REDWOOD FALLS, Minn. — The Woodfords, who live in southwestern Minnesota, have been offering professional baling services for 12 years.

“We just saw a need in our general area. We have a short harvest window and limited time to collect residue crops for livestock, and no one was doing it,” said Eric Woodford of Woodford Custom, Inc., a biomass collection and harvesting business he owns with his wife, Mary.

“I was in a dilemma of trying to hire a company to bale stalks for us, and they were so busy that nobody could get to me in time. So, we saw this need (for more custom balers) and have just expanded and expanded,” he said of his introduction to the custom baling business.

The Woodfords have indeed expanded; what began in 1995 as a need to collect crop residues for their own livestock has turned into a full-time job that employs two regular staff, the owners and seven seasonal employees. By 2006, the custom baling business had grown to serving seven Minnesota counties, where it made more than 18,000 large round bales.

The Woodfords have not had a difficult time acquiring customers, most of whom come to them via word of mouth on a positive recommendation from a fellow livestock producer. “We’ve got about 40 regular customers that keep returning year after year,” Woodford said. “A livestock producer calls us, then we go harvest it and get on to the next customer as quickly as possible.”

Until recently, they primarily baled for producers needing corn stover (cornstalks) rolled into bales for livestock feed or bedding. However, with the arrival of the nearby Chippewa Valley Gasification plant, the couple has become involved in helping research the process of turning residue into cellulosic energy.

“We’re excited about biomass and the collection and handling industry’s future.” Woodford noted. He added they have helped collect crop residues and maintain research data for the cellulosic ethanol plant, which will take feedstock such as corn stover or woodchips and, using a thermochemical rather than enzymatic process, turn that residue into energy.

Woodford believes there is a great future ahead in cellulosic ethanol production, but he’s cautiously optimistic, especially when discussing the idea of producers raising crops just for energy production.

“It’s nice to talk about dedicated residue crops, but I believe we should use our existing infrastructure first and start with crop residues we’ll already have,” he said.

Other residues, such as soybean straw, present additional options for turning feedstock into energy, but Woodford feels corn stover affords the most viable opportunity right now.

“Corn stover (is the best option), by leaps and bounds,” he said.