Eastern Illinois county OKs first wind farm
DANVILLE, Ill. (AP) — The Vermilion County board has given its approval for a developer to begin building the first wind-energy farm in the eastern Illinois county.

The Commercial-News in Danville reported board members voted 21-1 July 12 to give Chicago-based Invenergy a building permit for its California Ridge wind project. The company said it plans 104 wind turbines in Vermilion County on the Indiana state line and 30 more in neighboring Champaign County. They would produce up to 214 megawatts of electricity. That’s enough power for 50,000 or more homes.

Some local residents opposed the permit. Kim Cambron of nearby Rankin complained to board members that she will feel like she lives inside a power plant if the project is built.

The company says construction could start later this year.

NW Ohio set to get new wind farm
LEIPSIC, Ohio (AP) — Construction is expected to begin next spring on a new wind farm with 75 turbines in northwestern Ohio’s Putnam County.
The Lima News reports the company Iberdrola Renewables is planning the wind farm about 40 miles southwest of Toledo. An official from the county improvement corporation said the site was picked because it has one of the highest elevations in the area and is near a substation that could be used as a connection point for the 150 megawatts of electricity it’s expected to generate.

He says the company hopes to have the final paperwork approved by regulators by the end of this year and is aiming to finish construction by the end of 2012.

New website supports nutrient stewardship
Bloomington, Ill. — GROWMARK, Inc. is among several corporate sponsors of a new website providing information about nutrient stewardship to farmers based on the four Rs: Right fertilizer source at the Right rate, at the Right time and in the Right place.

The site at www.nutrientstewardship.com describes the importance of these steps and offers practical advice and information on how to implement a 4R plan. The 4R nutrient management system was designed to offer individual farmers the flexibility to manage their own crop needs, cultural practices and equipment requirements while maintaining good stewardship practices.

UPS begins using biodiesel at major hub

ST. LOUIS, Mo. — What can Brown do for you? For a start, UPS is making the world greener by using cleaner burning biodiesel at its most vital hub in Louisville, Ky., according to the American Soybean Assoc. (ASA).
UPS recently installed a biodiesel fuel tank and fueling station at its Worldport facility. It will allow fueling operators to blend specified percentages of biodiesel “on the fly,” starting with 5 percent biodiesel (B5) and working up to 20 percent (B20). The 30,000-gallon biodiesel tank and station at Worldport fuels nearly 200 vehicles and diesel-fueled equipment.

According to the ASA, thanks in part to its policy success in gaining final passage of legislation that includes a retroactive extension of the biodiesel tax incentive, UPS and other biodiesel customers enjoy a $1 per-gallon tax incentive that makes biodiesel more competitive with petroleum diesel fuel in the marketplace.

Alltech opens 16th North America office

AMES, Iowa — Global animal health and nutrition company  moved into America’s heartland on April 20 with the opening of its 16th office in North America.

The new facility will support sales in Iowa, offer a local support site for its growing customer base and help the company develop a closer partnership with Iowa State University. For the past 23 years, Alltech has had a presence in Iowa and has continued to expand throughout the Midwest. Alltech Iowa is located at 1523 S. Bell Avenue, Suite 105 in Ames.