A farmer-backed feasibility study on sorghum-based biofuel is among four projects in Ontario to share over $600,000 in federal biofuels funding.
Sweet Sorghum Initiative for Biofuels in Port Lambton, about 50 km east of Detroit, will get $222,975 from the Biofuels Opportunities for Producers Initiative (BOPI) to study the feasibility of sweet sorghum as an alternative to traditional biofuel crops, Ontario MP David Van Kesteren announced Friday in Port Lambton.
Three other Ontario projects confirmed Friday as receiving BOPI funding include:
- $267,375 for a feasibility study by Ag Bio Energy Park/Lynn Cattle Co. at Lucan, north of London, to develop biodiesel as part of a broader bioenergy facility;
- $73,829 for Huron-Perth Biodiesel Feasibility/Huron Business Development Corp. at Seaforth, west of Kitchener, to see which ag industry byproducts in southwestern Ontario can be processed into a reliable feedstock for biodiesel production; and
- $54,938 for On-Farm Biodiesel Production at Parkhill, northwest of London, to look at setting up an on-farm biodiesel production system using feed-grade oilseeds.
Read Also
Interest in biological crop inputs continues to grow
It was only a few years ago that interest in alternative methods such as biologicals to boost a crop’s nutrient uptake seemed to spike in popularity. But according to Spencer Harris, senior vice-president of global ag retail for Nutrien Ag Solutions, biologicals are not all that new for Nutrien — the global ag retailer has been researching biological crop inputs for nearly two decades.
BOPI, a two-year, $20 million federal program, is meant to help farmers and rural communities get in on and benefit from Canadian biofuel production.
