2011 - Volume #35, Issue #3, Page #09
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Turning Corn Stalks Into Lumber
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Lane Segerstrom, founder and CEO of Corn Board Manufacturing, Inc. (CBMI), plans to start with an eye-catching fun product û skateboards.
His company's StalkIt Longboards - performance skateboards with cores of 100 percent CornBoardÖ - will hit the market soon.
"The skateboards get CornBoard into the market in a high profile way," Segerstrom says, noting his goal is to brand the new type of pressed board and grow public demand.
Segerstrom believes consumers will choose his company's products because of their solid engineering and design.
"We can engineer the board for the application," Segerstrom explains. "When we press the board, we can determine what type resin we put in, if the product needs to be waterproof, pest resistant or if it will be used in a cabinet. We can determine how much flexibility the board needs or if the board needs to be stiffer."
CBMI has a licensing agreement with the University of Illinois to develop composite products from corn residue. After extensive research, the company contracted with farmers around Stratford, Texas, last fall to round bale over 1 million lbs. of corn stover.
Production is underway on the high-end skateboards ($485 to $585), which have already obtained publicity by setting the Guinness World Record for the fastest towed skateboard traveling 78.1 mph.
The next product is an Adirondack chair ($200), the first in the company's Zea Home line. The chair has a unique slotted design that allows it to be portable and assembled in minutes with no nails, screws or adhesives.
"CornBoard has limitless possibilities in replacing pressed wood board and will allow us to bring innovative new products to market," Segerstrom says.
That could include modular homes in the future. It takes about 2 acres of corn stover biomass (4,000 lbs./acre) to supply the roof decking, flooring and outer wall sheathing for a two-story home.
Segerstrom notes that he doesn't plan to sell CornBoard as a raw material. He intends to sell it through finished products to maintain control of the CornBoard brand quality.
He adds that the environmental aspect of the product is a bonus. Farmers can earn extra profits, and with less debris in the field they may be able to switch to no-till practices. Removing the stover also reduces CO2 emissions by 1.5 tons/acre.
As the business grows, Segerstrom envisions small manufacturing plants in several locations in corn-growing areas.
"Having grown up on a farm in Iowa, I look forward to working with farmers to increase their bottom line, while making a positive contribution to the rural communities where they live and work," he says.
Go to CBMI's website to purchase products or find a dealership near you.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, CornBoard, P.O. Box 110-115, Frisco, Texas 75035 (ph 972 832-8099; www.cornboard.com).
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