Sidney, Montana receives funding for ethanol research

Researchers will study barley and wheats to see if they can be used for ethanol production.

With the hope of finding a value-added use for feed grains, the Montana Department of Commerce awarded the City of Sidney a $10,000 grant this week for agriculture research at the Montana State University Eastern Agricultural Research Center.

In July, the Sidney City Council was approached by Tod Kasten, head of the Montana Department of Commerce for the state’s eastern region, to apply for the Community Development Block Grant. Kasten explained one of the challenges for current and future ethanol plants in Montana is a lack of corn grown in the region, so officials are instead looking at barley for ethanol plants.

The funding will help Jerry Bergman, superintendent for the Montana State University Eastern Agricultural Research Center, research which barley and wheats may work best for ethanol plants.

"We will be studying barley and wheats to determine the percentage of starch," Bergman said. "The goal is to identify the barley and wheat with the highest percentage of starch."

By Bill Vander Weele
Duane Norby | Sidney Herald

Full Story: http://sidneyherald.com/articles/2005/09/25/news/news01.txt