News Release

For Immediate Release

Feb. 28, 2006

For more information contact:

                        John F. Schneider, APUC Executive Director

                                                701-328-5350

APUC Funds Seven Requests Totaling $314,751

BISMARCK, N.D. – The North Dakota Agricultural Products Utilization Commission (APUC) approved $314,751 in funding to seven agricultural projects at its quarterly meeting Feb. 24, in Bismarck. The projects include the following:

Gold Energy, LLC, Wahpeton, was awarded $151,000 contingent on the planned ethanol plant being located in North Dakota. The plant would produce 100 million gallons of ethanol using 36 million bushels of North Dakota corn.

Dakota Skies Biodiesel, LLC, Minot, was awarded $52,500 to complete organizational structuring, construction and supply contracting, and the cost-tracking system for the pre-construction and construction phase.

Paulson Premium Seed, Bowman, was awarded $17,146 to promote selling peas to Mexico’s livestock feed buyers for use as a protein source in feed for beef, dairy, swine and chickens.

The North Dakota Department of Agriculture and the North Dakota Trade Office were awarded $22,500 for the Market Assistance Program (MAP).  Two Trade Missions are planned to Southeast Asia and Taiwan for North Dakota food companies. This grant will also help provide customized in-market research, help educate companies on the complex steps of exporting and help with export transactions.

Earth Harvest Mills, Inc., Harvey, was awarded $21,550 for domestic advertising of their organic flours and organic livestock feed and to attend animal feed trade shows and regular food trade shows.

NDSU Department of Cereal & Food Science, Fargo, was awarded $30,000 to research the relationship between flaxseed components and food quality enhancement through prevention of bacterial and fungal spoilage. The goals of the project are to determine which components of flaxseed are responsible for the antimicrobial activity and to determine the stability of these components to processing.

Identity Ag Processing, LLC, Casselton, was awarded a technical assistant grant of $20,055 to reduce costs, improve customer satisfaction, increase employee productivity, improve cash flow and increase safety and quality control.

APUC’s next grant hearing is set for May 18-19 in Rugby. Applications must be received by April 1, 2006.

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