Area men introduce a hot idea

By Tom Venesky tvenesky@timesleader.comSports Reporter

ROCK SPRINGS, Pa. – Leonard Reggie and his sons, Bryan and Adam, knew that Ag Progress Days would be the perfect place to unveil their creation.

The problem is they had to finish it first.

Throughout the winter and spring, the Reggies worked countless hours in their shop on Firecut Road in Trucksville, putting the finishing touches on their prototype pelletizer. The machine transforms switchgrass, hay and other forage crops into pellets to be used as a heat source.

The long days of work paid off just in time for the family, which owns BHS Energy. They finished the pelletizer the day before they were to leave for Ag Progress Days held last week in State College.

Leonard Reggie said it was critical to get the machine on display at the event, which attracted more than 50,000 people over three days.

“Ag Progress Days caters to the agricultural community, and that’s the market we’re targeting,” he said.

Once they had the pelletizer set up, the interest was immediate. A steady stream of people stopped by their tent, most of them looking at the pelletizer and then asking what it was.

“The response was far greater than we expected,” Reggie said. “There was a lot of interest from people who have land with plenty of grass and those looking to get into business doing this.”

First machine sold, 2nd has buyer

That business would be purchasing a pelletizer and transporting it from farm to farm to pelletize switchgrass and hay. The pellets, which can be burned similar to wood pellets, can be used by the property owner or sold for a profit.

It’s a form of alternative energy that Reggie said is ready to take off, and it was a big part of the focus at Ag Progress Days.

During his visit to the event, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, spoke of his efforts to recognize alternative energies in the 2007 Farm Bill.

“I’ve worked to increase incentives for farm-grown renewable fuels like switchgrass,” Casey said. “This is about making sure our farmers are productive, sustainable and competitive in a world economy.”

Despite the popularity of the pelletizer at Ag Progress Days, Reggie said they still have a lot of work to do as they begin to build their second machine.

The first unit was purchased by Ernst Conservation Seeds in Meadville. The company will use the machine to make pellets out of seed waste and, in turn, use the pellets to heat their greenhouses.

The initial cost of the machine is $150,000, Reggie said, but he expects the price to come down considerably as they gear up the manufacturing process.

“The first unit took us five months to build, and the second one we already have designed and it should take us less time,” he said. “Once we get established, we anticipate that we can make one unit a week.”

The second unit already has a buyer and orders for additional machines may be accepted this fall. Reggie would like to hire employees down the road and seek alternative forms of financing to streamline the process.

And even though Reggie admits there is still a lot of unknowns with the venture, the interest shown at Ag Progress Days was reaffirming.

“It looks like the demand is greater than we expected,” he said. “We’re not sure where this is going to go, and that’s scary. But at the same time I’m thrilled about it because we’re creating a new industry in alternative energy.”

FOR MORE INFO

To learn more about the pelletizer, visit www.bhsenergy.com.

Tom Venesky, a Times Leader sports writer, can be reached at 970-7230.