plant closed for technical reasons, local producers proved that they were capable of sustaining a large scale straw project.”
- “Flagstaff County offers a greenfield location for a new facility in an industrial park with land available for expansion and storage.”
Jenalee Waring, Economic Development Officer, Flagstaff County:
- “The reason why Flagstaff County pursued a BDO Zone rating was for market intelligence and strategic planning for both investment attraction and business development. This is truly a tool for proving a viable secondary market for straw to encourage and also provide entrepreneurial diversification opportunities for producers in our region.”
- “The BDO Zone does take into account straw needed to be spread for optimal soil health and only deals with the surplus after the fact. This has been a positive tool to help put us on the map and build awareness.”
- “With 80% of our land in ag-production, we truly supply a stable supply chain for the bioeconomy and value-added opportunities.”
Marcin Lewandowski, Senior Director, Operations & Risk, Ecostrat:
- “The low-risk quantity of corn stover available in Chippewa County is 380,000 bdt/year. This estimate accounts for any demand in existing markets. There is no big buyer of corn stover in the region so no major competition, however, 20% of the silage goes to the animal market. We account for the sustainable removal rate of about 40% and the farmer participation rate of 50%. This is how we determine our rated quantity that’s available in the region and this only accounts for about 16% of total production of corn stover.”
Charlie Walker, President/CEO, Chippewa Economic Development Corporation:
- “We have the CN railroad, the UP railroad and a shortline so we can get this corn stover to the market and a processing facility.”
- “We have 10 star sites, these are sites ready within the BDO Zone, three of which are certified by the certified site program that we have here in Wisconsin that can save you time in the construction build for your project.”
- “The New Auburn site and the Lake Wissota Business Park are located within an opportunity zone, allowing for additional incentives.”
Casey Hedrington, Economic Development Specialist, Chippewa Economic Development Corporation:
- “Chippewa County is in the middle of two tier one markets, we’re between Chicago and Minneapolis so we have great market access.”
- “The New Auburn Industrial Site has rail spurs on site, it’s got three phase power, plenty of incentives and all the water, sewer and electric access you need.”
For more information on the Flagstaff County, AB, BDO Zone, click here, and for their slide deck, click here.
For more information on the Chippewa County, WI, BDO Zone, click here, and for their slide deck, click here.
Contact Information:
Jenalee Waring, BDO Zone Local Development Leader (LDL) and Economic Development Officer, Flagstaff County, Alberta (jwaring@flagstaff.ab.ca).
Charlie Walker, BDO Zone Local Development Leader (LDL) and President/CEO, Chippewa Economic Development Corporation (cwalker@chippewa-wi.com).
Aryn Garswood, Head of the BDO Zone Initiative (aryn@ecostrat.com).
