Issuu

Vol. X No. 1

January / February 2016

YE 20 R IS S’ G16 SU U E ID

www.SoilandMulchProducerNews.com

Blowing the Competition Away … start up material blower company taps into growing denver landscaping market

burgening Colorado economy coupled with an extremely tight labor market are critical factors in the rapid growth of a young start-up material spreading business, Bedder Spreaders. Formerly the business development director for a large Denver commercial landscaping company, Nick Holladay is one of the founding principals and the director of business development for the new material blowing company. With a three percent unemployment rate in Colorado, Holladay cites a critical shortage of skilled labor in the Denver market as one of the reasons for his company’s early and rapid growth. “With our two blower trucks and seven employees we can get great production out of small crews. These trucks can take the place of 10 workers. This has been paramount to our fast paced success,” he notes. Hollady says, “The average landscaper can place about one cubic yard of mulch down in one hour. A crew of four people can do about 30 cubic yards a day. Compare this to a blower truck with one person that can put down about 180 to 200 cubic yards of mulch a day.” Hollady notes that his trucks are the Express Blower HD70, a tractor-trailer rig with a capacity of up to 85 cubic yards of material per load, delivered at a rate of up to 80 cubic yards an hour. The other is the Express Blower MD40, a single unit truck having a 55 cubic yard capacity, blowing material up to 70 cubic yards per hour. Holladay explains that his firm is educating the Denver landscaping market to the fact that blower trucks have the ability to move and install materials at incredible volumes, allowing their clients to utilize employees to focus on more monetarily productive projects and leave the installation of mulch, soils and rock to Bedder Spreaders. Due to the increasing number of construction sites in Denver and the growing density of these sites, having one blower truck pull into small areas and deliver the material

By Todd Williams directly to the beds prevents the need for skid steers and wheelbarrows. This technology not only cuts down on labor costs, but also keeps the property cleaner and delivers only what material is needed for the beds; negating the need to remobilize unused materials, Holladay adds. Not content to only sell blower truck services to the Denver commercial and residential landscaping market, Bedder Spreaders is reaching out to tap other lucrative markets state-wide including golf courses, mine reclamation, oil and gas site reclamation, school districts, municipal road contractors, wind farm developers and green roof contractors. According to Holladay, the services offered to this diverse group of clients include blower application of any type of 4-inch minus mulch; from wood to rubber and natural mulch, to all types of dyed mulch. Other materials applied by blower truck include compost and soil, as well as utilizing seed injectors to provide terraseed compost and topsoil blankets.

He adds that the blown seeding material has a typical nine-week germination rate of 98 percent; comparing favorably to hydro-seed applications, which produce a 12-20 percent germination rate. For sand and gravel, his blower trucks can install 15-20 tons of material in one hour with one operator. Rocks up to three quarters of an inch can be spread at rates of 8-12 tons per hour. Increasingly, Denver is seeing an upward trend in the construction of green roofs, and Holladay explains that blower trucks are the only viable option for these installations. “Without using blower trucks, the only way to get the material to the roof is by using lift trucks or cranes with buckets, and the only way to spread it is with a crew using wheelbarrows,” he says. But by using a blower truck, the material can be pushed to the roof through a plastic standpipe rising up to 30 stories and then Continued on page 3

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January / February 2016

12/22/2015 10:35:11 AM

Soil

Mulch Producer NEWS

Blowing the Competition Away … Continued from page 1

spread by hose horizontally up to 250 feet from that pipe. Holladay is also very enthused about a product that’s perfectly suited for dispersal by blower trucks – virgin wood straw for erosion control. This material is starting to replace traditional erosion control blankets, nationwide, for several reasons. According to Holladay, especially in large land reclamation projects, it is very cost effective to have a blower truck put down a compostseed mix and then a topcoat of wood straw. First this method assures a high germination rate and second, the material is spread quickly, cutting labor costs associated with laying down straw blankets. “Typically using blankets,” he explains, “ a four-person crew will dig a lateral trench on steep, sloping areas. Then they will stake down straw waddles using wood stakes. Finally, they will lay down mats and stake them in place. This is a lot of hand labor compared with utilizing a blower truck.” He points out that as the slopes get steeper, the more difficult it is to install erosion control blankets. Until blower trucks began working on these steep erosion control projects, Holladay recalls that wood straw, in part because it is so light in weight, was being dropped by helicopter on some slopes where hand application of the straw or the use of erosion control blankets was nearly impossible. “All we do is find a level spot, park our blower truck, lay out up to 400 feet of hose and start blowing the material on the hillside. We can spread 700 yards of wood straw per day because of its light weight,” he adds. Citing a major mountain road widening project as an example of the type of large project his men and equipment are capable of handling, Holliday explained how Bedder

Spreaders seeded and composted an 11-mile long winding mountain road that had been damaged by flooding. Working for a contractor, the company utilized two trucks during the two and a half-week project to reclaim the road’s berms and disturbed areas along the roadway after widening, as well as reclaiming the large areas damaged by the staging of heavy road-making equipment. “We used a mix of about 2,000 cubic yards of compost and about 500 pounds of low grow native seed. We staged all our material along the road and kept our trucks filled on site using a high lift,” he adds. Another project Holliday says exemplifies the large jobs that blower trucks can handle, with speed and efficiency, was the spreading of approximately 2,400 cubic yards of colored mulch in a high end, master-planned community, located in the metropolitan Denver area. The job required a single truck and just two workers to complete in 10 days. Because the mulch decomposes in the soil, Holladay says his blower truck will return to the site on a regular basis to keep the native type landscaping up to snuff. “Jobs like this show the versatility and cost effectiveness of blower trucks,” he adds. And Holladay is very optimist about his company’s future, noting that he believes his strong sales and efficient operations team will ultimately make this a successful venture. To wit, he’s now planning to expand both his geographical market and his truck fleet. “We are looking at other areas in the state and in neighboring states for growth, and I plan to have five or six trucks by the end of 2017. We are optimistic and the future looks great,” he says. Cover photo courtesy

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PUBLICATION STAFF Publisher / Editor Rick Downing Contributing Editors / Writers Bonner R. Cohen • Robert C. LaGasse Todd Williams • Sandy Woodthorpe Production & Layout Barb Fontanelle • Christine Pavelka Advertising Sales Rick Downing Subscription / Circulation Donna Downing Editorial, Circulation & Advertising Office 6075 Hopkins Road, Mentor, OH 44060 Ph: 440-257-6453 Fax: 440-257-6459 Email: downassoc2@oh.rr.com Subscription information, call 440-257-6453. Soil & Mulch Producer News is published bimonthly by Downing & Associates. Reproductions or transmission in whole or in part, without written permission of the publisher, is prohibited. Annual subscription rate U.S. is $19.95. Outside of the U.S. add $10.00 ($29.95). Contact our main office, or mail-in the subscription form with payment. ©

of Bedder Spreaders

www.wastewoodhogs.com January / February 2016 Soil & Mulch Producer News

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Mulch Producer NEWS

House Investigates Calls for Prosecution of Climate Skeptics By Bonner R. Cohen

n obscure, Maryland-based environmental group that has pocketed tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer money over the past 14 years is at the center of a congressional investigation after posting a letter on its website urging President Barack Obama to use racketeering statutes against those questioning predictions of an imminent manmade global warming catastrophe. On September 1, just two months before the opening of the U.N.sponsored climate change conference in Paris on November 30, the Rockville, Maryland-based Institute for Global Environment and Society (IGES) posted a letter, signed by 20 academics and researchers, on its website, urging Obama, Attorney General Loretta Lynch, and John Holdren, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, to investigate corporations and other climate skeptics under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act (RICO), a statute designed to pursue organized crime. The idea of using RICO against the fossil fuel industry and other opponents of the theory man is primarily responsible for climate change was first broached by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) in an op-ed published in The Washington Post on May 29, 2015.

IGES Under Investigation www.buffaloturbine.com

ublication of the IGES letter led to a congressional investigation when it was revealed IGES received $63 million in federal funding, accounting for more than 98 percent of its income, between 2001 and 2014. IGES “appears to be almost fully funded by taxpayers while simultaneously participating in partisan activity by requesting a RICO investigation of companies and organizations disagreeing with the Obama administration on climate change,” said Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. Smith’s committee has requested IGES turn over “all e-mail, electronic documents, and data created since January 1, 2009.”

‘Knowingly Deceived People’

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agadish Shukla, president and founder of IGES and a professor at George Mason University, organized the 20 signatories of the letter to Obama calling for a RICO investigation of “corporations and other organizations that have knowingly deceived the American people about the risk of climate change.” The scientists signing the letter have been dubbed the RICO 20. The letter has since been removed from the IGES website. David Schnare, general counsel at the Energy & Environment Legal Institute says a major problem with the RICO 20’s request is for either civil or criminal legal action to be taken under RICO, there has to be an underlying crime, and in this case there are none. “Most RICO investigations include fraud involving the collusion of multiple parties to mislead or lie in order to make a profit,” said Schnare. “In this instance there is no predicate crime. “Being a skeptic, and working with other scientists whose research leads them to be skeptical, isn’t a crime,” Schnare said. “Skepticism is supposed to be encouraged in science. Being wrong in the pursuit of knowledge is not criminal.”

Investigating Shukla

hukla has come under scrutiny since organizing the letter. IGES is connected with George Mason’s School of Science in Fairfax,

Soil & Mulch Producer News January / February 2016

Continued on page 6

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House Investigates Calls for Prosecution of Climate Skeptics Continued from page 4

Virginia, and the climate science blog Climate Audit disclosed Shukla’s wife and daughter are on IGES’s payroll. Climate Audit revealed Shukla and his wife pocketed more than $800,000 in both 2013 and 2014 from their combined George Mason and IGES incomes. George Mason University has yet to respond to inquiries about whether Shukla’s possible double-dipping violates the institution’s ethics rules.

Prosecuting Disagreement

hris Horner, an attorney with the Competitive Enterprise Institute, said of the call for a RICO investigation of climate skeptics, “We credit the faculty’s understatement in characterizing their pursuit as an ‘aggressive and imaginative use of the limited tools available’ to use the state to counter political opposition. “However, given these taxpayer servants seek investigation of those who disagree with them in their capacities as taxpayer-funded academics, they should expect to hear more in the near future about the use of public resources afforded them to advance this unique twist on the vigorous exchange of ideas that used to be the purpose of higher education,” said Horner. This article was reprinted with permission from the January 2016 edition of Environment & Climate News (www.environmentandclimate-news.org), a national monthly publication devoted to sound science and free-market environmentalism. Bonner R. Cohen, Ph.D. (bcohen@nationalcenter.org) is a senior fellow at the National Center for Public Policy Research in Washington, DC., a position he has held since 2002. Prior to joining The National Center, he was a senior fellow at the Lexington Institute and the Washington editor of the Earth Times. He currently serves as senior policy analyst with the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow.

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Soil

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Low Oil Prices Are Hurting Some Biomass Plants

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Soil & Mulch Producer News January / February 2016

ortland, ME – Covanta Holding Corp. says it is closing down two Maine biomass plants in March due to low energy prices, a Portland PressHerald.com article reports. A Covanta news release explains that energy prices have not been sufficient to cover the costs of operation and fuel supply for the plants. In the past, when it has had to shut plants down, Covanta has resumed operations as economics improved. Covanta’s Maine biomass plants produce 24.5 MW hours of electricity for the New England grid, enough to power almost 50,000 homes daily, according to the company’s website. The plants have been burning mainly woody biomass, much of it supplied by loggers in the region. The closures will affect up to 2,500 jobs, says a Professional Logging Contractors of Maine press release. The release goes on to say that the closures, along with expiring renewable energy subsidies in Massachusetts and Connecticut, have the potential to eliminate the market for Maine biomass altogether as soon as 2017. PLC Executive Director Dana Doran says, “This is a perfect example of an area where common sense needs to be applied to policy to consider the true cost of our energy, not just the price per kilowatt hour.” The logging group believes that preserving the biofuels industry for the day when fossil fuel prices inevitably rise again should be a goal. The loggers intend to work with Gov. Paul LePage, legislators and biomass electricity producers to find ways to sustain the industry. Currently, biomass accounts for 60 percent of Maine’s renewable energy portfolio and 27 percent of its electricity generation, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The largest proportion of the biomass energy market is occupied by ReEnergy Holdings, which operates four biomass plants in Maine and Covanta, which operates 40 biomass plants

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January / February 2016 Soil & Mulch Producer News

Soil

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Forest Owners Urge EPA to Clarify Biomass Policy

ashington, D.C. – The National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO) are urging the Environmental Protection Agency to clarify its policy on biomass, a High Plains Journal article reports on HPJ.com. In a news release, the industry group says, “EPA states in the preamble to the agency’s [2015 Clean Power Plan] that biomass is part of the solution in helping states meet their carbon-reduction goals yet provides no useful direction in draft guidance to states on how they can include biomass as a compliance option.” Dave Tenny, NAFO president and CEO says, “In fact, EPA excludes biomass from much of the guidance while seeking public comment on unprecedented and potentially complex sustainability and verification requirements that

increase uncertainty among states. EPA now must clarify its guidance to the states to avoid confusion and jeopardize the ability of states to fully capture the carbon benefits of biomass energy under the CPP. “EPA’s mixed signals on biomass are out of step with other U.S. and global regulatory authorities, the President’s Climate Action Plan and the agency’s own rhetoric that consistently distinguish between biogenic and fossil energy sources,” Tenny explained. “It should not be difficult for the agency to align its guidance to the states with these positions and recognize the long-standing scientific consensus on the carbon neutrality of biomass. “History shows that strong markets sustain healthy forests,” Tenny said. “As long as our forests are stable or increasing, and capturing

more carbon than they release through regular forest management, forest biomass should be considered a carbon neutral option for states in their carbon-reduction energy plans.” The science on the carbon neutrality of forest biomass is clear: Scientists and carbon experts at the U.S. Department of Agriculture conclude that strong markets improve the long-term carbon benefits of biomass energy. The U.S. Department of State also reports, based on EPA and USDA analysis, that strong demand for forest products other than timber will increase forest carbon stocks through ongoing landowner investment. One hundred nationally recognized forest scientists sent a letter to EPA on Nov. 6, 2014, reaffirming the long-term carbon benefits of forest bioenergy. Regularly collected USDA data show that U.S. timberlands are growing at more than twice the rate of harvests. The total volume of trees in U.S. forests has increased 50 percent in the past 60 years. Biomass markets, like other forest products markets, enable private forests to afford forest management that sustains carbon benefits over the long term. EPA data show that carbon storage in U.S. forests offset 13 percent of total U.S. CO2 emissions annually. “Biomass is a small but important market for U.S. forest owners. Greater policy certainty will encourage them to invest in their forests and further reduce carbon in the atmosphere while providing a variety of other important benefits to society,” Tenny concluded.

Energy Competition: Biomass Slips as Solar Soars

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www.loadscan.com 10 Soil & Mulch Producer News January / February 2016

resno, CA – The shakeout in alternative energy is being felt by California’s agricultural interests as biomass loses pace with solar power, according to an IBTimes.com article. Six biomass energy plants in the state have shut down in the past two years, eliminating major customers for woody feedstock, International Business Times reports. In the once highly productive San Joachin Valley, drought has killed off thousands of acres of fruit trees and other crops. The agricultural waste has been bulldozed into piles, and growing seasons pass quietly while farmers wait for government and biomass industry leaders to figure out what to do. Until burn bans were enacted, farmers made bonfires from dead trees and other debris. When biomass plants went online, the material was trucked away for use as fuel. Even as some farmers lease out land for solar arrays, engineers and scientists are developing new technology that will make biomass plants more efficient. However, actual implementations could be years away.

Soil

Mulch Producer NEWS

Subsidies for European Biofuel Plant Come under Scrutiny

russels, Belgium – A Telegraph.co.uk article reports that the European Commission is concerned about overcompensating coal-to-biofuel plants, such as the Drax project in Yorkshire, England. As the Drax conversion project reaches completion, the Commission has opened an investigation into the company’s £1.7 billion ($1.85 billion USD) Government subsidy contract, which was awarded in April 2014. The contract sets a fixed price of £105 ($114 USD) for every megawatt-hour (MWh) of biomass-fired power the unit generates until the year 2027 – a compensation that’s more than double the current market price. Another issue of concern to the Commission is the huge volume of wood pellets required by conversion facilities such as Yorkshire. This could “significantly distort competition in the biomass market and outweigh its positive effect on achieving EU 2020 targets for renewable energy” according to a Commission statement. Falling wholesale power prices and other Government changes must be considered, as well. Drax has already largely converted the Yorkshire unit, which now runs on about 85 percent biomass. This enables it to qualify for subsidies estimated to be about £80-£85/MWh ($86-$92/MWh) through the Renewables Obligation program. A 100 percent conversion project would qualify for significantly higher subsidy amounts, however. Under that type of program, a certain price (‘strike price’) is set for the electricity generated. If the average wholesale price of electricity falls below the strike price, the Drax power plant operator would receive an additional payment from the EC on top of the money it earns from selling its electricity to the market. At full capacity, the Yorkshire facility will generate about 3.6 TWh of electricity per year and consume approximately 2.4 million tonnes of wood pellets, mainly sourced from the United States and South America. The Yorkshire plant is the company’s third coal-to-biomass conversion project. Drax has plans to convert a total of six plants to biofuel, pending state aid approval.

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January / February 2016 Soil & Mulch Producer News 11

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January / February 2016

2016 NEWS BUYERS’Direc GUIDE tory CATEGORY LISTINGS Bagging & Packaging (Equipment Systems)

Amadas Industries Hamer LLC Johnson & Sons Mfg, Inc Kuhn North America Lachenmeier Mollers North America Nova Packaging LLC Premier Tech Chronos Rethceif Packaging Rotochopper, Inc Wonder Tote

Bagging & Packaging (Plastic Films & Bags)

Balcan Plastics First Film Extruding Peel Plastic Products Ltd Salerno Packaging, Inc Trinity Packaging Corp

Biodegradable Plastics (Bags)

BASF Corp / Biodegradables BioBag USA EcoSafe Zero Waste EcoVision Environmental Heritage Bag Co Nature Friendly Products Nature-Tech®

Broadcast Spreaders

Earth & Turf Products LLC Ecolawn Applicator

Coding & Marking Equipment REA JET

Coloring Systems & Colorants

AgriCoatings / Div of American Colors Inc Amerimulch Bandit Industries BASF CMC Mulch Colorants EarthShades Florida Coastal Colors Greenwood Farms/ Color Critter Nature’s Reflections Prism Corporation Rotochopper, Inc T.H. Glennon Company, Inc

Compost Covers & Erosion Control Systems CV Compost Filtrexx International Gore Cover Systems JRM Chemical Poly-Flex Inc

Compost Turners ALLU Group, Inc Apollo Equipment Brown Bear Corporation Farmer Automatic of America HCL Machine Works Resource Recovery Systems International SCARAB International Vermeer

Dust & Odor Control Equipment & Products

Buffalo Turbine CW Machine Worx Ltd Dust Control Technology NCM Odor Control Odotech Inc OMI Industries

Fabric Buildings

Calhoun Super Structures Ltd ClearSpan Fabric Structures Guard-All Building Solutions Legacy Building Solutions Natural Light Fabric Structures, LLC

Food Waste Containers

EcoSafe Zero Waste EcoVision Environmental IPL Inc Otto Environmental Systems NA, Inc Rehrig Pacific Company Toter/Wastequip

Grinders, Chippers & Shredders

Tricon Precast Ltd

Apollo Equipment Bobcat Company Caterpillar, Inc

Reversible Fans

Clean Fix North America

Mixing & Spreading Equipment

Brodie Ag & Industrial, Inc Kuhn North America, Inc Patz Corporation Slootweg Machinefabriek

Food Waste Recycling Systems

EC ALL Ltd FOR Solutions Green Mountain Technologies Patz Corporation Scott Equipment Co

Precast Concrete Wall System

Loaders (Skid Steer & Wheel)

Apollo Equipment Bandit Industries, Inc Continental Biomass Industries Diamond Z DuraTech Industries Ecoverse Edge Innovate Fecon Inc Hammel NY HogZilla® Grinders Komptech Americas LLC Lindner America LLC Morbark, Inc Neuenhauser North America Peterson Pacific Corp RAYCO Manufacturing Rawlings Waste Wood Hogs Rotochopper, Inc Screen USA Slootweg Machinefabriek Sundance Grinders LLC Universal Refiner Corp Vermeer Warren & Baerg Mfg, Inc West Salem Machinery

Monitoring / Measuring Systems & Software

Rotary Cleaning Brushes Duff Brush LLC United Rotary Brush

Screening Equipment & Plants

Loadscan Ltd Walz Scale

ALLU Group, Inc Amadas Industries Apollo Equipment Continental Biomass Industries Ecoverse Edge Innovate EZ-Screen Fecon, Inc Komptech Americas LLC McCloskey International Neuenhauser North America Orbit Screens, Inc Premier Tech Chronos REMU USA, Inc Revolver Screening Systems Screen Machine Industries, Inc Screen USA Slootweg Machinefabriek SPALECK GmbH & Co. KG West Salem Machinery Vermeer

Pelletizing Equipment

Stacking Conveyors

Green Mountain Technologies REOTEMP Instrument Corp Sage Metering, Inc Slootweg Machinefabriek Spectrum Technologies, Inc

Mulch Blower Trucks Apollo Equipment Express Blower, Inc Finn Corporation Peterson Pacific Corp

Payload Weighing & Measuring Systems

Mollers North America Vecoplan Midwest Warren & Baerg Mfg, Inc

Plastic Removal Systems Airlift Separator / Hawker Corp

Continental Biomass Industries EZ-Screen McCloskey International Mollers North America Patz Corporation Premier Tech Chronos Screen Machine Industries, Inc Screen USA, Inc

Trade Associations & Organizations Association of Compost Producers Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Assoc Composting Council of Canada Mulch & Soil Council Organics Materials Review Institute U.S. Composting Council

Transport Trucks, Trailers & Automatic Floor Systems Apollo Equipment Brown Industrial Hallco Industries, Inc J&J Truck Bodies & Trailers Keith Mfg Co New Way Trucks Smith Co Side-Dump Trailers Travis Body & Trailer Inc Trinity Trailer Mfg, Inc

Used Equipment Sales

Apollo Equipment EarthSaver Equipment, Inc GrinderCrusherScreen.com Peninsula Equipment LLC

Wear Parts & Replacement Screens

ArmorHog® Diamond Z DynaHog® Foley Engines Grinder Wear Parts, Inc Kennametal, Inc King Kong Tools LLC Rawlings Waste Wood Hogs Winn Wear Parts & Supplies

January / February 2016 Soil & Mulch Producer News 13

2016

BUYERS’ GUIDE COMPANY INDEX

ALLU Group Inc Teterboro, NJ (800) 939-2558 www.allu.net

AgriCoatings/ A Division of American Colors Inc 909 Tennessee Blvd Lebanon, TN 37087 (615) 443-0345 Jim Hallock jihallock@americancolors.com www.agricoatings.com

PO Box 915926 Longwood, FL 32791-5926 (407) 788-9133 Buss Wible buss@americancolors.com www.agricoatings.com The landscape industry demands systems that are dependable, durable, and color consistent from batch to batch. And, today, these systems must be economical. Our water-based dispersions offer the industry a vast selection of vibrant colors with excellent binding characteristics that will enhance the beauty of any landscape. See ad on pg 9

Amadas Industries

1100 Holland Rd Suffolk, VA 23434 (757) 539-0231 Tiny Andrews, Inds Sales Mgr tandrews@amadas.com www.amadas.com Amadas Industries’ current product lines include pull-type and self-propelled peanut combines, peanut diggers, Reel Rain® irrigators, cotton stalk puller/ choppers, round cotton module handlers and a line of industrial equipment for both the horticultural and recycling industries. See ad on pg 27

Amerimulch Airlift Separator / Hawker Corp

2111 Prairie Rd Eugene, OR 97402 (541) 345-9085 Jimmy Smith, Mfr Rep jimmy@airliftseparator.com www.airliftseparator.com Airlift Separator is a proven solution for effectively removing plastic from compost. It’s portable, easy to install and maintain, compatible with any screening plant and available in hydraulic, diesel or electric models. Airlift Separator is so effective in removing lightweight materials from compost and urban organic waste, that it comes with a norisk, buy-back guarantee. Customers include recycling centers, municipal organic waste facilities, and private compost and mulch manufacturers. See insert

14 Soil & Mulch Producer News

2055 Enterprise Pkwy Twinsburg, OH 44056 (888) 556-3304 Eric Evangelista, Customer Service Rep erice@amerimulch.com www.amerimulch.com Amerimulch® provides landscape coatings and technology for the production of profitable, in-demand color-enriched mulches. Our colorants are formulated for superior bonding, coating and coverage and our equipment is designed for producers who want simple, effective, high-volume production. Take the next step in landscape coatings and technology with Amerimulch.

ATTENTION

ADvERTISERS! Schedule your 4-color logo/photo listing in our 2017 Buyers’ Guide Issue! For details, call 440-257-6453.

January / February 2016

Apollo Equipment

Bandit Industries Inc

2062 – 20th Ave SE Largo, FL 33771 (800) 982-2844 Wayne Brown, Exec VP info@apolloequipment.net www.apolloequipment.net Global wood waste recycling equipment brokers assisting buyers and sellers to meet their future production and operating needs. Exceptional marketing services through our premiere website, equipment specialists and multiple channels including our massive database of over 7500 end users ensure a very positive purchase or sale.

6750 Millbrook Rd Remus, MI 49340 (800) 952-0178 Regional Sales Manager sales@banditchippers.com www.banditchippers.com Bandit Industries is a leading manufacturer of equipment for the logging, tree service, biomass, land clearing and wood waste recycling industries. Bandit offers a complete line of hand-fed wood chippers, stump grinders, whole tree chippers, forestry mowers and horizontal grinders. Over 50,000 Bandit machines have been sold in more than 50 countries. See ad on pg 12

ArmorHog®

BASF

14 Commerce Dr Sabetha, KS 66534 (800) 743-3491 Brian Bergman, Parts Sales sales@armorhog.com www.armorhog.com ArmorHog® is focused on providing EXTREME DUTY, custom made, long-life hammermill screens, tips, hammers, and other replacement parts for all brands and models of industrial grinders. Our tips are made using a unique blend of carbide called NitroGrit™, a proprietary blend of carbide found to best suit grinding applications. See ad on pg 24

Association of Compost Producers Julian, CA (619) 992-8389 www.healthysoil.org

Balcan Plastics First Film Extruding Saint Leonard, QC Canada (877) 422-5226 www.balcan.com

1725 Dayton Ave Ames, IA 50010 (888) 663-6980 www.colorbiotics.basf.us BASF is an industry leader in the research, development, production, sale and support of mulch colorants and coloring systems. BASF offers a wide range of vibrant, long-lasting colorant for wood fiber mulch and reliable, productive equipment to meet any business need. See ad on pg 21

BASF Corp / Biodegradables

Wyandotte, MI www.bioplastics.basf.com

BioBag USA

Palm Harbor, FL (727) 789-1646 www.biobagusa.com

Bobcat Company West Fargo, ND (800) 743-4340 www.bobcat.com

2016 Brown Bear Corporation

BUYERS’ GUIDE DuraTech Industries

Corning, IA (641) 322-4220 www.brownbearcorp.com

Jamestown, ND (701) 252-4601 www.duratechindustries.net

Brown Industrial

Dust Control Technology

Botkins, OH (937) 693-3838 www.brownindustrial.com

Peoria, IL (800) 707-2204 www.dustboss.com

Buffalo Turbine

180 Zoar Valley Rd Springville, NY 14141 (716) 592-2700 info@buffaloturbine.com www.buffaloturbine.com See ad on pg 4

Calhoun Super Structures Ltd Tara, ON Canada (800) 265-3994 www.calhoun.ca

Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Assoc St Albert, AB Canada (780) 460-8280 www.peatmoss.com

Caterpillar Inc

Cary, NC (919) 605-2361 www.catresourcecenter.com

Clean Fix North America Stratford, ON Canada (519) 275-2808 www.cleanfix.org

CMC Mulch Colorants

1246 Maidencreek Rd Fleetwood, PA 19522 (610) 926-0984 sales@cmcmilling.com www.cmcmulchcolorants.com Custom Milling & Consulting, Inc. has designed a premium line of mulch colorants with unsurpassed color consistency and stability. CMC combines the most lightfast pigments with a superior additive package and processes this mixture through our custom grinding and dispersing system. Innovative technology for superior quality with CMC Mulch Colorants! See ad on pg 24

Composting Council of Canada Toronto, ON Canada (877) 571-4769 www.compost.org

Continental Biomass Ind Newton, NH (603) 382-0556 www.cbi-inc.com

CW Machine Worx Ltd

4805 Scooby Ln Carroll, OH 43112 (740) 808-3130 Hugh Gordon, Sales & Product Mgr h.gordon@companywrench.com www.cwmachineworx.com HAWC / Dust Destroyer-300-80-D and 25065-D Models: The HAWC / Dust Destroyer’s are multi-patented, diesel, self-contained system, powered by a diesel engine. Water throw is 300 ft, 360 degree rotation, and 35 degree elevation, 150psi booster pump, and 1,000 ft remote control. Use them for dust suppression, evaporation, material retention, irrigation, and a number of other uses.

DynaHog®

14 Commerce Dr Sabetha, KS 66534 (800) 743-3491 Jason Haug, Parts Sales sales@dynahog.com www.dynahog.com DynaHog® offers High Performance Grinder Parts for your Swing Hammer Style Tub Grinder, Horizontal Grinder, and other Hammermill Applications. Rotor repair or replacement and digital hammermill balancing is available for all brands.

Earth & Turf Products LLC

ComposTex

New Holland, PA (888) 693-2638 www.earthandturf.com

Compost Covers

Diamond Z

ClearSpan Fabric Structures

1395 John Fitch Blvd South Windsor, CT 06074 (866) 643-1010 trussinquiry@clearspan.com www.ClearSpan.com/ADSMPN ClearSpan Fabric Structures are a fast, economical solution for the soil and mulch industry. ClearSpan’s Hercules Truss Arch Buildings feature exceptional height and wide-open spaces with ample clearance for equipment access. Made in the USA, these buildings can be built to any length and up to 300’ wide. See ad on pg 27

CV Compost

Mobile: (802) 363-3930 www.cvcompost.com/ccovers.php ComposTex compost covers offer valuable protection to compost, mulch, topsoil, or biofuels from excess rainfall and/or the drying effects of sun and wind. Made of 100% UV-protected polypropylene fibers, ComposTex is completely permeable to O2, CO2, and water vapor but sheds 100% of rainfall and snowmelt. Easy to secure from the wind, highly durable, reasonably priced and available in custom sizes.

11299 Bass Ln Caldwell, ID 83605 (208) 585-2929 Pat Crawford, VP Products diamondz@diamondz.com www.diamondz.com Diamond Z is a manufacturer of industrial waste reduction products including both tub and horizontal grinders ranging in sizes from 30,000 to 180,000 lbs and in horse powers from 440 to over 2400. All models are available with either diesel or electric power, track stationary or wheel mounted. See ad on pg 25

Duff Brush LLC

630 7th St, PO Box 34 Menominee, MI 49858 (877) 863-3319 duffbrush@gmail.com www.duffbrush.com See ad on pg 30

Earth Shades

PO Box 43188 Cincinnati, OH 45243 (877) 685-2439 Dave Dutill ddutill@mulchdye.com www.mulchdye.com Whether large volume or small, Earth Shades product lines cover all of your mulch coloring needs. With strategic partnerships throughout the industry, Earth Shades continues to improve products and services. Contact us today so we can help you add a little color to your world. See ad on pg 23

January / February 2016 Soil & Mulch Producer News 15

2016

E Continued

BUYERS’ GUIDE F

EarthSaver Equipment

Kalispell, MT (406) 752-6290 www.earthsaverequipment.com

Ecoverse

EC ALL Ltd / Big Hanna Composter

8656 Rockridge Ct Macedonia, OH 44056 (612) 237-0831 Eskil Eriksson, President eskil.eriksson@ec-all-ltd.com www.ec-all-ltd.com Big Hanna is a Swedish, on-site, invessel, aerobic composting machine. The automated, continuous process produces pathogen free, ready compost from food wastes, including fish, meat and dairy solids. Big Hanna can operate in warm and cold climates, indoors and outdoors. Capacities range from 330 to 5,300 lbs. per week.

1265 Lear Industrial Pkwy Avon, OH 44011 (440) 937-3225 www.ecoverse.net The Ecoverse story began in 2001 with the introduction of the Doppstadt line, sold through DoppstadtUS, and has since grown to incorporate BACKHUS, Backers, Tiger, Stationary Solutions, and Harvest Quest. Headquartered in Avon, Ohio, Ecoverse delivers a full line of environmental processing equipment. See ad on pg 8

EcoVision Environmental

Pickering, ON Canada (289) 987-4567 www.ecovisionenvironmental.com

Edge Innovate

Dungannon, N. Ireland +44 (0)28 8774 0525 www.edgeinnovate.com

Ecolawn Applicator

PO Box 839 Derby Line, VT 05830 (802) 673-9077 Keith Schuler keith@ecolawnapplicator.com www.ecolawnapplicator.com See ad on pg 30

Conferences & Special Events: June 6-9, 2016 Exhibits: June 7-9, 2016 Las Vegas, Convention Center Las Vegas, NV, USA wasteexpo.com www.wasteexpo.com

16 Soil & Mulch Producer News

PO Box 39 Register, GA 30452 (916) 681-2763 David Leavell, Sales & Mktg Mgr dleavell@farmerautomatic.com www.farmerautomatic.com Aggero, LLC is the new name in poultry waste management by Farmer Automatic of America Inc. Continuing to engineer and manufacture of the most innovative composting equipment in the US today with over 30 years of experience. “Our Innovation Is Your Success!” See ad on pg 11

Fecon Inc

Lebanon, OH (800) 528-3113 www.fecon.com

Filtrexx International Grafton, OH (440) 926-2607 www.filtrexx.com

Greenwood Farms / Color Critter

4278 Albany St Albany, NY 12205 (518) 464-5030 ext 4 www.colorcritter.com The COLOR CRITTER has a new and improved design! It will ensure uniformly colored finished product while maximizing production from your colorant. The new COLOR CRITTER will turn your wood fiber, pallet or whole tree mulch into beautifully colored enhanced mulch during the secondary grind using minimal water!

GrinderCrusherScreen.com West Coast (971) 344-0001 East Coast (770) 433-2670

Finn Corporation Fairfield, OH (800) 543-7166 www.finncorp.com

Florida Coastal Colors

Helena, AL (205) 664-5041 www.floridacoastalcolors.com

EcoSafe Zero Waste

Surrey, BC Canada (604) 560-5133 www.ecosafezerowaste.com

Farmer Automatic of America Inc

Express Blower, Inc

1275 Bailey Hill Rd Eugene, OR 97402 (800) 285-7227 Jason Wedmore, Natl Accounts Mgr info@expressblower.com www.expressblower.com Express Blower, Inc. is the world’s leading manufacturer and distributor of large pneumatic blowing equipment. Quickly install compost blankets and berms to the remotest locations for permanent sediment and erosion control. Also spread large or small quantities of mulch, compost, soil blends, and aggregates for landscapes, green roofs and Terraseeding®.

EZ-Screen

Pontiac, MI (248) 745-5828 www.ez-screen.com

January / February 2016

Foley Engines

Worcester, MA (800) 233-6539 www.foleyengines.com

FOR Solutions

(973) 945-9150 www.forsolutionsllc.com

Gore Cover Systems Newark, DE (888) 914-4673 www.gore.com

Green Mountain Technologies

Bainbridge Island, WA (802) 368-7291 www.compostingtechnology.com

Grinder Wear Parts Inc

2062 – 20th Ave SE Largo, FL 33771 (800) 827-0401 Wayne Brown, Executive VP info@grinderwearparts.com www.grinderwearparts.com Factory direct tub and horizontal grinder wear parts manufactured at our facilities on both coasts, Florida & Oregon. Over 15 years’ experience delivering wear parts for most every grinder assisted by our knowledgeable sales & manufacturing staff. If you need to improve your operating costs then you need to contact us for your wear parts: tips, bolts, nuts, hammers, screens, cutter bars, wear plates and much more!

2016

BUYERS’ GUIDE

Guard-All Building Solutions

JRM Chemical

Dallas, TX (877) 397-1594 www.guard-all.com

Cleveland, OH (800) 962-4010 www.soilmoist.com

HALLCO Industries, Inc Tillamook, OR (800) 542-5526 www.hallcoindustries.com

Hamer - Fischbein

14650 28th Ave N Plymouth, MN 55447 (800) 927-4674 packaging@hamerinc.com www.hamerinc.com Everything in Bagging Equipment™ Hamer equipment offers faster, more accurate packaging while keeping designs simple, robust and easy to maintain. Experts in bagging soil, mulch, sand, aggregates and compost. Bulk material handling, Volumetric Fillers; Form, Fill & Seal technology, as well as bag handling conveyors, palletizers and wrappers. See ad on pg 26

HogZilla® Grinders

14 Commerce Dr Sabetha, KS 66534 (800) 743-3491 Tim Wenger, VP/Sales Mgr hogzilla@cwmill.com www.hogzilla.com Diesel or electric powered HogZilla® MONSTER Tub & Horizontal Grinders ranging from 565-2000HP. Options including self-propelled track drive and self-loading units available. HogZilla® MONSTER Grinders provide the highest production rates for solid waste reduction, wood recycling, land clearing, construction demolition debris, mulch production, tire processing, or any other tough grinding application. See ad on pg 29

IPL Inc

St-Damien-de-Buckland, QC Canada (800) 463-0270 www.ipl-plastics.com

Hammel NY

Lachenmeier

Glenview, IL (877) 859 7205 www.lachenmeier.us

Keith Mfg Co

Legacy Building Solutions

Madras, OR (541) 475-3802 www.keithwalkingfloor.com

South Haven, MN (320) 259-7126 www.legacybuildingsolutions.com

Kennametal Inc

Lindner America LLC

Latrobe, PA (800) 458-3608 www.Kennametal.com

Raleigh, NC (720) 890-9090 www.l-rt.com

King Kong Tools LLC

(800) 747-2973 info@loadscan.com www.loadscan.com Are you over supplying on outbound loads? Being under supplied on inbound loads? Are you constantly dealing with discrepancies around quantities supplied? Are you converting from weight to volume? LOADSCAN has the answer to your issues. Our load volume scanning technology provides fast, accurate, non-contact, drive through volume measurement. See our ad on pg 10

Loadscan Limited

753 Church St Buford, GA 30518 (678) 765-7930 info@kingkong-tools.com www.kingkong-tools.com King Kong Tools provides a huge variety of hardfaced and carbide-tipped wearparts “Made in Germany” for virtually all models of wood grinders and shredders. Our unique King Grit™ hardfacing process stands for high performance cutting and the highest wear resistance in the industry. More Grinding - More Profit! See ad on pg 8

Bohemia, NY (219) 929-5824 www.hammelny.com

HCL Machine Works 15142 Merrill Ave Dos Palos, CA 93620 (209) 392-6103 casey@unwiredbb.com www.compostturners.com See ad on pg 30

Heritage Bag Co

Carrollton, TX (800) 527-2247 www.heritage-bag.com

ATTENTION

ADvERTISERS! Schedule your 4-color logo/photo listing in our 2017 Buyers’ Guide Issue! For details, call 440-257-6453.

J&J Truck Bodies & Trailers

10558 Somerset Pike Somerset, PA 15501 (800) 777-2671 x3410 Corey Sechler, Sales Manager cls@jjbodies.com www.jjbodies.com The DynaHauler® /Live Floor is an open top transfer trailer engineered for municipal or commercial use and is ideal for use in mulch hauling applications. The trailer unloads horizontally and is available in steel or aluminum and includes hard working features such as four heavy-duty aluminum cast hinges with stainless steel pins. See ad on pg 6

Johnson & Sons Mfg Inc

Elgin, TX (800) 463-0270 www.johnsonbaggingequipment.com

Komptech Americas LLC

10855 Dover St, Ste 1000 Westminster, CO 80021 (720) 890-9090 info@komptechamericas.com www.komptechamericas.com Komptech is a leading international technology supplier of machinery and systems for the mechanical and mechanical-biological treatment of solid waste and for the treatment of biomass as a renewable energy source. See ad on pg 32

Kuhn North America Inc Brodhead, WI (608) 897-2131 www.kuhnnorthamerica.com

McCloskey International

1 McCloskey Rd Keene, ON CANADA K9J 0G6 (705) 295-4925 Julie Andras, Sales Development Mgr jandras@mccloskeyinternational.com www.mccloskeyinternational.com McCloskey International leads the industry with a complete line of equipment including: trommels, screeners and stacking conveyors ideally suited to topsoil, compost and mulch. With proven performance and durability as standard, every product is field-tested before being deployed through a global network of authorized dealers.

January / February 2016 Soil & Mulch Producer News 17

2016

M Continued

BUYERS’ GUIDE

Natural Light Fabric Structures, LLC Jordan, MN (888) 708-3272 www.nlfabric.com

Nature’s Reflections

Reynoldsburg, OH (866) 466-9134 www.natures-reflections.net

Mollers North America

5215 52nd St, SE Grand Rapids, MI 49512 (616) 942-6504 mollersna@mollersna.com www.mollersna.com For over 60 years, Mollers has set the standard for bag and unit load material handling systems. Mollers offers innovative solutions to pack, palletize and protect a wide variety of products. Mollers’ systems are reliable and reflect a history of engineering excellence customer satisfaction.

Peterson Pacific Corp

Circle Pines, MN (763) 225-6652 www.natur-tec.com

NCM Odor Control

South River, NJ (570) 460-8476 www.ncmodorcontrol.com

Scranton, IA (712) 652-3396 www.newwaytrucks.com

8507 South Winn Rd, PO Box 1000 Winn, MI 48896 (800) 831-0042 www.morbark.com Morbark builds equipment that creates opportunities in the forestry, recycling, sawmill, bio-energy, and tree care markets. Morbark equipment helps customers harvest, process, and convert wood and other organic materials into valuable, useful, and environmentally sound products. See ad on pg 2

Orbit Screens, Inc

PO Box 345 Delhi, IA 52223 (563) 922-9230 orbitsales@orbitscreens.com www.orbitscreens.com One of Americas finest Screening Plant innovations. Truly a “General Purpose” machine. Screen topsoil, Mulch, Compost, Rock, Sand, yard waste, etc. Visit our web site for videos, photos and performance charts. Proudly, Made in the USA.

January / February 2016

Poly-Flex Inc

Grand Prairie, TX (888) 765-9359 www.poly-flex.com

Eugene, OR (541) 343-7600 www.omri.org

Charlotte, NC (704) 588-9191 www.otto-usa.com

2525 W Evan Ave Denver, CO 20219 (303) 495-5010 www.Novap.us Van Claud, VP Sales –Decorative Landscape Products Div. van@novap.us (757) 377-6299 Designers and Manufacturers of : Horizontal Form, Fill Seal Machines, Conventional Palletizer, Rob otic Palletizers, Radial Arm & Turntable Wrappers, Volumetric and Load Cell Weigh Baggers, Bulk Bag Loading Systems, Soil Blending Systems, Chain and Belt Conveyors, and Bulk Feeders. See ad on pg 23

PO Box 40490 Eugene OR 97404-0082 (541) 689-6520 www.petersoncorp.com In 1990 Peterson developed its first wood waste recycling machine. Continuous development of wood grinders, with production rates up to 150 tons per hour. With our line of blower trucks, Peterson has extended its reach into the soil erosion and landscape markets, building trucks designed for distributing bark, mulch, compost, and soil amendments. See ad on pg 5

Organics Materials Review Institute

Otto Environmental Systems NA

Nova Packaging LLC

18 Soil & Mulch Producer News

Long Grove, IL (800) 662-6367 www.odormanagement.com

Natur-Tec®

New Way Trucks

7809 FM 179 Shallowater, TX 79363 (806) 832-1810 Robert LaGasse, Executive Director execdir@mulchandsoilcouncil.org www.mulchandsoilcouncil.org The mission of the MSC is to define quality products and promote an open marketplace for producers of horticultural mulches, consumer soils and commercial growing media. Join with the industry’s leading companies to expand the market for consumer and commercial mulch and soil products.

OMI Industries

Beachwood, OH (800) 321-4804 www.nfpco.com

Liverpool, NY (864) 606-9830 www.neuenhauserna.com

Mulch & Soil Council (MSC)

Montreal, QC Canada (514) 340-5250 www.odotech.com

Nature Friendly Products

Neuenhauser North America

Morbark Inc

Odotech Inc

Patz Corporation

917 Business 141, PO Box 7 Pound, WI 54161 (920) 897-2251 Brian Hoffeller, Territory Sales Mgr brianhoffeller@patzcorp.com www.patzcorp.com

Peel Plastic Products Brampton, ON Canada (905) 456-3660 www.peelplastics.com

Peninsula Equipment

Lakeland, FL (888) 387-6500 www.peninsulaequipment.com

Premier Tech Chronos

1, Avenue Premier Rivière-du-Loup, QC G5R 6C1 Canada (418) 868-8324 info@ptchronos.com www.ptchronos.com Premier Tech Chronos is recognized worldwide for its innovative solutions and unique way of designing state-ofthe-art packaging equipment: screening systems, hopper, volumetric feeder, manual bagger, FFS bagger, palletizers, and stretch wrappers/hooders. Our dynamic team is constantly aware of the soil and mulch industry growth, providing you with engineering excellence and solutions that will fit your specific needs. See ad on pg 11

Prism Corporation

St Paul, MN (651) 488-4250 www.prismcorporation.com

2016

BUYERS’ GUIDE REOTEMP Instrument Corp San Diego, CA (800) 648-7737 www.reotemp.com/compost

Resource Recovery Systems Intl Sterling, CO (970) 522-0663 www.rrskw.com

Salerno Packaging Inc Monroe, GA (770) 361-7308 www.salernobags.com

SCARAB Mfg

White Deer, TX (806) 883-7621 www.scarabmfg.com

Slootweg Machinefabriek B.V. Rawlings Manufacturing Inc

PO Box 4485 Missoula, MT 59806 (406) 728-6182 Judi Tyacke, Sales/Project Manager judi@rawlingsmanufacturing.com www.wastewoodhogs.com Rawlings wood waste recovery systems are available in stationary, portable and skid mounted systems; both vertical and horizontal models are available. See ad on pg 3

Rayco Manufacturing, Inc Wooster, OH (800) 392-2686 www.raycomfg.com

REAL DEMANDS. REAL SOLUTIONS.

Scott Equipment Company Rethceif Packaging

420 Industrial Pkwy Ossian, IN 46777 (260) 622-7200 Greg Thornton, COO/President greg@rethceif.com www.rethceif.com Rethceif provides solutions for feeding, packaging and palletizing agriculture, forestry and other products. Whether customers need standard or customized equipment, the Rethceif team of salespeople, engineers and technicians is the supplier of choice for customers in North America and Australia. Rethceif delivers with quality components, less parts and more productivity.

Revolver Screening Systems Guelph, ON Canada (416) 460-5285 www.revolvertrommels.com

605 4th Ave NW New Prague, MN 56071 (800) 264-9519 info@scottequipment.com www.turborecycling.com Scott Equipment Company has been designing and manufacturing food waste depackaging systems in their two Minnesota factories since 1996. With over 250 Turbo Separator systems sold worldwide, Scott Equipment has the expertise, turn-key system, and service. Three models available with up to 20 ton per hour without the need for water. Processes any type of food waste, including canned products. See ad on pg 22

J.C. Beetslaan 167 2131AL Hoofddorp, Netherlands +31 23 5689070 Albert Slootweg albert@slootweg.com www.slootweg.com Slootweg, as manufacturer and global supplier of complete computer-controlled mixing and screening equipment, crushers, mills and packaging systems, is the right partner for you as a supplier of horticultural mulches, consumer potting soils and commercial growing media.

SmithCo Side-Dump Trailers Le Mars, IA (800) 779-8099 www.sidedump.com

SPALECK GmbH & Co. KG Bocholt, Germany +49 2871 2134-649 www.spaleck-us.com

Screen Machine Industries Etna, OH (800) 837-3344 www.screenmachine.com

Screen USA Inc

Smyrna, GA (770) 433-2440 www.grindercrusherscreen.com

REA JET

3230-R Peachtree Corners Circle Peachtree Corners, GA 30092 (678) 205-5960 Nicole Richie, Marketing Manager nrichie@reajetus.com www.reajetus.com REA JET has been a global leader of marking and coding technology for over 30 years. Designed and manufactured to adapt to all industries, REA JET provides flexible and reliable systems suitable for any dusty or harsh environment often found in the soil and mulch industry

Rehrig Pacific Company Dallas, TX (800) 421-6244 www.rehrigpacific.com

REMU USA Inc

Old Orchard Beach, ME (888) 600-0018 www.remu.fi

Join the Mulch & Soil Council TODAY ... Rotochopper Inc

217 West St St Martin, MN 56376 (320) 548-3586 info@rotochopper.com www.rotochopper.com Rotochopper manufactures grinding and slow-speed shredding equipment that converts wood waste into premium l a n d s ca p e m u l c h a n d c o m p o s t . Rotochopper also offers portable bagging systems for mulch, compost, topsoil, decorative rock, and other products. See ad on pg 31

Sundance Grinders LLC

3079 Brickhouse Ct Virginia Beach, VA 23452 (800) 570-3551 sales@sundancegrinders.com www.sundancegrinders.com For over three decades Sundance has addressed the needs of small to medium sized biomass and recycling operations by supplying versatile, dependable, and affordable grinding equipment. A Sundance horizontal grinder is an ideal solution for mulching, composting, landscaping, agriculture, forestry, and C&D operations. See ad on pg 30

YOUR best opportunity to protect YOUR business!

806-832-1810

www.mulchandsoilcouncil.org January / February 2016 Soil & Mulch Producer News 19

2016

BUYERS’ GUIDE Warren & Baerg Mfg Dinuba, CA (559) 591-6790 www.warrenbaerg.com

T.H. Glennon Co Inc Salisbury, MA (978) 465-7222 www.mulchcolorjet.com

Terex Environmental Equipment Farwell, MI (989) 588-4295 www.terex.com

The Trailer Company Inc Bakersfield, CA (661) 324-7377 www.trailercompany.com

Toter/Wastequip Statesville, NC (972) 506-8575 www.wastequip.com

Travis Body & Trailer Inc Houston, TX (800) 535-4372 www.travistrailers.com

Trinity Trailer Mfg Inc

8200 South Eisenman Rd Boise, ID 83716 (800) 235-6577 sales@trinitytrailer.com www.trinitytrailer.com Trinity Trailer’s new generation of light weight Eagle Bridge Stainless Steel truck beds feature the Trinity Trailer chain and flap unload system that has made Trinity’s trailers so popular. This unload system greatly reduces belt slippage and provides a fast clean unload. Trinity’s high capacity beds are also remarkably light. Designed for applications where it is just not practical to maneuver semi trailers or when a smaller load needs delivered. See ad on pg 28

U.S. Composting Council Ronkonkoma, NY (631) 737-4931 www.compostingcouncil.org

United Rotary Brush Corp Tricon Precast Ltd

15055 Henry Rd Houston, TX 77060 (281) 931-9832 Valerie Campos, Alfabloc Sales Rep Valerie@triconprecast.com www.triconprecast.com The Alfabloc® Wall System is a very efficient and versatile concept in bunkering wall design. With the ability to remain freestanding to allow for reconfigurable bays and to be ground fixed for permanent installations, makes it the most versatile precast concrete bunkering wall system available today.

15607 W 100th Terrace Lenexa, KS 66219 (913) 888-8450 engineered@united-rotary.com www.united-rotary.com See ad on pg 30

Vecoplan Midwest

ATTENTION

ADvERTISERS! Schedule your 4-color logo/photo listing in our 2017 Buyers’ Guide Issue! For details, call 440-257-6453.

PO Box 5288 Salem, OR 97304 (800) 722-3530 Bob DeSouza, General Manager info@westsalem.com www.westsalem.com WSM Grinders, Screens, & Systems make mulch and soil processing reliable, less labor intensive, and more profitable. Capacities from 100-500 cubic yards/ hour. Bulk feeders for less material handling. Pre-screening and cleaning reduces grinder wear, lowers energy consumption, and increases throughput. WSM Grinders produce premium quality mulch. Finish screening for precise product classification. All in one integrated package. Engineering and project management insure a smooth start-up and productive installation. See ad on pg 22

Winn, MI (844)262-3649 www.winnparts.com

Wonder Tote

Las Vegas, NV 855-3-wonder www.wondertote.com

Universal Refiner Corp Montesano, WA (800) 277-8068 www.universalrefiner.com

West Salem Machinery

Winn Wear Parts & Supplies

Columbus, OH (614) 586-1780 www.universalequipmentmfg.com

Floyds Knobs, IN (812) 923-4992 www.vecoplanmidwest.com

20 Soil & Mulch Producer News

1210 Vermeer Rd East Pella, IA 50219 (641) 628-3141 888-VERMEER salesinfo@vermeer.com www.vermeer.com Ve r m e e r d e l i v e r s a r e a l i m p a c t in a progressing world through the manufacture of high-quality environmental equipment, including trommel screens, compost turners, and horizontal and tub grinders. With a reputation for durability and reliability, that equipment is backed by localized customer service and support provided by independent dealers around the world. See ad on pg 7

Universal Equip Mfg

Trinity Packaging Corp Armonk, NY (914) 273-4111 www.trinitypackaging.com

Vermeer

Walz Scale Company

656 High Point Ln East Peoria, IL 61611 (309) 694-3200 Matt Walz, Vice President mwalz@walzscale.com www.walzscale.com Walz Scale has been supplying weighing and measurement equipment to the mulch and agriculture industry for nearly 50 years. Our family owned business specializes in truck scales, onboard scale systems and in-motion volumetric load scanning technologies. Walz Scale is your single source for weighing and measurement solutions.

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January / February 2016

Put the squeeze on excess shipping costs. Use up to 50% less water with Sahara® coloring systems. Excess water in your colored mulch bloats shipping costs. BASF Sahara® and Sahara® Pro coloring systems help you produce superior colorenhanced mulch using significantly less water. Which reduces drying time and wrings the excess out of your shipping costs. Call for a thorough needs assessment to determine which model best fits your operation.

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January / February 2016 Soil & Mulch Producer News 21

Soil

Mulch Producer NEWS

Appalachian Timber Future Looks Bright

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aleigh, NC – Figures from the North Carolina Forestry Association point to better times ahead, but the health of the industry is figuratively not out of the woods as yet, a Citizen-Times.com article reports. The not-so-good news: one forester in the area says there’s been a 30 percent decline in pricing from the start of 2015 in a number of wood grades coupled with a weakening of overseas markets, mainly China and Vietnam. Domestically, recovery from the Great Recession is continuing, but housing construction remains sluggish, contributing to soft demand for hardwood flooring over the past 12 months. Then, at the end of 2015, heavy rains put a damper on logging in the area. At the turn of this century, the Appalachian Mountains region generated 13 billion board feet annually. Though those days aren’t likely to return for the near term, the Raleigh-based Forestry Association sees prosperity in the future. In 2005, U.S. hardwood-lumber sector generated 11.7 billion board feet for making furniture, cabinets, flooring and pallets, according to data provided by the Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers. That figure dropped to 7.8 billion in 2008, the first year of the Great Recession. Between 2009 and 2013, annual board feet output fluctuated 7.5 billion and 8 billion. Output rose to 9 billion board feet last year.

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Soil

CompostUSA Faces Opposition in Florida

t. Lucie County, FL – A planned biosolids composting plant will remain on paper while St. Lucie county government formulates new regulations to cover location and operation of such facilities, reports a TCPalm. com article. Last year, residents voiced loud opposition to a large-scale composting facility that was proposed by CompostUSA. Concerns about the compost-making process arose when residents learned that animal manure and sewage sludge would be included. The county hired a firm to complete a health impact study on biosolids composting, but even though the findings showed minimal negative health impacts, community protests about potential odor and noise problems continued. CompostUSA voluntarily withdrew its proposal in November, about a week before St. Lucie County Commissioners were to take a vote on the project. The Commissioners instead voted to review existing zoning and other ordinances and write new ones. This move effectively blocks the construction of any new biosolids and composting facilities while protecting the government from legal action. Under Florida’s Bert Harris Act, owners may seek damages if they believe their right to develop private property has been infringed. The county’s existing codes allow large-scale composting, so long as operators meet the qualifications. Commissioners in adjacent Martin County also moved to block any biosolids composting.

Mulch Producer NEWS

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Hamer and Fischbein Americas Merge

lymouth, MN – Both companies announce that as of January 1, 2016 they will merge to form one organization, HamerFischbein, under the Duravant family of operating companies. Hamer and Fischbein Americas, both companies with a stronghold in the industrial bagging and bag closing equipment industries, have announced that they will combine operations to further enhance their ability to offer packaging equipment solutions to their customers. The Hamer-Fischbein union combines almost 200 years of industrial bag closing and automated packaging experience. The company will continue to focus on its core businesses: Bag Filling, Bag Closing, Automated Bagging and Robotic Palletizing. “Hamer-Fischbein is a logical and strategic move for Duravant,” states Dan Brown, President of Hamer-Fischbein. “Combining the two companies’ technology and engineering strengths across our main equipment segments will accelerate new product development and allow us to bring this innovation and value to our customers,” adds Brown.

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January / February 2016 Soil & Mulch Producer News 23

Soil

Mulch Producer NEWS

North Carolina Company Expands Composting Business

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dvance, NC – Family-run Wallace Farm Inc., which has been making compost since the 1960s, is opening a new largescale facility that will accept organic waste from municipalities, manufacturing plants and food-processing facilities, reports Winston Salem Journal at Journalnow.com. The new facility will process yard waste, land clearing debris, sawdust, cotton, tobacco, animal manures, food-processing and wastetreatment residuals, and food waste into compost for bulk sales to landscapers, farm stores, supply outlets and the public. Wallace has been a long-time supplier of top soils, garden soils and potting mixes sold under its brand name, as well as private labels by large retailers. The plant will employ a staff of ten. Currently, the company operates another facility in Huntersville staffed by 60 full-time employees that handles 100,000 tons of organic materials annually. “There is growing demand for compost operations, both from the folks who supply us with the raw material, and from retailers and consumers who use the finished products,” said Eric Wallace, a family member in the company.

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Denver Expands Composting Program

enver, Co – The city of Denver’s Solid Waste Management department is expanding its residential composting program to include 7,500 more homes, according to a DenverPost.com article. Additional routes have been made possible with $660,000 in new funds. At the end of 2016, the city will be providing curbside organic waste collection to about 17,500 homes, supplying each with a two-gallon pail and a large trash container. Residents will be billed $9.70 per month on a quarterly basis (or $107 if they pay for a whole year for the service). Allowable items include food and yard waste and paper products that can’t be recycled, such as paper towels. A city spokesperson says each route costs about $400,000 to start, which includes a new truck. The program’s budget for 2016 is $660,000; the new trucks were purchased in 2015. A pilot project begun in 2008 became a feebased service in 2010, expanding to four routes in 2014. Although participation hasn’t grown to the same level as recycling, the spokesperson says this is a step in the right direction. Once the program catches on, the service may be offered at no charge. About 11 percent of the eligible homes compost, while more than 70 percent use the recycling program, which is free.

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January / February 2016

Soil

Mulch Producer NEWS

North Florida City to Compost Biosolids

ensacola, FL – Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (ECUA) soon will begin a large-scale composting operation using a combination of yard and kitchen waste, along with treated sludge, according to a PNJ.com article. “We think we can save some money doing this because we’re not paying tipping fees to dispose of the waste in a landfill, we’re not paying natural gas fees to dry the sludge, so those are two expenses we are offsetting,” said Don Palmer, ECUA director of Water Reclamation and Composting. “And then third, we think we could sell it to provide some income.” From start to finish, the composting process will take approximately 90 days, Palmer says. Yard and food waste, combined with the “inoculated” sludge from the county’s wastewater treatment plant, will be layered in long windrows, and then capped with six to 12 inches of wood waste, Palmer explains. The layering process helps to ensure air and heat circulation, while the cap helps create a biological barrier and odor filter, and also insulates the compost pile. Palmer says the piles will be turned far less frequently than the more commonly used three- or five-day turning cycle, which he says tends to release offensive odors. ECUA workers will allow the material to sit for 30 days, turn it, and then allow it to sit another 15 days before putting material through a screening and curing process. ECUA is enrolled in the U.S. Composting Council’s Seal of Testing and Assurance Program, which requires a rigorous set of parameters to be met for composting product. In addition, the compost material must pass several tests mandated by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection that pertain to the level of metals the product can contain. Once the compost passes those tests, as well as soil nutrient tests, ECUA plans to offer the finished product for sale to farmers and nurseries. As the composting program is rolled out this year, ECUA will offer to residents 30-gallon, biodegradable paper bags. The bags will be easy for residents to use and also save an extra step of removing the material before it is pushed through a grinder.

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January / February 2016

Soil

Mulch Producer NEWS

MSC Proposes Uniform Testing Clarifications By Robert C. LaGasse, Executive Director Mulch & Soil Council

n an ongoing effort to seek fairness in the market place and promote uniform testing between industry and state regulators, the Mulch & Soil Council (MSC) successfully defended proposed editorial clarifications to NIST Handbook 133 at the Interim Meeting of the National Conference on Weights & Measures (NCWM) in early January. The meeting was the next-to-last step in a year-long process to clarify federal guidelines for testing the volumetric fill of mulch packages. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Office of Weights & Measures (OWM) is under the U.S. Department of Commerce. NIST Handbook 133, Checking the Net Contents of Packaged Goods, establishes national guidelines for testing package fill volume and has typically been supplemented by classroom courses taught by NIST OWM and video instruction created jointly by NIST and MSC. NIST Handbook 133 provided the overview of the testing protocol while the classroom and video instructions provided detailed process clarifications. In the current era of declining budgets, less training has been available forcing industry and state regulators to rely more on NIST Handbook 133 as a sole, but incomplete, source of instruction. The result is that some steps in the test protocol were subject to wide interpretation by whomever was conducting the test, and those individual interpretations caused variable, non-uniform testing results. For manufacturers, it is absolutely essential that product testing is strictly uniform across all jurisdictions or it would be impossible to conduct interstate commerce. Both the Council and NIST OWM realized

Handbook 133 needed clarification if it was to be relied upon as a sole source of instruction; so, a joint NIST/MSC effort was made to clarify the test protocol by incorporating elements from the classroom and video instructions into an expanded process description for NIST Handbook 133. As a counter balance to unilateral federal action, the NIST handbooks (130, 133, 40 & 44) can only be changed by majority vote of state officials. Since the NCWM represents state weights & measures officials, that organization provides the vehicle for industry and regulators to work together for agreement on standards. So, MSC presented its joint proposal with NIST to the 4 regional meetings of NCWM before taking the issue to the national conference for hearing before the Laws & Regulations Committee at the interim annual meeting this January. After hearing state concerns for various language or procedural changes and industry’s response to those concerns, the L&R Committee voted (3 to 2) to move the proposal forward as a voting item for the annual meeting in July. If the proposal is also approved at the annual meeting, the mulch test procedure described in NIST Handbook 133 will be updated for the 2017 edition. The Mulch & Soil Council strongly supports the efforts of state and local weights & measures officials in helping to maintain a level playing field for industry and will continue its efforts to promote uniform testing for industry and all regulatory jurisdictions. For a copy of the proposed clarifications to NIST Handbook 133, contact the MSC office at info@ mulchandsoilcouncil.org and request a copy of “NCWM Pub 15”.

Join the Mulch & Soil Council TODAY ... YOUR best opportunity to protect YOUR business! For more information, call 806-832-1810 or visit www.mulchandsoilcouncil.org

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www.hogzilla.com January / February 2016 Soil & Mulch Producer News 29

Soil

Mulch Producer NEWS

$10-Million Project: Researchers Study New Biomass Fuel Feedstock

tate College, PA – As a U.S. Department of Agriculture-sponsored program is fueling investigation into new, multifaceted biomass feedstock, the homely shrub willow holds promise, reports OnwardState.com. In 2012, researchers at the Pennsylvania State University planted shrub willow on a 34acre strip of land off Interstate 99 near State College. Armen Kemanian, Assistant Professor of Production Systems and Modeling, along with his assistants waited three years to harvest the slender plants which had reached about 20 feet in height. Giant forage harvesters were brought in from New York to roll over the crop and grind it into chips. The machinery and additional assistance were provided by New York-based companies Double A Willow and Celtic Energy. The Penn State project is being undertaken as part of The Northeast Woody/Warm-season Biomass Consortium, NEWBio, a network of universities, businesses, and governmental organizations that are hoping to commercialize biomass energy in the Northeast. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has funded this and six similar biomass projects since 2012, although the shrub willow project at Penn State is one of the largest. “We are working out some of the kinks,” says Michael Jacobson, Professor of Forest Resources, who serves as Chair of Forest Ecosystem Management Program and co-

chairman of NEWBio with Kemanian. “The point is, it’s very important to understand the economics. You can’t look at just one harvest and decide if it breaks even or not. There are 15 to 20 years of multiple cycles.” Three years of growth in a similar plot size, the researchers estimate, can produce about 800 tons of biomass. The willows that were planted in 2012 can be regenerated about seven times, giving that one planting a lifespan of decades, Kemanian explains. The plant has been under study by a number of researcher because it offers easy cultivation, broad genetic base, requires far less labor and maintenance than an agricultural crop like corn or soybeans and could be a worthy alternative to the hassles of cross-raising corn for ethanol, Jacobson believes. The 2007 Taylor & Francis Group p ap e r, “ Re n e w ab l e E n e rg y f ro m Willow Biomass Crops: Life Cycle Energy, Environmental and Economic Performance,” Gregory A. Keoleiana & Timothy A. Volk examine the plant as a large-scale biomass candidate. According to Keoleiana and Volk, “The net energy ratio (electricity generated/life cycle fossil fuel consumed) for willow ranges from 10 to 13 for direct firing and gasification processes. Reductions of 70 to 98 percent

(compared to U.S. grid generated electricity) in greenhouse gas emissions as well as NOx, SO2, and particulate emissions are achieved.” The 2010 Shrub Willow Biomass Producer’s Handbook, put out by State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, points to approximately1.5 million acres of barren or underutilized farm land that could be planted in shrub willow. The Handbook notes the potential to improve farm finances, as well as stimulate the rural economy by providing a new source of revenue, a new crop market, and environmental benefits. According to Kemanian, the shrub willow readily takes to ground that might be undesirable for other plants because of the terrain or soil itself. Because of this, more valuable ground can be reserved for other crops. Shrub willow also could be a valuable specimen plant for reclamation projects. Tests are being conducted to see if the shrub improves the soil where it’s planted and how much carbon dioxide it emits as it grows. Meanwhile, a Phoenix-based company purchased willow chips from Penn State’s first harvest for use as an absorbing agent on construction sites. NEWBio partners include Cornell University, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, West Virginia University, Delaware State University, Ohio State University, Rutgers University, USDA’s Eastern Regional Research Center, and DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Idaho National Laboratory.

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VOL. X NO. 1

JAN / FEB 2016

Inside This Issue

2016 BUYERS’ GUIDE Pages 13-20

Blowing the Competition Away … Start Up Material Blower Company Taps into Growing Denver Landscaping Market PAGE 1 House Investigates Calls for Prosecution of Climate Skeptics PAGE 4 Forest Owners Urge EPA to Clarify Biomass Policy PAGE 10 MSC Proposes Uniform Testing Clarifications PAGE 29 $10-Million Project: Researchers Study New Biomass Fuel Feedstock PAGE 30

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