NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

Feb. 2, 2006

For more information contact:

John F. Schneider, APUC Executive Director

701-328-5350

APUC to Review Funding Requests Totaling $503,965

Bismarck, N.D. -- The North Dakota Agricultural Products Utilization Commission (APUC) will review funding requests for 11 projects totaling $503,965 at its quarterly meeting in Bismarck, February 23-24.

APUC is a program of the North Dakota Department of Commerce that administers grants 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 cooperative marketing utilization, farm diversification, nature-based agri-tourism, technology, agricultural prototype and technical assistance. The February requests to be reviewed include:

Earth Harvest Mills, Inc. Harvey, is requesting $24,465 for domestic advertising of their organic flours and organic livestock feed in order to expand their markets for by-products and flour. Plans are to attend Animal Feed Trade Shows as well as regular Food Trade Shows. For more information contact Grayson Hoberg at 701-324-4330.

Aunt Maggie’s Mustard, Walhalla, is requesting $17,000 to develop, produce and market high quality organic mustard to wholesale and retail outlets. For more information contact Dennis Dame at 701-549-3737.

Pugsley’s Premium LLC, Devils Lake, is requesting $25,000 to update label design and concept in order to compete with national companies for new customers in new markets outside of North Dakota. For more information contact Tom Rerick at 701-662-2309.

Paulson Premium Seed, Bowman, is requesting $26,250 to promote selling peas to Mexico’s livestock feed buyers for use as a protein source in feed for beef, dairy, swine and chickens. Marketing efforts for whole dry peas and lentils for human consumption to Spain, Italy and Argentina are also being pursued following Paulson’s Seed’s trade mission to these countries in 2005. For more information contact Les or Diane Paulson at 701-523-5392.

NDSU Department of Cereal & Food Science and Heartland Products, Inc, Fargo, are requesting $30,000 to focus on 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. For more information contact Clifford Hall III at 701-231-6359.

Lignite Swine, Price, is requesting $78,750 to develop a state-of-the-art farrowing operation situated on reclaimed surface mined land. It will provide high health, single source piglets that are in short supply to finishers in the Corn Belt. For more information contact Dan or Bill Price at 701-663-5772.

Great Plains Dairy, Bismarck, is requesting $50,000 to market its Deja Moo milk brand in North Dakota and to expand into Minnesota markets. For more information contact Jim Odney at 701-258-3301 or 763-545-1886.

The North Dakota Department of Agriculture and the North Dakota Trade Office are requesting $22,500 for the Market Assistance Program (MAP). This program helps North Dakota food companies attend national and international trade activities, helps provide customized in-market research, and helps food companies understand the complex steps of exporting and integrate all the elements of export transactions. For more information contact Donna Thronson at 701-328-4764 or Susan Geib 701-541-0735.

Dakota Skies Biodiesel, LLC, Minot, is requesting $52,500 to complete organizational structuring, construction and supply contracting, and the cost-tracking system for the pre-construction and construction phase. For more information contact: Willard Hauth 716-754-9765.

Identity Ag Processing, LLC, Casselton, is requesting $25,000 to develop and utilize new technology and processes in their food processing business to reduce costs, improve customer satisfaction, increase employee productivity, improve cash flow and increase safety and quality control. For more information contact Robert Sinner at 701-347-4900.

Gold Energy, LLC, Wahpeton, is requesting $152,500 for an ethanol plant in Richland County. The plant would produce 100 million gallons of ethanol per year using 36 million bushels of corn. For more information contact Michelle Swenson at 701-672-2006.