News

October 23, 2009

Alternative energy facility opens to accolades in Howard City

Sietsema Farm Feeds was the site of a commissioning ceremony as Heat Transfer International (HTI) of Kentwood and The Right Place Inc. of Grand Rapids partnered with Sietsema to officially open a $3 million facility to convert turkey waste into steam and electric energy for feed production. The operation is housed on a 40-acre site at 19117 Lake Montcalm Road next to the Sietsema grain elevator just south of Howard City. The biomass system will utilize 1.5 million turkeys to convert 70,000 pounds of turkey litter into 12,000 kilowatts of electricity and 206,400 pounds of steam each day. The system is housed in a new 15,000-square-foot building with room to grow. Sietsema said the operation is expected to "drastically" reduce the plant's energy expenses, which currently average more than $500,000 annually. U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development State Director Jim Turner declared the facility to be "state-of-the-art." "This is one of the most innovative projects you'll see," he said. "This is a great day." HTI President Dave Prouty said 10 to 12 businesses are "sitting on the fence" with similar projects as they wait and see how Sietsema fares. The audience erupted into applause as Prouty called for bank loans and improved financing to support these projects. "The technology you see here has the potential to change the way we do business in Michigan," Prouty said. "We are the technology leaders. We are here today because Harley Sietsema took a risk. What HTI has built is standing on the shoulders of giant men. We really are leading the world at this point."

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Harley Sietsema unveils his project — a biomass facility to convert turkey waste into steam and electric energy for feed production — to a crowd of hundreds Friday in Howard City.