Gov. Supports Agriculture

To support the State’s agriculture industry while protecting its environment, Governor James E. McGreevey yesterday announced his support for efforts to construct the first ethanol production facility in New Jersey, which would also be the first such facility in the mid-Atlantic region.

“I am committed to providing New Jersey’s farmers with new opportunities to be profitable, and this ethanol facility is the key to providing a major new market for our grain growers,” said McGreevey. “As we move forward with this important project, we will work closely with Garden State Ethanol in a true public/private partnership.”

Joining the Governor was Agriculture Secretary Charles M. Kuperus, who is coordinating the State’s effort to help identify funding assistance for a $60 million ethanol facility planned by Garden State Ethanol.

“As we look to strengthen New Jersey’s agricultural industry, we are developing innovative strategies to encourage economic expansion in every sector of the industry,” said Kuperus.

Garden State Ethanol is a private corporation of farmers, investors and other agricultural interests who have undertaken a grassroots effort to construct, own and operate an ethanol production facility in New Jersey. It is considering a number of potential locations in South Jersey for the ethanol plant.

Garden State Ethanol is seeking to build a facility that would process about 14.2 million bushels of corn annually to produce 40 million gallons of ethanol that would be sold as an environmentally friendly ingredient for gasoline. Other products would include 121,000 tons of distillers grains to be sold as livestock feed, along with 121,000 tons of carbon dioxide that would be sold to the carbonated beverage or dry ice markets.

New Jersey farmers currently grow nearly 10 million bushels of field corn annually. Much of it is shipped out of state to markets in Pennsylvania or Delaware for use as cattle or chicken feed. An ethanol production facility would encourage New Jersey farmers to plant additional fields in corn or sorghum – an alternative grain that the plant will be able to utilize. The ethanol facility could also import corn from other states to meet demand.

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Author: Press Release-Kevin Davett