Blog
How Our Facility Processes 9 Tons of Miscanthus an Hour
As Eric Allphin, our director of agriculture, has mentioned before quality starts in the field but rest assured it does not stop there.
We have a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility designed specifically by Midwest Process Solutions (a leader in plant engineering and build services) for Miscanthus. Our manufacturing facility, located in Aurora, Mo., has been running for right at a year now, and man what a year that has been.
When David Corley and his team at Midwest Process Solutions sat down with us to discuss the design and layout of our new manufacturing facility, it became clear, no one had ever tackled Miscanthus like this before. Partnering with experts in the industry, allowed us to get right to work, a decision that quickly paid off.
Miscanthus, unlike other crops, is a solid stem, light product. Having expertise throughout the process was invaluable to making sure we were on the right track. We quickly identified that the nature of Miscanthus was a challenge, one that was considered every step of the way and continue to consider in every decision.
One of the challenges that we faced from the start is the bulk density of ground Miscanthus. So in response we worked with David Corley to design a bagging system that allows MFiber to load a truck to full weight. We utilize a specially designed high density tote bagger to package our product, keeping shipping cost in mind.
Today, our manufacturing facility is capable of processing 9 tons an hour while maintaining product consistency. We are able to process a variety of grits and grades to meet the specifications of any job. You will find that our state-of-the-art facility, managed by high-quality trained personnel, is always focused on the quality of our end product. We invite you to come take a tour of our facility.
Dustin Dover, Chief Operating Officer
Dustin Dover has worked with the Miscanthus giganteus project since its inception in 2011. He originally started as the Southwest Missouri Project Manager and was responsible for working with local famers and coordinating the planting of over 3,000 acres of Miscanthus in Southwest Missouri. After the initial planting Dustin began securing markets for harvested Miscanthus and oversaw the development, budget and final specifications of the $8 million processing facility. Miscanthus has never been processed on this scale in the US and the conversion facility had to be completely created from scratch. Dustin now works as the Chief Operating Officer for Renew Biomass and leads a team of employees to oversee production and the manufacturing of M-Fiber.
Dustin grew up in Bentonville, Arkansas and graduated from Texas Bible College. After graduation Dustin spent two years serving as a youth pastor. He also traveled regularly doing global missions with time spent in India. In 2005 Dustin transitioned fully into business. Early in his career he was influenced by the vendor and entrepreneurial culture of Northwest Arkansas. He worked as an account lead for one of six companies approved by Walmart for in store event marketing. Just prior to the recession of 2008 Dustin saw an opportunity to move into agriculture and began a career with Willow Brook Foods which was later bought by Cargill. Shortly after the Cargill purchase Dustin transitioned to MFA Oil and spent seven years working for the farmer-owned energy cooperative. He now lives near Springfield, Missouri with wife and three young daughters. They have a small hobby farm and are active in their community specifically leading a small group of 40 adults through their church.