Blog
Why Miscanthus Fiber is Perfect for the Pet Food Industry
We could tell you what Miscanthus is, but that information is a given in the title. We could tell you how we grow and process Miscanthus, but that will be made clear by the most important question which is why we make Miscanthus fiber.
Upon studying the pet food industry and through research studies at Kansas State University, we found that Miscanthus fiber has approximately three times the crude fiber as sugar beet pulp which is a by-product of the sugar industry. We also discovered that Miscanthus fiber had only about 10 percent less fiber than wood cellulose powder. Given that beet pulp fiber sold for 12 to 15 cents per pound and wood cellulose powder sold for 90 cents to $1.10 per pound we realized that Miscanthus could compete with beet pulp fiber in price with the three times more fiber in Miscanthus giving a great value to our buyers. Also, for 75 percent less than the cost of wood cellulose powder, we could deliver almost the same amount of fiber since the concentration of fiber in Miscanthus is only 10 percent less than in cellulose powder.
Now being a great value is wonderful but what are the other benefits? Miscanthus is non-GMO unlike sugar beet pulp. Miscanthus is not chemically treated unlike wood cellulose powder. Miscanthus can be grown on secondary, non-productive land. There are 200,000 acres of underutilized land in Lawrence County, Missouri where our processing facility is located. Nationwide, there are 40 million acres of secondary or unutilized rural land. Miscanthus thrives on this land and for these farmers or landowners, this is similar to finding out there is a valuable resource under the ground.
We believe that since we do not have to cut a tree down, as is done in making wood cellulose powder, use a GMO by-product which has three times less the amount of fiber and we can make use of unproductive land, that Miscanthus is cost effective, environmentally friendly and healthy for our customers.
We at MFiber find it hard to just work for a living. We must believe and know why our work is valuable and, in the end, that our work makes America just a little bit better place for all of us.
Cal Boender, President
Calvin D. Boender was raised in the Dutch Christian Reformed area of Highland, Indiana. After high school, he attended Calvin College and graduated from Grand Valley State College, in 1978, with a bachelor's degree with honors in Political Science.
An accomplished real estate developer throughout the past 35 years, Boender made his first investment in the agriculture industry in 2007. He partnered in various agricultural ventures with companies as diverse as Consolidated Barge & Grain and Topo Solutions Inc. Intrigued by the potential of M-Fiber, he formed Renew Biomass in 2015 to unlock the potential of Miscanthus grass. Since that time he has focused on disrupting the $2.4 billion dollar dietary fiber market and is in the process of bringing M-Fiber to the $28 Billion Dollar US Pet Food Market.
Cal has been a major contributor to various philanthropic causes and non-profit organizations addressing the needs of children and less-fortunate individuals. He resides in the suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two dogs, where he enjoys reading and biking.