The North Dakota Agricultural Products Utilization Commission has awarded nearly $180,000 in grants for three projects that could benefit businesses and communities in northeastern North Dakota.
The grants are among six projects totaling about $390,000 statewide APUC approved at its quarterly meeting last week in Grafton, N.D.
Here are the projects and a short description, according to a news release from APUC:
- Bio-Sunn, Inc., Garrison, N.D., $92,000 to hire a consulting firm for conducting a final feasibility study necessary to apply for U.S. Department of Agriculture, state and private financing for constructing a landmark plant in Walhalla, N.D. The plant will manufacture ethanol, gas methane, waste stream by-products, flax composites and treeless paper products.
- Woodshed Renewables, LLC, Finley, N.D., $87,593 to defray costs related to a detailed market research project. The project will help to verifying and pinpointing the potential customer base; fund a marketing campaign, trade show attendance, packaging design and prototyping, website development and promotions.
- Cummings Ag Inc., Buxton, N.D., $58,069 to defray costs associated with implementing a marketing plan which will include: new corporate branding, new website, radio and print advertising, digital advertising and trade shows.
Other projects funded are:
- NDSU Dept of Vet and Micro Sciences, Fargo, $83,765 to help fund research to increase understanding of microorganism’s heat resistance in various low moisture environments. Research will protect the food industry from the negative effects of pathogenic contamination and food recalls.
- NDSU – North Central Research Center and Dept of Plant Sciences, Fargo and Minot, $33,100 to help cover costs necessary to conduct research for enhancement of the grape germplasm currently available to North Dakota wineries and provide new grape varieties capable of adapting to the cold climates of the state and producing high quality wine.
- NDSU Carrington Research Extension Center, Carrington, $35,200 to explore the potential for bioremediation of marginal and saline regions using industrial beets. The grant funds will be used to support agronomy research technicians and student assistants to carry out the day-to-day tasks of the research. Funding will also supports research materials and supplies, soil and leaf sample analysis, travel to the off-station locations and meetings to present the results.
APUC is a program of the North Dakota Department of Commerce that administers grant programs for researching and developing new and expanded uses for North Dakota agricultural products. The grants can be used for basic and applied research, marketing and utilization, farm diversification, nature based agri-tourism, prototype and technology, and technical assistance.
For additional information, visit
www.NDAPUC.com
.
