replacing fish meal with animal proteins replacing fish ... - aws

RenderRenderThe National Magazine of RenderingThe National Magazine of Rendering

Feather Meal Improving its nutrient value

characterization for fish

Don’t Blame Cows for Climate Change

August 2010August 2010

ShrimpDietsReplacing

fish meal with animal proteins

ShrimpDietsReplacing

fish meal with animal proteins

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ENDERRENDERRThe National Magazine of RenderingThe National Magazine of Rendering

Departments

Features 10 Shrimp Diets Replacing fish meal with animal proteins.

14 Feather Meal Improving its nutrient value characterization for fish.

18 It’s All About the Economy, OSHA, and Electrical Safety At the NRA Central Region meeting.

6 View from Washington Fowl play in Congress.

8 Newsline Don’t blame cows for climate change.

22 From the Association Multi-tasking the trade issues.

24 Biofuels Bulletin Tyson renewable fuels plant complete, operations underway.

30 International Report WRO: moving forward with purpose.

32 ACREC Solutions Chemical engineering students study animal fats.

34 Tech Topics Researching brown grease as a new opportunity.

36 Labor and the Law A “snitch” in time saves lives: the importance of reporting safety violations in the workplace.

38 People, Places & ... 42 Letters 43 Mark Your Calendar 44 Classifieds

Contents

On the Cover: A feeding trial shows replacing fish meal with animal proteins in shrimp diets is a good thing.

Page 10

4 August 2010 • Render www.rendermagazine.com

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Fowl Play in Congress

View from

Washington By Steve KopperudPolicy Directions, Inc.

Back in the days when Congress was a relatively efficient institution – note the use of the word “relatively” – a “lame duck” session was a rare phenomenon, a work period called after an election, but only once in a blue moon, a time deemed necessary to complete action on important legislation so close to the finish line. The term “lame duck” derives from an old British description of a stockbroker unable to meet his financial obligations, and hence, disgraced and unable to make a living. My preferred derivation comes from British nautical slang: a damaged ship was considered a “lame duck” because neither a lame duck nor damaged ship could move easily across the water. The nautical derivation fits Congress. These days, the mere mention of a lame duck session strikes fear and loathing into the hearts of all lobbyists. The only justification for a lame duck session should be to get unfinished business completed, and groups across Washington, DC, who’ve spent the last two years pushing their parochial legislation through the process hear the clock ticking toward adjournment. Keep in mind, bills not enacted prior to what’s called a sine die adjournment of Congress “expire,” meaning they have to be reintroduced and the legislative process begins anew in the next Congress. So, right now, Washington is full of scared and hateful lobbyists because leadership has all but guaranteed it will call back the House and Senate after the November elections. The Republicans are hoping reelection poll numbers this summer are correct, meaning the current minority becomes the majority, at least in the House. With a risk of being accused of counting his chickens before they hatch, House GOP Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) has already warned the Democrat leadership to “guarantee – right now – that they will not bring members back for a ‘sour grapes’ session after the election.”

For their part, Democrat leaders respond that any lame duck session will be held only to take care of “minor unfinished business.” However, the GOP is beating the drum out on the hustings that the Democrats will use the session to ram through massive spending bills, cap-and-trade energy policy, and other “liberal agenda items” that make any good capitalist blanch. Another complication of these “special” sessions of Congress are that they’re peppered with members who either lost reelection or retired, folks who define a lame duck session as their last hurrah, their final shot at “legacy” legislation without worrying about the consequences of voter retribution. Then there’s the member who, having lost his or her seat, decides to do something seriously nasty, something long opposed, just because he or she can. And if that’s not frightening enough, imagine how scary it gets if the political party in power will no longer enjoy that status come the new session in January 2011. The bottleneck on legislation is the Senate. Energy, climate change, taxes, food safety, and a host of White House nominations are stuck. At this writing there are fewer than 30 Senate working days remaining before autumn recess in September to allow the entire House and one-third of the Senate to get home and campaign. That drops to 20 or so days given the full week of Senate floor time set aside for Elena Kagan’s Supreme Court nomination vote. The House is hoping to get out of town for its August recess early, returning September 10, with hopes to wrap up before the middle of the month. More and more we’re hearing about what may or may not be done in a 2010

lame duck session. There are thousands of introduced bills for which champions can argue action is absolutely necessary before adjournment. Some of these have merit, from a timing perspective, and are candidates for what I call “trash can” legislation, as in creation of an omnibus package carrying several totally unrelated issues in need of action. This kind of thing normally passes without even a recorded vote. But which of the big ticket items are likely candidates for serious lame duck attention? So much depends on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-NV) almost undecipherable system of deciding on which legislation deserves to be priority legislation. However, ever the lover of a good challenge, here’s my prognostications for what to look for come mid- to late-November. • Energy/Climate – There’s no way the House-passed climate change bill will see the light of day in the Senate, if only because it contains a highly controversial and expensive carbon cap-and-trade provision. The Senate has spent the better part of the last six months trying to come up with some form of legislation it can call an energy bill with a straight face. At best it will likely hammer together a bill that whacks oil companies for ocean spills and provides incentives for green technology, allowing industry to reduce greenhouse gas emissions without caps and without the “price on carbon” President Barack Obama so desperately wants. At worst, it will be an electric utility-only approach – with the green technology component – with a carbon cap, an approach the House can live with. • Taxes – If Congress cannot come up with a way to renew expired tax credits for everything from biofuels to research and development, and if there’s no solution to the estate tax mess, look for an omnibus tax package designed to provide tax credit relief retroactive to January 1, 2010, along with a new formula for inheritance taxes. Under President George W. Bush, Congress

The bottleneck on legislation is the

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began to phase out the so-called death tax; in 2010, the estate tax rate dropped to zero percent so those who die this year pay no inheritance tax – which has got to make the late George Steinbrenner’s heirs feel a little better. However, on January 1, 2011, the estate tax rate returns to its pre-Bush levels of 35 to 55 percent, which most find unacceptable. • Food safety – This should have been completed months ago, but Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) has decided the federal government needs to ban Bisphenol-A (BPA), a chemical used in plastics manufacturing and can liners, and she’s demanding her BPA ban be part of the carefully constructed, delicately balanced bipartisan Senate food safety bill. Even the Europeans have deferred action on BPA until after they’ve reviewed “the oceans of science and data” that’s out there. In any event, if a deal with the House can be struck to accept a Senate food safety bill – with or without a Feinstein BPA battle – Senate leadership may decide to push this bill to the floor. • Immigration – There may be an eleventh-hour push for some form of immigration reform, though the chances of this highly controversial legislation seeing the president’s desk before Thanksgiving are slim and none. This would be more grandstanding for the folks back home. • Appropriations – Once again leadership is paying lip service to getting all 13 federal spending bills completed by the September 30th deadline given fiscal year (FY) 2011 begins October 1, 2010. This will not happen, at least during regular session. In that case, Congress has two choices: a continuing resolution to fund government programs at FY 2010 levels until a date certain in 2011, or a calculated gamble it can get a FY 2011 omnibus spending bill, rolling all of the appropriations bills into a single piece of legislation, done during lame duck. I’m betting they try the lame duck approach. R


Don’t Blame Cows for Climate Change

Newsline Given all the discussion about the effect that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have on worldwide climate and the debates about ways to limit climate change, many have been asking, “What is the role of animal agriculture as a source of greenhouse gases?” Some publications and media commentary have identified livestock production as a leading source of greenhouse gases, including a 2006 United Nations (UN) report, Livestock’s Long Shadow. Printed in the report’s executive summary and nowhere else in the body of the report are two sentences that read: “The livestock sector is a major player, responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions measured in CO2e [carbon dioxide equivalents]. This is a higher share than transport.” According to University of California (UC)-Davis associate professor and air quality specialist Frank Mitloehner, those statements are not accurate, yet their wide distribution through the news media has put Americans and others on the wrong path toward solutions. Mitloehner said leading authorities agree that, in the United States, raising cattle and pigs for food accounts for about three percent of all GHGs, while transportation creates an estimated 26 percent. He noted that the UN report produced its numbers for the livestock sector by adding up emissions from farm to table, including the gases produced by growing animal feed, animals’ digestive emissions, and processing meat and milk into foods. But the report’s transportation analysis did not similarly add up emissions from well to wheel; instead, it considered only emissions from fossil fuels burned while driving. “This lopsided ‘analysis’ is a classical apples-and-oranges analogy that truly confused the issue,” Mitloehner stated. It appears the UN has heard Mitloehner’s criticism. “I must say honestly that he has a point,” Pierre Gerber, a policy officer with the UN’s Food and Agriculture

Organization (FAO) and one of the report’s authors, told the BBC. “We factored in everything for meat emissions, and we didn’t do the same thing with transport. But on the rest of the report, I don’t think it was really challenged.” Gerber revealed that a revised report on the impact of the livestock industry should be available by the end of 2010. Mitloehner’s analysis on the flawed data in the UN report is presented in a study, titled Clearing the Air: Livestock’s Contributions to Climate Change, published in October 2009 in the peer-reviewed journal Advances in Agronomy. Co-authors of the paper are UC Davis researchers Maurice Piteskey and Kimberly Stackhouse. Clearing the Air is a synthesis of research by the UC Davis authors and many other institutions, including the FAO, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Agriculture, California Environmental Protection Agency, and the California Air Resources Board. Writing the synthesis was supported by a grant from the Beef Checkoff Program. The study has been cited in numerous media outlets worldwide since being released and was the main topic of discussion during a June 2010 Webinar held through the Livestock and Poultry Environmental Learning Center. Joining Mitloehner was Rick Stowell, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, who focused on “Trends in Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Production: U.S. and Canada.” The Webinar and presentations are available at www.extension.org.

Report Focuses on Dairy Emissions In a separate report released in April 2010, Greenhouse Gas Emissions from the Dairy Sector, FAO states dairies account for around four percent of all global anthropogenic GHG emissions, a figure that includes emissions associated with the production, processing, and transportation of milk products as well as emissions related to meat produced from animals originating from dairies.

Global milk production, processing, and transportation contributes 2.7 percent of global anthropogenic GHG emissions, while meat production from dairy cows and non-milk producing dairy calves is responsible for 1.3 percent of emissions. Dairies in the industrialized nations of North America, Europe, and Australia/New Zealand have the lowest GHG emissions, with North America lowest of all. Dairies in Central and South America and part of Asia produce three to four times the emissions of North American dairies, while dairies in Sub-Saharan Africa produce up to seven times more GHG emissions. According to FAO, in 2007, the dairy sector emitted 1.969 billion metric tons of CO2e, of which 1.328 billion metric tons are attributed to milk, 151 million metric tons to meat from culled dairy animals, and 490 million metric tons to calves from the dairy sector that were raised for meat. Methane contributes most to the impact of milk on climate change, accounting for about 52 percent of the GHG emissions in both developed and developing countries. Nitrous oxide emissions account for 27 percent of GHGs in developed countries and 38 percent in developing countries. CO2 accounts for a higher share of emissions in developed countries (21 percent) than in developing countries (10 percent). The FAO report covers all major milk production systems from nomadic herds to intensified dairy operations. It focuses on the entire dairy food chain, including the production and transport of inputs (fertilizer, pesticides, and feed) used for dairy farming, on-farm emissions, and emissions associated with milk processing and packaging as well as transporting milk products to retailers. The assessment is part of an ongoing FAO program to analyze and recommend options for climate change mitigation. The next step is to use a similar approach to quantify GHG emissions associated with other major livestock species. FAO expects a final report out in 2011. R


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By Albert G.J. Tacon, Edi Wahyu Cahyono, Uus Sugema, Choiruz Zaudjat, and Sergio Nates

Shrimp Diets

Editor’s Note – This article was first published as “Replacement of fishmeal and marine proteins in practical diets for Pacific white shrimp using terrestrial land animal proteins” in Aqua Culture Asia Pacific Magazine, Volume 6, Number 3, May/June 2010.

t present, farmed shrimp are the largest consumers of fish meal within the aquaculture sector, consuming an estimated 964,000 metric tons of fish meal in 2007 while the aquaculture sector consumed a total of 3,843,000 metric tons, or 68.4 percent of total global fish meal production for that year. Apart from being of limited supply and availability, there is an urgent need to reduce the dependency of the rapidly growing aquaculture sector upon this limited and potentially food-grade marine fishery resource. This article summarizes the results of a feeding trial conducted with Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) in Indonesia. The overall goal of the study was to improve the economic viability and sustainability of marine shrimp culture operations through the development of cost-effective fish meal-free feeds using terrestrial animal by-product meals as the main protein source.

The Feeding Trial A 10-week feeding trial was conducted with Pacific white shrimp from juvenile to market size at the experimental diet testing facilities of PT Luxindo Internusa at Anyer on the Island of Java, Indonesia. Four animal by-product meals were evaluated as detailed in Table 1. Thirteen experimental test diets were formulated – a standard control diet containing eight percent fish meal and two percent squid meal, and 12 diets containing various levels of fish meal and marine protein/lipid replacement. All diets were formulated to contain 33 to 35 percent crude protein and 5.5 to 6.5 percent crude lipid (Table 2). All 13 experimental diets were produced at PT Luxindo Internusa in Jakarta, Indonesia, using a commercial shrimp feed mill, with 1,600 kilogram (kg) of each diet produced and observations taken during the production process so as to ascertain the effect of ingredient use on energy usage, ease of production, physical characteristics, water stability, and handling. Juvenile Pacific white shrimp of the same strain and size were obtained from a local shrimp hatchery and stocked within 48 round black-coated fiberglass microcosm tanks (one

cubic meter, or m3, of water volume, with a conical bottom) at an initial stocking density of 75 shrimp per tank (equivalent to a shrimp density of 75 m3 water volume), with three tanks allotted per dietary treatment. Water within the microcosm tanks was continuously mixed and aerated using a diaphragm air diffuser placed at the bottom of the tank so as to keep all particulate matter in suspension, and a zero-water exchange “green water” management system operated within the tanks for the duration of the 70-day culture trial. Air was continuously supplied to all experimental tanks using a two horsepower air blower and

Replacing fish meal with animal proteins

Table 1. Composition of Meals

Animal By-product Meals Dietary Levels(product supplier) Analyzed Composition TestedPoultry by-product meal, 60.04% crude protein, 15 to 30% feed grade (Fornazor 10.92% fat, 15.93% ash,International, Hillsdale, NJ) 5.62% moistureMeat and bone meal from 50% crude protein, 0 to 5%pure beef (Baker Commodities, 10.5% fat, 28.7% ash,Inc., Vernon, CA) 3.5% moistureHydrolyzed feather meal 83.7% crude protein, 0 to 5% with and without (Inno Resource, Carolina 5.3% fat, 1.2% ash supplemental-limiting Byproducts, Winchester, VA) amino acidsBlood meal, spray-dried 88.8% crude protein, 0 to 2.5%(Jackson, New Zealand) 0.9% fat

Control Protein Peruvian fish meal 65% crude protein, 0 to 8%(Austral, Peru) 7.4% fat, 15% ash


fresh water was added to tanks as required so as to replace evaporative losses. In addition to the above mentioned 13 dietary treatments operated on a zero-water exchange management system, a control running water treatment (diet 14, Table 4) was also implemented using diet 2 (Table 2). Diurnal water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and salinity measurements were made within the experimental tanks throughout the study, together with an estimate of the quantity of suspended microbial floc present within the water column of the experimental tanks using a volumetric sedimentation column. Experimental shrimp were fed at regular three-hour intervals over a 24-hour period (eight feedings per day) by hand application using the same fixed dietary feeding regime for all treatments. All experimental animals were weighed individually at the start and end of the 70-day feeding trial, and by group weighing at bi-weekly intervals so as to determine average body weight and estimate shrimp survival. Data obtained from the experiments, which had a completely randomized design with three replicates per diet, were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance to determine

if significant differences existed among treatment means. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 16.0 (SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL). Differences were considered significant at the five percent level of probability. The feeding trial commenced July 3, 2009, and ended September 12, 2009.

Results of Feeding TrialWater quality Water quality within the experimental tanks was determined at 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. over the course of the 10-week experiment and varied as shown in Table 3.

Growth The growth performance of shrimp fed the experimental test diets is shown in Table 4 and Figures 2, 3, and 4. Excellent shrimp growth and survival was observed over the course of the feeding trial, with animals reaching a final body weight of 17.6 to 18.9 grams (commercial size), with no significant difference observed between diets 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, and

Table 2. Shrimp Feed Formulations and Composition (values expressed on a percent as fed basis) Diet

Ingredient 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13Marine mealsFish meal 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Squid meal 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Krill meal 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0Fish oil 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0Animal mealsPoultry meal 15 23 20 25 30 20 20 20 20 30 20 30 30Meat and bone meal 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 10 0 0Blood meal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2.5 1 1.5 1 1Feather meal 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 5 0 0 2.5 0 0Plant mealsSoybean meal 16 16 25 20 9 20 14 15 20 10 10 10 10Plant oilsPalm oil 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1Amino acidsMethionine + + + + + + + - + + + + +Lysine + + - - - - + - - - - - -Calcium/PhosphorousMDP 16/20 1.25 1.25 1.5 1 0.56 0.16 1.50 1.50 1.50 0.78 0 0 0Vitamins/mineralsPremix 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0Others1 54 54 50 50.5 57 51.3 55.7 55.2 52.5 56.7 54.5 57.5 57.8Cost (IDR/kg)2 6,128 5,936 5,644 5,779 5,874 5,733 5,810 5,611 5,728 5,671 5,694 5,652 5,565Composition Moisture (%) 10.7 9.7 9.7 9.5 9.1 9.1 9.2 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.5 9.5 9.7Crude protein 35.5 35.6 33.6 33.6 34.3 35.1 35.3 34.5 34.5 34.8 34.1 35.4 35.7Crude fat 6.0 7.4 6.6 6.6 6.8 6.6 5.9 6.0 5.7 5.5 6.4 6.9 6.6Crude fiber 3.1 3.0 3.1 3.1 3.2 2.9 3.0 3.0 2.9 3.1 2.8 2.9 2.8Ash 8.5 10.1 9.2 9.4 9.1 9.0 8.7 8.5 8.4 8.5 9.0 9.0 9.0Calcium 1.8 2.8 2.1 2.5 2.2 2.1 2.0 2.0 1.8 2.1 2.3 2.4 2.41Others includes wheat flour and by-products, rice bran, yeast, soy lecithin, anti-mold agents, and antioxidants.2Raw material costs in Indonesian Rupiah (IDR) per kg (June 2009 conversion: one U.S. dollar=approximately 10,000 IDR).

Continued on page 12


Shrimp Diets Continued from page 11

9 in terms of final body weight and diets 1 through 10 and 13 (Table 4). Moreover, the best overall feed conversion ratios were observed for diets 1, 4, and 9, respectively, ranging from 1.65 (diet 9) to 1.67 (diets 1 and 4).

Economic Performance From Table 2 it can be seen that the most expensive diet in terms of raw material cost was the control diet containing fish meal (diet 1), with the best equally performing diets being 7.9 percent cheaper (diet 3), 6.5 percent cheaper (diet 9), 5.7 percent cheaper (diet 4), 5.2 percent cheaper (diet 7), and 3.1 percent cheaper (diet 2).

Discussion of Results The results clearly show the nutritional and economic efficacy of totally replacing fish meal and squid meal within commercial shrimp feeds by using the following animal by-products. • Feed grade poultry by-product meal up to a dietary inclusion level of between 20 and 25 percent of the total diet (diets 3 and 4), with supplemental methionine, and increasing dietary soybean levels from 16 percent to between 20 and 25 percent, with ingredient cost savings of between 5.7 and 7.9 percent compared with respect to a similar diet containing eight percent fish meal and two percent squid meal. • Hydrolyzed feather meal up to a dietary inclusion level of five percent (diet 7) of the total diet, with supplemental lysine and methionine, and decreasing dietary soybean levels from 16 percent to 14 percent, with ingredient cost savings of 5.2 percent compared with respect to a similar diet containing eight percent fish meal and two percent squid meal. Surprisingly, shrimp fed the same diet with no supplemental amino acids (diet 8) showed no significant differences in final body weight or feed efficiency with animal fed the supplemented diet, with consequent ingredient cost savings of 8.4 percent compared

Table 4. Growth Performance of Shrimp Fed the Experimental Diets Over a 10-week Feeding Period

GISU Dietary Treatment 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 SEMShrimp weight (grams (g))Mean initial body weight 2.75b 2.70b 2.70b 2.65b 2.49b 2.68b 2.61b 2.83b 2.50b 2.65b 2.72b 2.70b 2.73b 1.98a 0.04Mean final body weight 18.93f 18.06ef 17.80ef 17.68ef 17.33de 15.97bcd 17.78ef 16.78cde 17.90ef 16.73cde 15.59bc 14.87b 15.58bc 11.16a 0.31Shrimp growth response Mean daily weight gain (g/day) 0.22g 0.21efg 0.21efg 0.21efg 0.21defg 0.19bcd 0.21defg 0.19cde 0.22fg 0.20cdef 0.18bc 0.17b 0.18bc 0.13a 0.003Mean weekly weight gain (g/week) 1.57e 1.49de 1.47de 1.46de 1.44de 1.29bc 1.48de 1.36cd 1.50de 1.37cd 1.25bc 1.18b 1.25bc 0.89a 0.03Feed conversion ratio 1.67 a 1.87ab 1.90ab 1.67 a 1.87ab 1.95ab 1.88ab 1.85ab 1.65a 1.85ab 2.20bc 2.52bc 1.99ab 2.41bc 0.05Shrimp feed utilization Apparent feed efficiency (%) 60.10de 53.60cde 52.80cde 59.60de 53.70cde 51.40cde 54.60cde 54.80cde 60.90e 54.70cde 46.30abc 39.70a 50.40bcd 41.70ab 1.15Total shrimp production (g) Total initial shrimp biomass 206.50b 202.25b 202.75b 199.00b 187.00b 201.00b 195.50b 212.50b 187.75b 199.00b 203.75b 202.25b 204.75b 148.75a 3.38Total final shrimp biomass 1,205.00e 1,089.00bcde 1,037.00bcd 1,173.00de 1,051.70bcde 1,001.70bc 1,007.00bcde 1,075.70bcde 1,163.30cde 1,041.30bcde 926.67b 768.67a 956.00b 689.00a 24.48Total biomass increase 998.50c 886.75bc 834.25bc 974.00c 864.67bc 800.67b 874.50bc 863.17bc 975.58c 842.33bc 722.92b 566.42a 751.25b 540.25a 23.67Total feed offered 1,663.30d 1,656.70d 1,585.00cd 1,633.30cd 1,613.30cd 1,556.70bcd 1,610.00cd 1,570.00bcd 1,603.30cd 1,538.30bcd 1,555.00bcd 1,425.00b 1,491.70cd 1,291.70a Survival rate (%) 84.90b 80.40b 77.80 a 88.40b 80.90b 83.60b 80.40b 85.30b 86.70b 83.10b 81.80b 68.90 a 81.80b 83.10b 0.97GISU - Global Innovation and Solutions UnitSEM - Standard Error of the MeansNote: The superscript letters refer to statistical differences between treatments. If the superscripts are different, then they show significant differences (probability less than 0.05) between treatments.

Figure 1. Mean Weekly Growth Response of Experimental Shrimp Fed Experimental Diets

Figure 2. Mean Biweekly Growth Response of Experimental Shrimp Fed Experimental Diets

Figure 3. Final Feed Conversion Ratio Observed for Shrimp Fed the Experimental Diets After 10 Weeks

Figure 4. Final Survival Observed for Shrimp Fed the Experimental Diets After 10 Weeks


Table 3. Water Quality Parameters

Zero-water Exchange Tanks Running Water Tank (diets 1 to 13) (diet 14) Water temperature Range 27.9 to 33.9oC, mean 29.2oC (a.m.) Range 26.0 to 30.3oC, mean 27.6oC (a.m.) to 31.6oC (p.m.) to 29.2oC (p.m.)Oxygen Range 5.04 to 6.89 mg/l, mean 5.90 mg/l (a.m.) Range 5.61 to 6.97 mg/l, mean 6.32 mg/l (a.m.) to 5.64 mg/l (p.m.) to 5.96 mg/l (p.m.)Salinity Range 32 to 36 ppt, mean 34 ppt Range 30 to 35 ppt, mean 33 pptpH Range 7.2 to 8.2, mean 7.7 Range 7.4 to 8.2, mean 7.9Alkalinity Range 87 to 144 mg/l as calcium carbonate, Range 81 to 140 mg/l as calcium carbonate, mean 116 mg/l mean 114 mg/lTotal ammonia nitrogen Range 0 to 1 mg/l, mean 0.20 mg/l Range 0 to 1 mg/l, mean 0.13 mg/lSuspended solids (floc) 1.50 to 4.83 milliliters, mean 3.45 millilitersNotes: mg/l = milligram per liter; ppt = parts per thousand.

Table 4. Growth Performance of Shrimp Fed the Experimental Diets Over a 10-week Feeding Period

GISU Dietary Treatment 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 SEMShrimp weight (grams (g))Mean initial body weight 2.75b 2.70b 2.70b 2.65b 2.49b 2.68b 2.61b 2.83b 2.50b 2.65b 2.72b 2.70b 2.73b 1.98a 0.04Mean final body weight 18.93f 18.06ef 17.80ef 17.68ef 17.33de 15.97bcd 17.78ef 16.78cde 17.90ef 16.73cde 15.59bc 14.87b 15.58bc 11.16a 0.31Shrimp growth response Mean daily weight gain (g/day) 0.22g 0.21efg 0.21efg 0.21efg 0.21defg 0.19bcd 0.21defg 0.19cde 0.22fg 0.20cdef 0.18bc 0.17b 0.18bc 0.13a 0.003Mean weekly weight gain (g/week) 1.57e 1.49de 1.47de 1.46de 1.44de 1.29bc 1.48de 1.36cd 1.50de 1.37cd 1.25bc 1.18b 1.25bc 0.89a 0.03Feed conversion ratio 1.67 a 1.87ab 1.90ab 1.67 a 1.87ab 1.95ab 1.88ab 1.85ab 1.65a 1.85ab 2.20bc 2.52bc 1.99ab 2.41bc 0.05Shrimp feed utilization Apparent feed efficiency (%) 60.10de 53.60cde 52.80cde 59.60de 53.70cde 51.40cde 54.60cde 54.80cde 60.90e 54.70cde 46.30abc 39.70a 50.40bcd 41.70ab 1.15Total shrimp production (g) Total initial shrimp biomass 206.50b 202.25b 202.75b 199.00b 187.00b 201.00b 195.50b 212.50b 187.75b 199.00b 203.75b 202.25b 204.75b 148.75a 3.38Total final shrimp biomass 1,205.00e 1,089.00bcde 1,037.00bcd 1,173.00de 1,051.70bcde 1,001.70bc 1,007.00bcde 1,075.70bcde 1,163.30cde 1,041.30bcde 926.67b 768.67a 956.00b 689.00a 24.48Total biomass increase 998.50c 886.75bc 834.25bc 974.00c 864.67bc 800.67b 874.50bc 863.17bc 975.58c 842.33bc 722.92b 566.42a 751.25b 540.25a 23.67Total feed offered 1,663.30d 1,656.70d 1,585.00cd 1,633.30cd 1,613.30cd 1,556.70bcd 1,610.00cd 1,570.00bcd 1,603.30cd 1,538.30bcd 1,555.00bcd 1,425.00b 1,491.70cd 1,291.70a Survival rate (%) 84.90b 80.40b 77.80 a 88.40b 80.90b 83.60b 80.40b 85.30b 86.70b 83.10b 81.80b 68.90 a 81.80b 83.10b 0.97GISU - Global Innovation and Solutions UnitSEM - Standard Error of the MeansNote: The superscript letters refer to statistical differences between treatments. If the superscripts are different, then they show significant differences (probability less than 0.05) between treatments.

with a diet containing eight percent fish meal and two percent squid meal. • Spray-dried blood meal up to a dietary inclusion level of 2.5 percent of the total diet (diet 9), with supplemental methionine, and increasing dietary soybean levels from 16 percent to 20 percent, with ingredient cost savings of 6.5 percent compared with respect to a similar diet containing eight percent fish meal and two percent squid meal. • Meat and bone meal from pure beef results with five percent meat and bone meal (diet 6) were disappointing, with shrimp displaying significantly lower final body weight (probability is less than 0.05) and poorer feed conversion rations compared with the other diets. The results obtained with rations devoid of all marine protein and lipid sources (diets 10 to 13) were disappointing, with the best results obtained with the diet containing 30 percent poultry by-product meal and one percent blood meal with supplemental lysine; the other dietary treatments displayed significantly reduced shrimp growth and feed efficiency compared to the control diet (Table 4). Surprisingly, there was no significant difference between shrimp fed diet 12 and 13; the former containing a complete vitamin and trace mineral

premix and the latter containing no vitamin or mineral premix. It is also important to note that diet 13 also recorded the highest floc concentration within experimental tanks. Finally, as expected, shrimp reared in running water (diet 14, Table 4) displayed the worst growth response and feed efficiency compared with shrimp fed the same diet under zero-water exchange conditions (diet 2). However, it is also important to note that the water temperature within the clear running water tanks were at least two degrees lower than tanks with a zero-water exchange management system.

Acknowledgements This research study was financed by a grant from the Fats and Proteins Research Foundation, Inc., and implemented with the technical support of nutrition and husbandry staff of PT Luxindo Internusa, Jakarta, Indonesia. R

About the authors – Albert G.J. Tacon is with Aquatic Farms, Ltd.; Edi Wahyu Cahyono, Uus Sugema, and Choiruz Zaudjat are with PT Luxindo Internusa; and Sergio Nates is with the Fats and Proteins Research Foundation, Inc.


By D.P. BureauDepartment of Animal and Poultry Science, University of Guelph

R endered animal protein ingredients, such as blood meal, feather meal, meat and bone meal, and poultry by-product meal, compare favorably cost-wise with most other types of protein sources commonly used in the formulation of fish feeds. There are significant opportunities to improve the cost effectiveness of fish culture feeds through judicious use of rendered animal proteins. Feather meal is one of the rendered protein ingredients that has found increasing use in fish feeds over the past 15 years, notably in salmon and trout feeds manufactured in North and South America. In many countries, fish (salmon, trout, tilapia, carp, catfish, etc.) feeds are routinely formulated to contain between three to seven percent feather meal. However, some

Fe at h e r M e a lfish feed manufacturers are highly reticent to use higher levels of feather meal in their feeds due to anecdotal evidence that there is significant variability in the quality and nutritive value of different batches of feather meal. In some academic and commercial-scale trials, excellent performance has been achieved with feeds formulated with high levels (greater than 12 percent) of feather meal while in other trials, feed with high levels of feather meal performed relatively poorly. The source of the discrepancies between results of different trials is not always clear. Feather meal is produced using a different mix of raw materials (feathers from different bird species, hog hair) and with different hydrolysis and drying equipments and conditions. This may result in significant differences in the digestibility and nutritive value of different batches of this ingredient. Accurate characterization of the nutritive value of feather meal available on the market is essential to optimize its use in fish feeds. Developing methodological approaches and rapid screening tests to meaningfully differentiate feather meals of different nutritive values should be a high priority for both the rendering industry and aquaculture feed industry. Unfortunately, efforts to characterize the nutritive value of feather meal for fish have been very limited in scope and not always highly useful. Feather meal has been evaluated in several “practical” feeding trials in which feather meal replaced fish meal or other high quality protein sources. In most of these feeding trials, the control diet is formulated with high fish meal levels and/or all essential nutrients, especially essential amino acids, are supplied greatly in excess of requirements. One feather meal (often poorly characterized) is included at graded levels and effect on growth performance is monitored. Under these conditions, the evaluation of the nutritive value of the ingredient is not very robust nor is it specific enough. There is a need to refine methodological approaches so that focus is on assessment of the available nutrient “contribution” of this ingredient to the diet (i.e., the bioavailability of nutrients in the ingredient) rather than “absence of effect” of the ingredient. To date, assessment of the available nutrient composition of feather meal has mainly focused on apparent digestibility of proximate analysis components (dry matter, crude protein, lipid, energy). Studies have shown that crude protein of feather meal manufactured in North America today is relatively highly digestible to fish (apparent digestibility of crude protein is equal to 70 to 87 percent). Comparison of the results from different recent studies indicates that significant differences exist in the digestibility and nutritive value of feather meal from different origins. Much less emphasis has been put on trying to determine the digestibility or availability of specific nutrients, such as

Figure 1. Weight Gain of Rainbow Trout in Experiment 1

Figure 2. Feed Efficiency (FE) of Rainbow Trout in Experiment 1



essential amino acids, in feather meal. This type of information is increasingly important since many fish feed manufacturers are now formulating feeds on a digestible amino acid basis. Published estimates of digestible amino acid contents of feather meal for fish do not always appear to be reliable. Numerous issues – such as problems associated with amino acid analysis, ingredient characterization, and feed intake and performance levels achieved by fish fed high levels of feather meal – cast doubts on the reliability of most published estimates of digestibility of essential amino acids in feather meal for fish. In that perspective, the use of slope-ratio assays, a methodological approach that provides more direct and practical estimates of amino acid availability, may be an interesting alternative to digestibility assays. A recently completed research project carried out at the University of Guelph/ Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources Fish Nutrition Research Laboratory focused on the use of a slope-ratio assay approach to evaluate the bioavailability of arginine in feather meal for rainbow trout. This project was carried out by master of science student David Poppi with the support of the Fats and Proteins Research Foundation. This project led to interesting insights into potential source of discrepancies between feeding trials with feather meal. Fish have high requirements for arginine and respond very well to minute changes in dietary levels of this essential amino acid. Feeds formulated to high levels of certain plant protein ingredients, such as corn gluten meal, can be deficient in arginine and feather meal is a cost-effective source of this essential amino acid. Information on bioavailability of arginine could also be a relatively reliable indicator of the availability of other amino acids in feather meal. In a first experiment (experiment 1), fish were fed to near-satiety for 12 weeks with isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets containing graded levels of arginine provided by either synthetic L-arginine or steam-hydrolyzed feather meal produced by a rendering plant in Canada. Weight gain of the fish responded in a linear fashion to increasing levels of L-arginine; however, weight gain did not respond to increasing arginine supplied by feather meal (Figure 1). Surprisingly, the feed efficiency (gain:feed) of the fish increased very significantly in response to increasing feather meal levels in the diet (Figure 2). These puzzling results suggest that the digestible nutrients in feather meal were very well “utilized” by the

fish but that the experimental diets containing feather meal may have become deficient in one or a few essential nutrients. Post-trial analysis of the amino acid profile of the diets and dietary ingredients used in this experiment showed a lower than anticipated histidine content of the feather meal, resulting in corresponding decreases in this esssential amino acid in the diet as the feather meal level increased. A subsequent trial (experiment 2) confirmed that the diets formulated with increasing levels of feather meal may have become deficient in one or more essential amino acids, possibly histidine. In experiment 2, fish fed diets containing 24 percent feather meal supplemented with several synthetic essential amino acids performed extremely well (Table 1) indicating that some essential amino acids were deficient in the high feather meal diets. These results are surprising in as much as the levels

Improving its nutrient value characterization for fish

Table 1. Weight Gain of Rainbow Trout Fed Experimental Diets Supplemented with Different Essential Amino Acids (experiment 2)

Weight GainDiet Description Supplement (gram per fish)1 Basal diet with 1.3% None 64.1 arginine (deficient)2 Diet with 1.6% arginine, None 75.5 supplied by L-arginine3 Same diet + 0.5% DL-methionine 68.04 Same diet + 4% Essential amino acid 73.1 (EAA) mix (no methionine, no arginine) 5 Same diet + 4% EAA mix + 0.5% 65.1 DL- methionine 6 Diet with 2.1% arginine None 72.3 supplied by feather meal 7 Same diet + 0.5% DL-methionine 68.28 Same diet + 4% EAA mix (no 81.2* methionine, no arginine)9 Same diet + 4% EAA + 0.5% 74.5 DL-methionine*Significantly different from diet 6.


Feather Meal Continued from page 15

of digestible essential amino acids in all the experimental diets in experiment 1 were at least 15 to 20 percent above the requirements of rainbow trout according to the National Research Council (NRC) (1993) recommendations. These observations suggest that essential amino acid deficiencies, notably histidine deficiency, may explain the differences in the results of different trials using feather meal (i.e., excellent results obtained in some trials and very poor results obtained in other trials). Feather meal may be an ingredient of high nutritive value and simple “fine tuning” of the diet formulation may be all that is needed to allow feed manufacturers to use a greater level of this ingredient in fish feeds than what is currently the case. These results also suggest that NRC recommendations are not adequate and should be revised upward for some essential amino acids. In this context, it would be wise for renderers to invest into the “fine” characterization of the available essential amino acid contents of their ingredients, as well as support efforts to better define nutrient requirements of commercially important aquaculture species. R

Detailed information on this research project can be found in the following thesis, available upon request by e-mailing [email protected].

ReferencePoppi, D.A. 2009. Development of a protocol for assessing the bioavailability of arginine in feather meal fed to rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Masters thesis, University of Guelph, Canada.

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T he tranquil setting of Green Lake, WI, was an ideal spot for the National Renderers Association (NRA) Central Region to hold its annual meeting. While the economy was a notable topic of discussion, so were government regulations and electrical safety. Dr. Chris Hurt, Purdue University, opened the meeting with a look at the livestock industry, commenting that the aggressive move in using vegetable oils in biofuels has had an impact on escalating feed prices. He examined the current recession, including the federal government’s increased spending to help stimulate the economy. Currently the national debt is at $13 trillion and is projected to balloon to $15 trillion in two years. Hurt informed attendees that the government is paying near zero interest rates and as consumer spending and incomes rise, the tax base will go up and the debt will eventually be paid off. Hurt’s outlook on unemployment was just as bleak. He said it takes a two percent growth rate to keep unemployment stable, and with projections at a 3.1 percent growth rate for this year, there won’t be much progress in reducing the national unemployment rate, which currently stands at about 10 percent. Hurt cautioned about examining only monthly data in determining how the economy is faring, which, overall, is looking good this year. World growth is on the rise, with an estimated 4.2 percent increase this year. “What we’re seeing is we’ve been through the valley,” said Hurt. “The economy is showing early signs that it is going to get better, but it will be a long recovery, perhaps five to six years.” As for meat consumption, U.S. domestic consumption will remain flat, leading to a continued decline in U.S. beef herds, while growth is expected in the export market. The livestock industry is also facing pressure from environmentalists, government, activists, and lenders, making business as usual a thing of the past. John Weir and Scott Pellock, Vanguard Energy, discussed the energy market, which has been “pretty boring lately.” Weir commented that the financial market drives price movements in natural gas, with the economy being the underlying vehicle. Right now, gas storage levels are at historic highs and the market is in a lull awaiting what effect British Petroleum’s oil crisis in the Gulf of Mexico will have on the energy industry. Pellock addressed electricity, which has three components: transmission, distribution, and the energy itself. He explained that supply makes up 55 to 60 percent of the total cost per kilowatt, with 20 to 25 percent of the cost being losses, capacity, and transmission. Another 15 to 20 percent of the cost per kilowatt comes from the utility district. Climate change “feels like just a lot of hot air,” Pellock said, and while many feel the same way, he warned that eventually it will affect all of us in the form of regulations. He expounded on a new cap and trade bill introduced in Congress, and the Environmental Protection Agency’s new regulation on greenhouse gas emissions. The team of Eric Zabinski and Barb Galluppi, Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services, tackled the topic of risk management strategies in a changing economy. Zabinski underlined how companies adjust in a weak economy by slowing production, consolidating operations, and reducing staff, whereas companies in a recovering economy work more

Dr. Chris Hurt provides his outlook on the economy and livestock industries, which wasn’t very rosey.

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•

•

•

•

It’s All About

the Economy,

OSHA, and

Electrical Safety At the NRA Central Region meeting


hours, delay new hiring, and go into a “monitor” mode. As for employees, he warned that during a weak economy, employees could file more occupational health claims in case of a layoff, which could lead to more complex or even fraudulent claims. On the other hand, in a recovering economy, be wary that employees may say anything to get hired. Zabinski shared recent Webcasts the company has provided free of charge on the topics of legal, fraud prevention, occupational health, and claim handling strategies. A link to the Webcasts is available on Render’s Web site at www.rendermagazine.com under “Industry.” Galluppi tackled workers’ compensation claim strategies, maintaining that not all injuries in the workplace are compensable – it must be shown that the hazard is specific to the company. She encouraged renderers to gain knowledge of the situation, overturn rocks, and marshal all defenses. The goal of workers’ compensation is to return the injured worker as close to his/her pre-injury status as possible – mentally, physically, and emotionally – while protecting the interests of the employer. Galluppi provided detailed instructions on ways to ensure this goal is met, including employers showing that they care about the employee and his/her well-being. She also pointed out ways to mitigate fraud and look for fraud indicators. “Fraud could impact honest people in the organization,” Galluppi stated. Elizabeth Ash, Seyfarth Shaw, LLP, declared that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is “an incredibly active agency” and is “cracking the whip” on state agencies’ enforcement. She explained the six types of civil citations, which range from other than serious to “high gravity” citations that carry penalties up to $70,000 per citation. Ash said the most frequently cited standards are personal protection equipment (PPE) and lock out tag out procedures,

and that OSHA is using the general duty clause for citations for hazards not covered specifically by a standard. General duty clause citations are automatically serious, with fines up to $7,000. She warned that the agency is currently revamping its penalty policy and increasing its repeat citation timeframe from three years to five years. Ash urged renderers to have a system in place to track citations to avoid repeat offenses. “Do not accept any citation that is not legally sound,” she insisted. “It could come back to haunt you later.” Ash next discussed the Protecting America’s Workers Act that was first introduced in 2005, was resurrected in 2009, and is expected to come up for a vote later this year. The bill increases protection for whistleblowers, makes changes to OSHA’s civil penalty structure, doubles willful violation penalties, prohibits “unclassified” citations, and increases the kinds of activities considered as criminal liability. She reminded attendees it’s more important than ever to have structures in place to prevent workplace injuries and that employees are properly trained, are following procedures, and are disciplined if they don’t. Ash pointed out that the U.S. Department of Transportation has jurisdiction over employee safety as it pertains to vehicles driven off-site, i.e., over the road or in transit. If a vehicle is on company property and an employee is working on the vehicle and a hazard exists, then the situation falls under OSHA. Providing an in-depth presentation on the seven electrical safety habits that make a workplace safer was Al Havens, e-Hazard, who said that the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 371 electrical fatalities in 2008. Thirty-eight percent of deaths occur in the 25 to 34 year old age group, with most fatalities happening at 120 volts. He advised renderers to use the National Fire Protection Association 70E Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace and the 2008 National Electric Code to ensure employees working on electrical equipment are safe. He provided these seven habits to enable employers to comply with 70E:


George Kaluzny, Central Region president, left, presents a delighted Pegger Owens, Kruger Commodities, with her winning prize at the tabletop exhibit...a “Big Ass Hot Dog.”

“Old Dave” Kaluzny, retired, left, shares some of his fishing tales with J.J. Smith, Fats and Proteins Research Foundation.


1. Always verify absence of voltage and use rubber insulating gloves and tools. 2. Use a consensus standard or regulation to establish boundaries for worker safety from shock and arc flash. 3. Always wear arc-rated daily wear and a face shield. 4. Always use a ground fault circuit interrupter, or GFCI, with cord- and plug-connected tools and extension cords. 5. When feasible, create an “electrical safe work condition.” 6. Identify your hazards and adopt PPE or engineering controls as required. 7. Measure, audit, and continuously improve electrical safety processes. NRA President Tom Cook opened the group’s business meeting stating that the biggest change in Washington, DC, is the increase in regulatory action, causing the association to be more defensive. “Fortunately, there isn’t too much time left for Congress to do much more damage this year,” commented Cook, who remains optimistic the tax extenders bill will pass reinstating a tax credit for biofuels, which is a small part of a very expensive bill. He said Congress is also reexamining immigration law after learning the majority of Americans support Arizona’s recently passed immigration law. David Kaluzny, World Renderers Organization (WRO), covered rendering activities worldwide, beginning with predictions that show world demand for animal proteins will grow by 50 percent by 2040, and that the middle class will triple in the next 30 years from 400 million people to 1.2 billion people. Having just returned from the European Fat Processors

Central Region Continued from page 19 and Renderers Association (EFPRA) meeting in Budapest, Hungary, Kaluzny shared the two topics that dominated discussions: the European Commission’s (EC’s) new animal by-products regulation and the future feeding of rendered proteins to animals. The new regulation, EC 1069-2009, is expected to be finalized this fall, go into effect next year, and be implemented in 2012. Kaluzny also explained WRO’s role in representing renderers worldwide to international groups such as the World Trade Organization and World Organization for Animal Health, or OIE. J.J. Smith, Fats and Proteins Research Foundation, disclosed that the biggest issue he focused on as chairman for the past two years was raising money. “Fortunately, rendered product prices have been fairly good the past year,” Smith commented, allowing the foundation to raise about $800,000. The biggest challenge has been not receiving as much funding from meat packers because rendering is not the main focus of their business. He highlighted one valuable partnership as being with the Poultry Protein and Fat Council of the U.S. Poultry and Egg Association, which provided $65,000 in research funding last year and another $61,000 this year towards poultry protein research. Smith pointed out that the Pork Board is helping co-fund an FPRF research project. Among research projects being focused on is biosecurity and a new project to ensure rendered products are included in the new pork nutrition book being published next year. FPRF has also added a new membership class, “international sustainable member,” which provides EFPRA a seat on the board with a $30,000 collective contribution. The central region will hold its next meeting June 8-10, 2011, in Elkhart Lake, WI. R

Although reports of feather use for oil spill remediation exist, the UD researchers have discovered how to maximize the self assembly of the oil-soaked feathers for absorption efficiency and effective subsequent removal. They have also discovered that the size of the fibers is critical – too long and the fibers will fail to assemble; too short and they won’t assemble correctly. Preliminary experiments have been conducted to improve the science at the laboratory level, and Wool plans to conduct further tests at an ocean spill simulator in New Jersey. The use of chicken feathers for useful products is not new to Wool. His Affordable Composites from Renewable Sources group has successfully used the fibers as reinforcement in polymer composites for circuit boards. Wool said the idea for their use in spill mitigation came to him while he was observing the behavior of food sticks thrown into a fish pond. He was further inspired after hearing a talk on self-assembly of nano-fibers by Kathleen Stebe, Richer and Elizabeth Goodwin Professor of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Pennsylvania. Stebe has since approached him about future collaboration in this area. R

Researchers Find Chicken Feathers Good for Oil SpillsBy Diane KukichUniversity of Delaware

Researchers in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Delaware (UD) have developed a method to mitigate oil spills using chicken feather fibers. Professor Richard Wool has discovered that when the fibers are cut to an optimal size, surface-tension forces drive them to form self-assembled percolating networks that attract and trap oil spilled on a water surface. Preliminary tests have yielded promising results, and a provisional patent application has been filed on the technology. The U.S. poultry industry generates five to six billion pounds of feathers annually, an amount that Wool says could handle an oil spill covering some 200,000 square miles, or the entire economic zone of the Gulf of Mexico. “The fibers are not attracted to the water,” Wool said. “But they are attracted to the oil, just as they are on live birds. And once a network of oil-soaked fibers is formed, it will reassemble, or restructure, even if it’s temporarily broken up by wind or wave action.”


Keynote Speaker Sara Wyant, President of Agri-Pulse CommunicationsKnown for her excellence in agricultural reporting, award-winning journalist Sara Wyant will kick-off the meeting with a keynote address entitled “Agriculture Policy

& Politics Through the Eyes of a Journalist.”

An Outstanding Business AgendaNRA’s Annual Convention is valued for its consistently informative and educational business agenda. Following are just a few of this year’s highlights:

• Welcome Luncheon featuring Jennifer Duffy, Senior Editor for The Cook Political Report, who will present: “Six Days to Election, What Can We Expect.”• Industry Issues Forum focusing on the challenges and opportunities facing the rendering industry today. Guest speakers include Dr. Mark Jekanowski of Informa Economics and Ashley Peterson of the American Meat Institute.• Tabletop Reception & Exhibit brings together the industry’s most innovative vendors with renderings’ top decision-makers.• International Market Forum featuring presentations from Europe, Australia, Asia and Latin America. • Association Committee Meetings where industry policies and issues are addressed and members exchange ideas and viewpoints.

Make Plans Now to Attend NRA’s Annual Conventionon October 26-29.

The 77th NRA Annual Convention will be held at The Ritz-Carlton in Naples, Florida from October 26-29, 2010. Check below for meeting highlights and visit the convention website at www.convention.nationalrenderers.org to learn more and register. For additional questions, contact Marty Covert, NRA Convention Coordinator, at 703/533-8571 or [email protected].

A Variety of Social EventsThe Annual Convention offers numerous opportunities to socialize with your colleagues. From the Golf Tournament at The Tiburón Golf Course...to adventurous optional tours featuringfishingonthecoastalwaterways and city Segway tours...to the relaxed elegance of the Welcome Reception, Chairman’s Reception and Beach Party Reception and Dinner, you’ll enjoy quality time on Florida’s beautiful Paradise Coast.

How To RegisterIt’s easy! Just use the following checklist to ensure your registration is complete.

• Reserve Your Hotel Room - call The Ritz-Carlton Naples at 239/598-3300 and use the Group Code GKDGKDA. Reservations must be made by September 17 to receive the NRA discounted rate of $269 per night.• Register Online - securely register by logging onto www.convention.nationalrenders.org. Don’t delay! Convention registration rates increase after September 27.•Secure Your Sponsorship - by completing Section 3 of the registration form.•Become an Exhibitor - by completing Section 5 of the registration form. Be sure to complete The Ritz-Carlton’s Exhibitor Order Form for your electrical hook-up and A/V needs.

801 North Fairfax Street • Suite 205 • Alexandria, VA 22314 • Tel: 1 703 683 0155 • Fax: 1 703 683 2626

convention-ad-v1.indd 1 7/26/10 10:46:32 AM

Multi-tasking the Trade Issues

From the

Association By Tom CookPresident, National Renderers Association


In the last issue of Render, I wrote about some of the changes with the Obama administration as compared to previous administrations. It is a given that things will change. My first observation was the lack of commitment at the highest levels for enhancing trade. I was referring to the fact that free trade agreements (FTAs) with Columbia, South Korea, and Panama have been waiting for ratification since the Bush administration. Eighteen months into this administration, President Barack Obama has finally asked that the Korean FTA be ready to send to Congress by the time he visits South Korea this fall after the November elections. So what is there to do to get ready? I know it will require the Obama administration stamp of approval, but does President Obama think a lame duck Congress will pass something it would not pass before the election? There are already enough Democrats signed up to oppose any FTA so the president will need to rely on many Republicans to ratify any trade agreement. Prospects of getting any of the FTAs approved by Congress are slim. To do so, President Obama will have to go against his own party and rely on Republicans to get it done, but it’s been done before. President Bill Clinton did just that in the early 1990s when he sought the approval of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Most of the Democrats opposed him, but with Republican support, NAFTA was approved. Interestingly, the person in the White House “war room” then directing the campaign was the current White House Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel. These three current FTAs might not be perfect. They were negotiated by the previous administration, so you would expect this administration to review and tweak them more to their liking. But the principles are sound. They are symbolic as to where the United States should be with its trade policy and represent this country’s desire to increase trade

opportunities with potential markets. Since U.S. import restrictions are some of the lowest in the world, most of the benefit of the FTAs is to reduce other countries’ trade barriers so the United States can gain more access to their markets. While we wait to get these three FTAs approved, Canada and several other countries have already negotiated and ratified some agreements giving them a head start and competitive advantage over the United States. The president pledged to double exports within the next five years – a wonderful goal and one that we should all strive to achieve. After attending a two-day meeting in mid-July listening to individuals from different government agencies try to explain the administration’s plan for the National Export Initiative (NEI), we still don’t know much yet. A goal of the NEI is to assist small- and medium-sized companies, which most of the NRA membership would fall under, with the exception of some packer-renderer members. Some very good people in government are working to come up with a plan. Many of them realize that government doesn’t do the selling, that the private sector does, so they are trying to find the tools to help the private sector do just that. One tool that is working is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Market Access Program (MAP). This program originated in the 1985 farm bill under another name. It got off to a rocky start, but, in time, the criticisms and problems with it were addressed. There are about 80 agricultural organizations, such as the National Renderers Association

(NRA), participating and benefitting from this program. MAP provides assistance to agricultural organizations so they can develop programs that help their members reach export markets. Economic studies have shown the MAP returns about $35 for every dollar spent. MAP has been funded in recent years at $200 million annually. The irony is that the administration wants to cut this program by 20 percent. In the big picture of government budgets, $200 million is not a lot of money. Fortunately, for this coming year, Congress will ignore the administration’s request and fund the program at current levels. However, we expect the administration to continue to try to cut this program in future years. NRA members participating in the recent Washington fly-in emphasized the importance and success of the MAP during their congressional visits. It is okay to look for new ideas and programs to promote exports, but administration officials must recognize the programs that are already working and support them. As I stated before, the NEI is a worthy initiative with an ambitious goal. We should do what we can to participate and support it. However, I think we can do more to expand U.S. agriculture exports by addressing some of the policy issues such as the three FTAs and the Mexican trucking standoff. Hopefully, the administration and Congress can do two things at once; export promotion and trade policy.

Convention Quickly Approaching The 77th annual NRA convention is not far off – October 26-29, 2010. A very good program has been planned to provide the right mix of industry information and issues, education, entertainment, and socializing. I hope you are planning to attend. Convention program, registration, and lodging information is on the NRA Web site at http://nationalrenderers.org. R

Prospects of getting any of the FTAs

approved by Congress are slim.

Study Shows Programs Add Billions to U.S. Exports An independent study by IHS Global Insight, Inc., found that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) international market development programs have had a positive and significant impact on U.S. agricultural trade. The study evaluated the effects of the Market Access Program (MAP) and the Foreign Market Development Program (FMD) administered by USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). “USDA is working aggressively to increase exports per the president’s National Export Initiative, not only because of the increased opportunities for farmers and ranchers, but also because of the impact on the job market here in the United States – each $1 billion in exports supports 8,000 to 9,000 jobs at home,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “This study shows that USDA’s market development partnership with industry has had a significant positive impact on U.S. agricultural exports and increased returns to our farmers and ranchers by effectively and efficiently leveraging resources from the private

and public sectors.” The report, released in mid-May 2010, updates a larger study conducted in 2006 and focuses on the period from 2002 through 2009. By 2009, the report concludes, the increase in market development spending since 2002 increased U.S. export market share by 1.3 percentage points and the annual value of U.S. agricultural exports by $6.1 billion. The study concluded that increased investment in market development resulted in the following: • For every additional one dollar expended by government and industry on market development, U.S. food and agricultural exports increased by $35. • Without the increased investment in market development since 2002, U.S. agricultural exports would have been $6.1 billion lower in 2009. • Export gains associated with the programs increased the average annual level of U.S. farm cash receipts by $4.4 billion and net cash farm income by $1.5 billion. At the same time, U.S.

domestic support payments were reduced by roughly $54 million annually due to higher prices from increased demand abroad, thus reducing the net cost of the programs. Through the MAP and FMD programs, USDA provides resources to U.S. non-profit agricultural trade organizations, state regional trade groups, state agencies, and cooperatives in support of participant’s overseas strategic objectives. Program activities include market research, educational and promotional activities, in-country representation and trade servicing, and efforts to counter access issues. The Global Insight study, “A Cost-Benefit Analysis of USDA’s International Market Development Programs,” followed the Office of Management and Budget Circular A-94, which establishes the guidelines and discount rates for benefit-cost analysis of federal programs. FAS commissioned the study, which is available at www.fas.usda.gov/info/releases/Market%20Development%20Eval-2010.pdf. R


Tyson Renewable Fuels Plant Complete, Operations Underway

Biofuels

Bulletin By Tina Caparella

Construction of the Dynamic Fuels renewable diesel plant in Geismar, LA, is complete and work is now underway to prepare for the start of operations. The plant was turned over to Dynamic Fuels, LLC, a joint venture of Tyson Foods and Syntroleum Corporation, by the contractor on July 9, 2010. “The commissioning activities we have in progress include flushing of all lines, verifying operation of the control system, and installation of catalysts and absorbents,” said Jeff Bigger, director of the Dynamic Fuels Management Committee. “We currently expect to begin making fuel and ramping up production rates during the third quarter of 2010.” The new facility is designed to convert animal fats, greases, and oils supplied by Tyson Foods into as much as 75 million gallons of renewable fuels per year. The company has filled 44 permanent full-time positions on-site and currently maintains 13 full-time start-up support personnel. “We’re pleased with customer interest in our fuel and the sales arrangements we’ve made so far,” commented Bob Ames, vice president of Renewable Energy, Tyson Foods. “We’re anxious to begin producing and selling our renewable fuel products.”

Australia Looks into Dumping Allegations On June 22, 2010, the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service initiated an investigation following an application lodged by Biodiesel Producers, Ltd., alleging that biodiesel is being exported to Australia from the United States at “prices less than their normal value, that countervailable subsidies have been received in respect of the goods exported from the United States to Australia, and that the dumping and subsidization has caused material

injury to the Australian industry through lost sales volumes, loss of market share, price undercutting, and reduced profits and profitability.” The investigation covers the period April 1, 2009, to March 31, 2010. The Customs and Border Protection Service will examine biodiesel exports to Australia during that period to determine whether dumping and/or subsidization has occurred. The agency will examine details of the Australian biodiesel industry from July 1, 2007, for injury analysis. The customs service has 60 days to release a preliminary opinion. The Biofuels Association of Australia (BAA) congratulated the government on its investigation initiation. The BAA admits U.S. figures are difficult to track, but estimates about 25 million liters (6.6 million gallons) of U.S. biodiesel has entered Australia prior to the end of the year. The Australian biodiesel industry produces about 100 million liters a year, primarily from tallow and used cooking oil. “The BAA understands that action taken by Customs and Border Protection can be extensive in its support,” said Heather Brodie, BAA chief executive officer. “Indeed if there is a positive finding for countervailing subsidies, there is a risk that subsidized biodiesel imported between June 22, 2010, and the date of the finding may also be subject to the countervailing action. We will certainly be supporting this to ensure that the Australian industry receives an affirmative determination.” In July 2009, after an investigation that began in June 2008, the European Union imposed a five-year tariff on U.S. biodiesel following a formal complaint by the European Biodiesel Board stating that imports of U.S. biodiesel represented dumping, U.S. subsidies to encourage biodiesel production were unfair, and that the situation caused severe damage to the EU biodiesel industry.

BDI Changes Name To reflect the company’s broader focus on the “waste to biofuels” field, the Austrian company BDI-BioDiesel International AG began operating under the new name BDI – BioEnergy International AG July 1, 2010. In addition to multi-feedstock biodiesel plants, BDI has begun supplying biogas technology this year, which is designed primarily for demanding industrial users. The economical multi-feedstock biogas technology developed by BDI’s corporate partner Enbasys GmbH processes industrial and municipal residual and waste materials into high quality biofuels. “Following the extension of our product and service portfolio as well as the acquisition of UIC and, more recently, of a majority interest in Enbasys, the specialist for biogas technology, it was a logical step to reflect the broader portfolio in the company name too,” explained Wilhelm Hammer, BDI chief executive officer. “The new name enables the company and its purpose to be clearly identified.”

California Awards Grants for Biodiesel Terminals, Job Training Community Fuels has received a $2 million grant award through the California Energy Commission’s Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program. The company’s project, titled “Expanding access to renewable fuels – Port of Stockton terminal,” encompasses the design and construction of a biodiesel fuel terminal on a parcel of land adjacent to the existing Community Fuels biodiesel production facility at the Port of Stockton, CA. The terminal will include equipment for fuel storage, final product purification, tanker truck loading, rail car loading and unloading, red dye injection, and an automated fuel



delivery system. The California Energy Commission also awarded a $1.79 million grant to Pearson Fuels, doing business as RTC Fuels, LLC, for its project relocating three biodiesel tanks to McClellan Air Park’s diesel terminal in Northern California to allow blending with an existing 600,000 diesel tank already onsite. The company, based in San Diego, CA, is also installing a smaller blend terminal at a yet undisclosed Southern California location with the same grant money. Under the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency’s Green Innovation Challenge, $19 million in grants were awarded to train nearly 3,000 Californians for jobs in a wide range of clean and green industries, including hybrid and electric vehicles, alternative fuels, and renewable energy generation. Two county agencies received $7 million in grants toward job training in alternative and renewable fuels and vehicles: the San Diego Biofuels Initiative/San Diego Workforce Partnership received $4 million, and the San Mateo County Community College District received $3 million.

Canadian Renderer CutsEmissions with Biodiesel Rothsay, a division of Maple Leaf Foods, Inc., has revealed that its program to fuel its own fleets with biodiesel blends reduced carbon output by approximately 700 metric tons in 2009 – the equivalent of removing approximately 130 cars from the road. Three of Rothsay’s truck fleets have been fueled with biodiesel blends since 2009, with the total number of trucks in the fleet program at 137. In 2009, the fleets consumed more than 2.3 million liters (607,595 gallons) of biodiesel blends, and traveled a combined 3.3 million miles at an average blend rate of 9.2 percent with no mechanical issues or decrease in mileage. “This is a great step forward for Rothsay Biodiesel and the emerging biodiesel industry in Canada,” said Todd Moser, vice president, Alternative Fuels, Rothsay. “Our biodiesel blends, which are produced from inedible animal by-products and recycled restaurant grease, have proven they perform well in our Canadian climate and real-life operating conditions – it’s a sustainable solution

for cleaner, more environmentally sound commercial fueling.” Rothsay converts animal fats and recycled cooking oils into biodiesel using a process pioneered and developed at the company’s biodiesel plant in Montreal, Quebec. It opened the first commercial-scale biodiesel facility in Canada in 2005 and currently produces approximately 45 million liters (11.8 million gallons) annually. Rothsay began fueling its Montreal fleet with biodiesel in 2002 and added the Dundas and Moorefield, Ontario, fleets in 2009. Based on the success of the program, Rothsay is looking to expand it to other Maple Leaf Foods fleets in Ontario in the future.

EPA Proposes 2011 RFS Targets The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed the 2011 production volumes for the four fuels categories under the agency’s Renewable Fuel Standard program, known as RFS2, which went into effect July 1, 2010.


Biofuels Continued from page 25

The Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 established the annual renewable fuel volume targets, reaching an overall level of 36 billion gallons in 2022. To achieve these volumes, EPA calculates a percentage-based standard for the following year. Based on the standard, each refiner, importer, and non-oxygenate blender of gasoline determine the minimum volume of renewable fuel that it must ensure is used in its transportation fuel. The proposed 2011 overall volumes are: • Biomass-based diesel (which includes biodiesel) – 800 million gallons • Advanced biofuels – 1.35 billion gallons • Cellulosic biofuels – between five and 17.1 million gallons • Total renewable fuels – 13.95 billion gallons To formulate the biomass-based production number, EPA examined both industry capacity and recent production rates as of April 2010. According to the agency, the aggregate production capacity of biodiesel plants in the United States was estimated at 2.2 billion gallons per year across approximately 137 facilities. EPA is proposing a 2011 cellulosic volume that is lower than the EISA target based on analysis of market availability. EPA will finalize the 2011 volumes after receiving and evaluating public comments.

Connecticut Mandates Renewable Fuel, Another State Suspends Mandate In June, Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell signed legislation creating the cleanest home heating fuel in the nation by virtually eliminating sulfur from heating oil and requiring a renewable fuel content in the state’s heating oil that begins at two percent and scales up to 20 percent by 2020. The law takes effect July 1, 2011. According to the Independent Connecticut Petroleum Association (ICPA), one of the supporters of Senate Bill 382, eliminating sulfur and instituting a renewable fuel content in heating oil

will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 40 percent. ICPA also stated that similar legislation is pending in New York and Rhode Island. SB 382 will go into effect as soon as those bills pass to ensure Connecticut’s supply markets are properly coordinated with its neighbors. The renewable fuel portion of the Connecticut mandate is already law in Massachusetts, and was due to go into effect July 1, 2010. However, the state’s Department of Energy Resources (DOER) suspended the mandate, along with the requirement of renewable fuel in the state’s diesel transportation fuel, due to “unreasonable cost.” One of the reasons for the suspension was the expiration of the federal biofuels blender credit of $1.00 per gallon that expired January 1, 2010, and has yet to be reinstated by Congress. “Currently, the incremental cost of biodiesel compared to petroleum is $1.50 per gallon, translating to three cents per gallon incremental fuel cost to consumers for the two percent mandate,” DOER stated in an announcement. “Due to the practical challenges of achieving industry-wide compliance and the cost implications of doing so, implementation of the Massachusetts mandate is determined to be infeasible at the present time.” The department will instead move forward with a voluntary program to encourage the use of biofuels that meet the standards of the Clean Energy Biofuels Act passed in 2008, and continue to work toward full implementation of the biofuel mandate at an appropriate time in the future.

European Biodiesel Production Increases The European Biodiesel Board (EBB) is reporting that the European biodiesel industry produced nine million metric tons of biodiesel in 2009, a 16.6 percent increase over 2008 figures. Although the increase is well below the substantial production increases seen in previous years (35 percent in 2008, 54 percent in 2006, and 65 percent in 2005), it is the same increase the industry saw in 2007 versus 2006 production numbers. A number of European Union (EU) member states saw a decrease in production in 2009, including Germany,

from 2.8 million metric tons in 2008 to 2.5 million metric tons last year, the United Kingdom, from 192 million metric tons in 2008 to 137 million metric tons in 2009, and Greece, from 107 million metric tons in 2008 to 77 million metric tons last year. On the other hand, production expansions have taken place in countries such as Austria, Belgium, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, and especially in Spain, which, at 859 million metric tons in 2009 (up from 207 million metric tons in 2008) has taken the place of Italy as the third largest EU biodiesel producer behind Germany and France. The EU remains the leading biodiesel producing region worldwide, representing about 65 percent of global output, with biodiesel being the main biofuel produced and marketed in Europe. In 2009, biodiesel represented about 75 percent of biofuels produced in Europe (bio-ethanol fuel production last year was approximately three million metric tons). Current EU biodiesel production capacity is 22 million tons with 245 existing biodiesel plants as of July 2010, a slight decrease from 2008 due to reorganization of the industry.

Hawaiian Utilities Approve Biodiesel Use The Hawaii Public Uti l i t ies Commission (PUC) has approved a two-year contract for a subsidiary of Iowa-based Renewable Energy Group to supply three to seven million gallons of renewable biodiesel annually to fuel Hawaiian Electric Company’s new 110-megawatt combustion turbine generator unit at Campbell Industrial Park Generating Station. The biodiesel is processed from used cooking oil and waste animal fat. In a separate ruling, the PUC approved a contract for Sime Darby, Malaysia’s leading multinational conglomerate, to provide approximately one million gallons of palm oil-derived biodiesel for use in Maui Electric Company’s Biodiesel Demonstration Project at its Ma’alaea Power Plant. The demonstration will assess the use of biodiesel in place of petroleum diesel in Maui Electric’s diesel generating units and other diesel units around the state. Converting to biodiesel will be an important part of meeting Hawaii’s



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renewable energy goal of 40 percent of electricity from renewable resources by 2030. Maui Electric has long used clean-burning biodiesel for start up and shut down of its diesel generators but the demonstration will test biodiesel for four months to determine its long-term effect on air emissions, heat rate, operations and maintenance costs, and other factors. Both contracts require that the biodiesel supplier meet all technical specifications, environmental, and legal requirements as well as the terms of the Environmental Policy for Procurement of Biodiesel from Sustainably-Produced Palm Oil and Locally-Grown Feedstock adopted in August 2007 by the Natural Resources Defense Council and Hawaiian electric companies. “We are moving forward in our quest for locally grown and processed biofuels for our units,” said Robbie Alm, Hawaiian Electric executive vice president. “At the same time, this short-term contract for the new Campbell Industrial Park generator and the biofuel to test on Maui will allow us to provide power to our customers today as we create a market in Hawaii to nurture

an agricultural energy industry for tomorrow.” The PUC approvals, which came after considering the contracts and input from the Hawaii Office of Consumer Advocacy, allow Hawaiian Electric and Maui Electric to recover the cost of the fuels, transportation, storage, and related costs in the energy cost adjustment surcharge. The utilities take no mark-up or profit on such fuel costs.

Iowa Biodiesel Board Launches Web Site Iowans wanting to learn more about biodiesel now have a one-stop shop on the Internet: www.iowabiodiesel.org, the Iowa Biodiesel Board’s new Web site. The new site provides educational resources such as a section listing all biodiesel plants in the state. Another section lists educational opportunities like Webinars for petroleum marketers and information about a training program for diesel technician instructors. Other features include where to buy biodiesel in Iowa, biodiesel quick facts for those new to biodiesel, economic benefits of

the biodiesel industry to Iowa, legislative updates and reports, latest biodiesel news, and links to additional valuable resources such as a cold weather guide to using biodiesel. The Iowa Biodiesel Board is a state trade association dedicated to the commercial success of biodiesel in Iowa. Its members include state biodiesel producers, petroleum distributors, and biodiesel users.

Renewable Fuels Adds $2 Billion Yearly to Canadian Economy The first-ever comprehensive third-party economic impact assessment of renewable fuels investments in Canada has concluded that, “the grand total of the annual positive economic impact of renewable fuels is $2.013 billion.” The assessment was conducted by econometric firm Doyletech Corporation under contract with the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association. The report studied 28 ethanol and biodiesel plants across Canada and added


Biofuels Continued from page 27

that there were major benefits from renewable fuels in “rural re-vitalization, increased oil exports from western Canada, industrial development, and valuable options for re-balancing fuel mix.” The economic impact of the construction phase of renewable fuels plants was assessed to include: • a total direct investment of $2.326 billion; • a total net economic activity of $2.949 billion, including $100.2 million to municipal governments, $492.1 million to provincial governments, and $679.9 million to the federal government; and • the creation of 14,177 direct and indirect jobs during the respective construction periods. The economic impact of operating the 28 Canadian renewable fuels plants was assessed to include: • the production of a total of 2.25 billion liters (594.3 million gallons) of renewable fuels annually; • a net annual economic benefit of $1.473 billion to the Canadian economy across Canada, including $14.1 million to municipal governments, $108.8 million to provincial governments, and $111.8 million to the federal government; • the creation of a net 1,038 direct and indirect jobs annually; and • an estimated annual benefit of $540 million in additional oil exports that are possible because of western Canada biofuels production (using value of $80 per barrel Canadian). “Even making allowance for the opportunity costs of alternative investments, and the opportunity costs of alternate feedstock sales, renewable fuels plants in Canada represent a positive net economic benefit,” the report concludes.

Report Roadmaps U.S. Renewable Energy Goals The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a report in late June outlining both the current state of renewable transportation fuels efforts in America and a plan to develop regional strategies to increase the production, marketing, and distribution of biofuels. The report provides information on

current production and consumption capacities as well as projections to meet the Renewable Fuels Standard mandate to use 36 billion gallons of biofuel per year in America’s fuel supply by 2022. USDA’s report identifies numerous biomass feedstocks to be utilized in developing biofuels and calls for the funding of further investments in research and development of feedstocks, sustainable production and management systems, efficient conversion technologies and high-value bio-products, and decision support and policy analysis tools. The report provides various data, including estimates by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the quantity of feedstocks available by 2022. EPA expects there will be 380 million gallons of animal fats and yellow grease available by 2022. The report is available at www.usda.gov/documents/USDA_Biofuels_Report_6232010.pdf.

REG Expands with More Acquisitions Ames, IA-based Renewable Energy Group (REG) has expanded its network of biodiesel plants and assumed a used cooking oil supply agreement. First, REG acquired the Nova Biosource Fuels’ Seneca, IL, biodiesel plant and intellectual property rights out of Nova’s bankruptcy and then executed a sale/lease-back agreement with a closely related investor group. Now named REG Seneca, LLC, the facility includes three side-by-side 20 million gallon per year biodiesel process units, a technical grade glycerin refining facility, raw material and finished product storage, and rail car and truck unloading and loading with the potential for barge transportation. After being idle for more than a year, REG made significant repairs and upgrades to the facility and began operations in mid-July. In mid-July, REG also acquired Tellurian Biodiesel, Inc., a California-based biodiesel company and marketer, and American BDF, LLC. American BDF – a joint-venture owned by Golden State Service Industries, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Golden State Foods of Irvine, CA; Restaurant Technologies, Inc., (RTI) of Eagan, MN; and Tellurian Biodiesel – previously focused on

building a national array of small biodiesel plants that would convert used cooking oil into high quality biodiesel. The acquisition connects RTI’s national used cooking oil collection system – with more than 16,000 installations – with REG’s national network of commercial-scale biodiesel facilities. Used cooking oil will augment the company’s current national, multi-feedstock procurement program that supplies the company’s commercial-scale biodiesel facilities. The REG network has a combined annual production capacity of more than 200 million gallons.

Schools Continue to Support Biodiesel More and more educators are supporting the use of biodiesel and renewable fuels in schools, school buses, and as school projects. The Baltimore (Maryland) City Board of School Commissioners has approved a long-term boiler test and evaluation of renewable fuels produced by New Generation Biofuels Holdings, Inc. The company’s biofuel, which is made from virgin and recycled vegetable oils and animal fats, will be used and tested in two of Baltimore City’s public schools over a one-year period. Up to one million gallons will be used, but can be increased to two million gallons if both parties agree. In North Carolina, 16 counties participated in a blitz to use 20 percent biodiesel in public school buses during April and May 2010. The 214,000 gallons of biodiesel used was produced at Piedmont Biofuels’ Pittsboro, NC, facility and blended with petroleum diesel. In 2007, the state legislature established an annual target of a minimum of two percent biodiesel in public school buses statewide. A group of middle school students in Rhode Island turned their passion for community service and climate change into a successful biofuel project that earned them a regional President’s Environmental Youth Award (PEYA) from the Environmental Protection Agency. The students from Westerly Middle School in Westerly, RI, convinced the local town council to place a grease container at the town’s transfer station to collect waste cooking oil from residents, and also convinced 64 local restaurants


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to donate their used cooking oil. A local company collaborated with the students to collect the oil and deliver it to a biodiesel producer, who in turn paid the students for the waste oil. The group then used the money to buy Bioheat, a biofuel used for home heating, from a local distributor to give to local charities. The project continues to be a success – the students have collected over 36,000 gallons of waste oil and donated 4,000 gallons of Bioheat to local charities, which helped 40 families with emergency heating assistance. Another group of students has also received a PEYA for their project that began as a science fair endeavor. Members of the Oak Hall School Biodiesel Project team in Gainesville, FL, collected and processed used vegetable oil into biodiesel for the school’s diesel-powered lawn equipment and at some point in the future, school buses. The high school students obtained all necessary local and state regulatory approvals for biodiesel production; raised funds for the reactor, a facility to house the reactor, and supplies to manufacture biodiesel; collected more than 250 gallons of waste oil; and

produced over 25 gallons of biodiesel. The students also wrote an instruction manual to encourage other schools to replicate the biodiesel project.

Used Cooking Oil Fuels Helicopter UOP, LLC, a Honeywell company, has used its Green Jet Fuel to power a Boeing AH-64D Apache helicopter flown by the Royal Netherlands Air Force. The flight was conducted at Gilze-Rijen Airbase, home of the Royal Netherlands’ combat helicopter fleet. Used cooking oil and algae oil were converted into fuel using process technology developed by Honeywell’s UOP. The aviation biofuel was blended in a 50 percent mixture with traditional jet fuel and used to power one of the Apache’s engines for a series of test maneuvers. No modifications were made to the engine or airframe for the flight. Honeywell Green Jet Fuel has been used in four previous commercial biofuel demonstration flights, including a KLM Royal Dutch Airlines flight in November 2009. The fuel has also been

demonstrated in fixed-wing flights with the U.S. Air Force and Navy as part of a joint program for alternative fuels testing and certification under the U.S. Defense Energy Support Center.

Waste Hauler Produces Biodiesel in Alaska The first commercial-scale biodiesel is now being produced in Alaska. Alaska Green Waste Solutions began producing the alternative fuel in early June at its new Anchorage biodiesel plant using waste cooking oil collected from 240 local restaurants, groceries, hotels, and hospitals. Within a month, the waste hauler was using the fuel in a dozen of the company’s trucks with plans to start using biodiesel in more of the fleet very soon. The facility has a 1,000 gallon per day capacity and was designed and built by Pacific Biodiesel Technologies in Salem, OR. The plant was then dissembled for shipment and reassembled in Anchorage. The facility includes storage for feedstock, biodiesel, and glycerin. R


WRO: Moving Forward with Purpose

International

Report By Stephen WoodgateSecond Vice President, World Renderers Organization

Budapest, Hungary, was the host city for the latest World Renderers Organization (WRO) meeting, held as part of the European Fat Processors and Renderers Association (EFPRA) Congress June 3-5, 2010. The location of the congress signifies the importance of Hungary in Europe, particularly when it comes to agriculture in general and livestock production in particular. The previous WRO activity as part of the International Feed Industry Federation Global Feed and Food Congress in Cancun, Mexico, was briefly mentioned in the June 2010 issue of Render. At the Budapest meeting, the importance of such an event and WRO’s ability to be involved was emphasized again. Although the attendance of some – including myself and Albert Tacon – was prevented by a certain Icelandic volcano, other WRO members present at the congress in Cancun stepped forward and performed extra duties. Particular thanks are due to colleagues Niels Nielsen, president of EFPRA, and Dr. Sergio

Nates, president of the Fats and Proteins Research Foundation, who presented my and Tacon’s talks, respectively. Although the Budapest congress was an unofficial WRO meeting, it did not reduce the in-depth or detail in discussions on a range of topics. Communications was highlighted as a major area of focus. The design and operation of the WRO Web site (www.worldrenderers.org) was complimented and members discussed the options of a regular newsletter to members or the chance to gain a recurring slot in Render magazine. Members quickly and unanimously agreed that a contribution to Render was a “not to be missed” and much appreciated opportunity to spread the word about the WRO. On behalf of the National Renderers Association (NRA) international marketing team, Kent Swisher and Bruce Ross proposed that WRO adopt a more progressive and global strategy covering a range of topics, such as agreed terminology, selling the rendering

industry better, overcoming negative perceptions, and influencing opinion formers. The idea was welcomed and a detailed strategy will be examined in more depth at the fall WRO meeting in Naples, FL. Membership numbers are rising, mainly due to sterling efforts by Nates, acting as an honorary WRO membership secretary. However, all present were encouraged to seek out new members wherever they could. To help with this, WRO President Alan von Tunzelman agreed to write an official and open invitation letter/flyer to prospective WRO members to be used in the continuing drive for wider membership. The opportunity to engage with and influence the World Organization for Animal Health, or OIE, was discussed in some detail. Previously, WRO had decided to hold off on a written approach to OIE requesting that a memorandum of understanding between WRO and OIE be signed. WRO members now feel enough new members have been attracted to the WRO, particularly from developing countries, that this request to OIE should now be sent. This decision will be ratified at the next meeting, which hopefully could lead to even more WRO members around the table. One area of contact with OIE considered a success for WRO was in relation to the draft OIE terrestrial code chapter on Bacillus anthracis. The first draft had proposed that only the European Union (EU) pressure cooking method was effective at safely dealing with potential presence of Bacillus anthracis spores. Thanks in part to WRO member efforts, the final draft approved the EU pressure system or any validated equivalent system. With this text, countries around the world should now be free to choose the most appropriate rendering process conditions rather than be forced to use the unnecessarily aggressive and expensive pressure processing method. Looking both backward and forward, members heard from Tunzelman about

David Kaluzny, left, WRO first vice president, and Alan von Tunzelman, WRO president, examine one of the EFPRA exhibitors.


the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) meeting in Seattle, WA, held in October 2009. He considered WRO presence at such an important and strategic event very worthwhile. The focus on consumers also gives WRO a lead into more horizontal areas of discussion with regard to animal feeding, including welfare, ethics, and choice. Once again the subject of communication becomes topical, particularly in making one think about what to say and how to say it. As a result of Tunzelman’s positive feedback on this meeting, it was decided to proceed with attendance at the next GAA event in Kuala Lumpor, Malaysia, in October 2010. Not forgetting the EFPRA Congress itself, the annual Technical Symposium this year was handed over to the sponsors and exhibitors, who gave short presentations about technology advances. A total of eight presentations were given with the overall impression being that this was a very useful session that raised awareness from both the audience and suppliers alike. During the congress itself there were both political and topical presentations of direct relevance to all WRO members and especially those outside the EU that have business relationships with EU member states. Speakers included Dr. Alberto Laddomada from the EU Commission (DG-Sanco) who talked about the new EU animal by-products regulation and its position within Europe and relationship with non-EU countries, with particular relevance to import and export. Dr. John Griffin, representing the biohazards panel of the European Food Safety Authority, gave a very comprehensive outline of how processes and products are risk-assessed by a panel of independent scientists. A national speaker, Professor Sandor Fekete, from the Hungarian Academy of Science, proved to be both intellectually stimulating and very engaging at the same time. Finally, Patrick Coelenbier wrapped up the session with his usual and very professional overview of EU livestock numbers and trends, together with a snapshot of EFPRA member activities and progress during the previous year. To his and the audience’s surprise, raw material processed and production of protein meals and rendered fats had all risen in 2009 compared to 2008. In due course, the EFPRA

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statistical information will be posted to the WRO Web site statistics page to appear alongside production information from other regions of the world. The next (and annual) WRO meeting will be in Naples, FL, in conjunction with the NRA convention October 27-30,

2010. Next year, an unofficial WRO meeting will be held at the EFPRA Congress in Dublin, Ireland, June 8-11, 2011, while the official annual meeting will take place at the Australian Renderers Association Congress in Sydney, Australia, July 27-30, 2011. R

Preparing for the EFPRA Congress are, from left, Niels Nielsen, EFPRA president; Dirk Dobbelaere, EFPRA; Stephen Woodgate, Fabra; and Judith Halmai, ATEV.


ACREC

Solutions By Annel K. Greene, PhDCenter Director, Clemson University Animal Co-Products Research and Education Center

Chemical Engineering Students Study Animal Fats

Clemson University Spring 2010 chemical engineering graduates. Sixteen of these new engineers worked on senior design projects related to manufacturing biodiesel from rendered animal fats. Clemson ACREC faculty are pictured at right.


Dr. Charles Gooding, professor of chemical engineering and a member of the Clemson University Animal Co-Products Research and Education Center (ACREC) team, challenged his senior design class to “develop and optimize a process to manufacture 100 million kilograms (kg) per year of biodiesel fuel.” He divided the class into nine teams. Four of the teams used rendered products as their feedstock and the remaining five teams used algae oil as their feedstock. The class began by selecting team leaders via an election. These leaders then built their teams through a competitive draft similar to a professional sports draft except the order of selection was determined by lot. Each team worked together to develop a process as demonstrated by a flow sheet and stream table. They sized all equipment using the best data and information derived from engineering resources. Finally, the students conducted an economic analysis of their designed process. Upon completion of the semester, the student teams made oral presentations on their projects. The panelists for the review included Clemson University faculty engineers and external reviewers. The external reviewers were commercial engineers, including Mike Dobeck from Darling International, Inc., and one very impressed microbiologist. Student teams submitted final written reports in addition to the oral presentations and were told that their audience members were somewhat knowledgeable about chemical processing and potentially interested in investing in a biodiesel plant. Gooding further specified that the process must be able to handle a feedstock with 15 percent free fatty acids and that student teams should evaluate profitability if the feedstock cost $0.30 per kg (/kg) and $0.60/kg. The students were told to specify a minimum acceptable rate of return of 10 percent and to determine the corresponding

wholesale, FOB price of the biodiesel. Gooding explained to the review panel that the reason for considering the higher price was to determine if it was possible that biodiesel production could raise the value of fat from the rendering industry. Results of the students’ projects indicated that the answer was no unless a dramatic change occurs in the wholesale price of fuel or tax incentives/credits are applied. In the study, however, students were instructed to not consider tax credits or any other government intervention. The first team was comprised of Joe Johnson, Dick Pace, Sarah Rudy, and Robert Witt, who was team leader of the group. Their project was entitled, “Biodiesel Production from Low-cost Tallow Feedstock Through Acid-catalyzed Esterification and Base-catalyzed Transesterification.” Using the assumption that rendered fat feedstock contained 84 percent triglycerides, 15 percent free fatty acids, and one percent water, the Witt team approached the project from a conventional standpoint.

They designed a biodiesel production facility using acid-catalyzed esterification to convert the free fatty acids into methyl esters. The team used sulfuric acid catalyst and an excess of methanol in a continuous stirred tank reactor to convert 97 percent of the free fatty acids into methyl esters within 1.5 hours. The process followed with neutralization and methanol recovery steps and, subsequently, the remaining tallow and methyl esters were sent into a second reactor for a base-catalyzed transesterification reaction using sodium hydroxide. The calculated reaction produced a 98.5 percent conversion of triglycerides into biodiesel in one hour, and purification steps were incorporated post-reaction. The Witt team determined that the fixed capital investment for this processing facility would be approximately $4.79 million. The economic analysis indicated that the cost of manufacturing would be $49.4 million for the $0.30/kg feedstock and $84.2 million for the


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$0.60/kg feedstock. Reporting annual cost of manufacturing, the students recommended selling the glycerin by-product at a conservative price of $0.10 per pound, yielding approximately $2 million per year. The team determined that the break-even selling prices of the final product would be $1.69 per gallon for the $0.30/kg feedstock and $2.90 per gallon for the $0.60/kg feedstock. The team further reported that the price of raw materials was the determining factor in profitability for this proposed biodiesel plant. They also reviewed waste treatment and safety issues and typical waste handling procedures were determined to be adequate. Safety risks centered on the exothermic reaction during the acid-catalyzed esterification processing and safety shut-off measures were designed into the system. The second team presented their project, “Process Design of a Biodiesel Plant.” The team was comprised of Timon-Eddy Brown, Jenny DiNoto, Shaina Milleman, and Andrew McCord, who was the team leader. Using the same parameters for the size of the processing plant, team McCord chose to design a plant using sodium methoxide as the catalyst. The team determined that the fixed capital investment for this processing plant would be $7.35 million and the yearly cost of manufacturing for the lower cost feedstock ($0.30/kg) was $54.4 million whereas the higher cost feedstock ($0.60/kg) was $92.9 million. The third student team was lead by Andrew Carter and team members were John Abramczyk, Michael DeWitt, and Tyler Williams. Their project was entitled, “Process Design for the Production of Biodiesel from Rendered Fat.” This team searched patents and determined a different approach to dealing with free fatty acids. They analyzed four different methods of catalysis: acid catalysis, base catalysis, silica chloride, and Esterfip-H. The team chose Esterfip-H as the catalyst for the transesterification process because this system is tolerant of water and generates high purity biodiesel and glycerol without additional purification steps. This catalysis method requires a feedstock without free fatty acids, therefore, the feedstock is pre-treated using potassium hydroxide and calcium chloride to remove the free fatty acids as insoluble fatty acid salts

that the students proposed as dairy cattle feed. The triglycerides are used to form biodiesel and glycerol by reaction with excess methanol in the presence of the Esterfip-H catalyst. Centrifugation was employed to separate the glycerol from biodiesel. Using their process, the Carter team determined that the price of biodiesel would be $2.88 per gallon with the $0.30/kg feedstock and $4.49 per gallon with the $0.60/kg feedstock. The fourth team was comprised of leader Brandon Tucker and teammates Nick Sturgis, Riann Vorster, and Matt Vyrostek. Their project was, “Design and Economic Evaluation of a Biodiesel Production Plant from Rendered Fats.” The Tucker team chose to design a process using acid catalyzed esterification with subsequent base catalyzed transesterification resulting in a triglyceride conversion rate of 97.9 percent. Using 18 unit operations, the team developed a process with a total fixed capital cost of $5.2 million. The $0.30/kg feedstock yielded a wholesale biodiesel price of $2.25 per gallon whereas the $0.60/kg feedstock was $3.85 per gallon.

From the students’ projects, Gooding concluded that the capital investment for a biodiesel plant is significant to an investor, but overall is not what determines the economics. He stated that the deciding factor in profitability is related to the price of biodiesel in the future and the incentives/tax breaks that may be provided via government programs. In general, he concluded that dividing the wholesale price per gallon of biodiesel by a factor of 10 will determine the price per pound of fat feedstock. In other words, Gooding states that “if biodiesel can be sold wholesale for $2.00 per gallon, then you can make a small profit by making biodiesel instead of selling your fat to somebody else for $0.20 per pound.” In the fall semester, Gooding will teach approximately 60 sophomore level and 40 senior level chemical engineering students who will study the topic, “High Value Products from Rendered Fats, Oils, and Greases: Process Design and Analysis of Profitability.” In the courses, students will design chemical processes and

Tech

Topics By Robert Wallace and John PiersonGeorgia Tech Research Institute

Researching Brown Grease as a New Opportunity Identifying new opportunities for rendered animal products has typically addressed finding new markets for fats and proteins, although these efforts are increasingly focused on addressing sustainable processes associated with inedible products (e.g., animal feeds). However, in recent months animal feed prices have been extremely volatile. Greater demand in Asia, interest as biofuels and other uses, and processing costs due to energy, labor, and transportation have caused spikes in the cost of corn and soybeans, and less acreage devoted to the planting of cotton and other crops has resulted in higher costs of these crops. Some commodity prices have mitigated recently following the fluctuating price of petroleum, but this underscores the volatility of these markets. Price volatility may not disappear in the foreseeable future due to global demand, but additional, diverse sources of animal feed may dampen these waves of price instability relative to their quantity and availability. Thus, the challenge for finding sustainable, new opportunities for rendered animal products is tied to increasing animal feed components without impacting current supplies of corn, soybeans, cotton seed, and other oil seed plants. With that said, this article will focus on brown grease, a mix of partially oxidized lipids – i.e., waste vegetable oil, animal fat, grease – recovered from post-rendering processes during wastewater pretreatment. Inedible fat and protein feedstocks primarily include sources such as farmed animals, aquaculture, and post-consumer materials. Chemical and physical properties, palatability, digestibility, growth, and physiological effects are a few of many considerations for determining component value. Animal fats, vegetable oils, fatty acids, and other similar materials are routinely recovered at rendering facilities, but some materials like brown grease and solids from centrifuges and separators are generally

not used in any higher value applications because of the impurities they contain such as water, solids, protein, and free fatty acids (FFAs). These materials are not problematic on their own, but cause increased rancidity and other issues when in an otherwise stabilized fat. One cannot magically convert brown grease with 20 percent water, 40 percent FFAs, and large quantities of pigments to virgin vegetable oil, but the quality and stability of certain fractions of the brown grease may be increased to a point usable in an animal feed product. The quality and constituents cover a very large range depending on initial feedstock, age, temperature, recovery method, etc. In aggregate, undesirable materials include oxidative components such as gums or hydrated unsaponifiables that are removed by degumming, color bodies treated by bleaching, and FFAs and volatiles removed by refining processes also called deodorization or deacidification. Maximizing neutral oil yield is a primary objective, although treatment process selection depends on the desired extracted oil quality. Refined plant oils and animal fats result from established physical and chemical treatment processes designed to remove undesirable materials. Due to the variety of components in brown grease, it is amenable to fractionation by centrifuge. There are a number of ways to deal with these impurities, which vary in complexity and expense. Steam has

increasingly been used versus chemical treatment to remove gums and oxidative components while minimizing soapstock formation. However, neutral oil removal as vapor can occur with high temperature steam distillation used during vegetable oil refining to also remove volatiles. Proteins are removed by clarification and filtration, most often with diatomaceous earth or bleaching clay followed by steam to remove FFAs. Dewaxing can also be used to improve flow properties, although waxes and fatty acids have value for energy and digestibility. Interest in enzymatic approaches as well as more exotic technologies such as supercritical oxidation is growing, but cost considerations continue to limit viability. As a potential animal feed ingredient, brown greases recovered from post-rendering processes should be analyzed for lipid refinement. The choice and order of refining processes may vary based on the desired use of the extracted oil. Removing water should be a primary concern as it contributes to hydrolysis of triglycerides, which yields FFAs and begins polymerization. This may be accomplished by degumming, neutralization, or vacuum distillation. Degumming for phospholipid and bound water removal may be considered depending on the wastewater treatment techniques used, although phospholipids tend not to be a significant contaminant. Often used as a degumming process, steam treatment does provide rapid heat transfer, which also allows the wax crystals present to melt and recrystallize in a form more amenable to centrifugation, but other degradation may occur due to polymerization as lipids lose stability and darken, develop bitterness, and form pigments. Chemical neutralization (caustic addition) of FFAs will result in significant soapstocks and additional water; therefore, alternatives should be considered if possible, including non-aqueous generally regarded as safe

One cannot magically convert brown grease with 20 percent water, 40 percent FFAs, and large quantities of pigments to virgin

vegetable oil.


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(GRAS) solvents that can move water and even some amount of FFAs, aldehydes, ketones, and other undesirable chemicals to another fraction. Bleaching is typically considered for pigment removal, and studies have shown that dewaxing may also improve neutral oil transparency, brightness, and palatability. In conclusion, the choice of refinement methods and the order in which they are performed is dependent on the initial feedstock and the desired use. Significant improvements in feed oil quality may be achieved with equipment currently in-house at most rendering facilities with chemical addition and possible additional storage to allow for recrystallization of the wax particles. For example, dewaxing can improve cold-flow properties of neutral oil allowing for non-heated storage with the added benefits of improved optical qualities, palatability, and digestibility. Non-aqueous, GRAS solvents can move FFAs from one fraction to another resulting in a more stable oil. Bleaching should be considered on a case-by-case basis as it reduces pro-oxidants, peroxides, and can help with FFAs. There are still a number of research opportunities with respect to degraded fats, such as chemical choice to select different FFA removals and rates, conversion of FFAs to monoglyceride or even diglyceride, separating and concentrating odor components from both fat and wastewater, and dealing with dissolved air flotation skimmings, just to name a few. R


evaluate the profit potential of converting rendered fats, oils, and greases into a variety of high-value products. After identifying potential end-products from rendered materials, the students will study product demand, product value, and the complexity of the conversion process. The students will develop process flow diagrams and stream tables for the most promising products, and estimate the required capital investment, cost of manufacturing, and profitability of each. This educational opportunity will be an opportunity not only for the students but also for the rendering industry. The introductory sophomore course will concentrate on mass and energy balances and Gooding will assign the students the task of investigating the “chemical descendents of triglycerides and free fatty acids.” In the project, students will identify new end-products made from triglycerides or free fatty acids and thus will identify new potential markets for the rendering industry. The senior students will be given a similar assignment to identify chemical reactions and using chemical stoichiometry and market analysis, these students will identify the value of the starting materials and the products. Rendering industry experts will be consulted during this student assignment.

The main objective of the fall 2010 class projects is to evaluate products that may have a higher value than biodiesel with the overall goal of determining if there are more profitable markets for rendered animal fats. Both the sophomore and the senior classes will work on identifying and evaluating potential products and processes in the fall semester. In the spring 2011 semester, the senior class will conduct full process evaluations similar to the spring 2010 class biodiesel project. They will seek to determine if there are promising (and profitable) alternative products for using animal fats. In addition to finding potential new markets for rendered animal products, the class will learn about the rendering industry and become a pool of 100 chemical engineers from which the rendering industry may seek to hire. From the Clemson University spring 2010 class, 37 newly graduated chemical engineers have just entered the work force. Of these, 16 new chemical engineers are now familiar with rendered products and biodiesel production. It is very likely these are the only recent chemical engineering graduates in the United States to have studied rendered animal fats in a class setting. R

For further information on Gooding’s work, or to suggest course topics, e-mail him at [email protected].

ACREC Continued from page 33

Labor and the

Law By Mark A. Lies II and Elizabeth Leifel AshSeyfarth Shaw, LLP

A “Snitch” in Time Saves Lives: The Importance of Reporting Safety Violations in the Workplace


Editor’s Note – Mark A. Lies II is a partner with the Chicago, IL, law firm of Seyfarth Shaw, LLP. He specializes in occupational safety and health and related employment law and civil litigation. Elizabeth Leifel Ash is an associate with Seyfarth Shaw, whose practice focuses on regulatory compliance and litigation, including occupational safety and health and environmental matters. Legal topics provide general information, not specific legal advice. Individual circumstances may limit or modify this information.

We’ve all been there – we’ve all witnessed a co-worker doing something that violates the company’s rules. We resist any thought of reporting the violation because we value our relationship with our co-worker, because it’s just “not that big of a deal,” because we’ve been taught to mind our own business, or because we do not want a negative reputation as the office “snitch.” But when a co-worker’s violation of a company rule creates an unsafe condition, reporting that conduct to management can literally mean the difference between life and death. Therefore, it is critical that employers confront any “code of silence” and create a workplace culture where employees are encouraged to and feel comfortable that they can confide in management about behavior that violates a workplace safety rule or otherwise results in an unsafe condition without fear of retaliation. The following real-life examples from cases handled by the authors illustrate two different scenarios where the code of silence either contributed to or prevented a tragic incident.

Case Study One: A Tragic Outcome It is well recognized that when an authorized employee is required to perform work on equipment, and there is a potential for unexpected energization,

the equipment must be locked out or tagged out (LOTO) by the employee. Recently, at a manufacturing facility, a long-term maintenance employee was found to have been electrocuted when he failed to lock out an electrical circuit to an overhead fluorescent light that he was working on. During the company’s investigation, it was learned through other maintenance employees that they had observed the decedent routinely failing to lock out equipment. In fact, it was revealed that the decedent had told the other maintenance employees that he could perform live electrical work without LOTO. These same employees admitted that they had never informed management of these violations because they didn’t want to “snitch” on the decedent. One employee, who became extremely emotional during his interview, said that he felt responsible for his co-worker’s death and couldn’t sleep. He kept repeating, “If I had snitched, he might be alive today.” Clearly, a tragedy might have been avoided if management had previously been notified of these violations.

Case Study Two: Tragedy Averted In another case, the company had recently posted a notice of a change to an employment policy on a bulletin board in the workplace. While several hourly employees were reading the notice, another employee came up, read the notice, and stated, “I am going to bring my AK-47 in and show them what I think of this b******* policy.” This comment disturbed the other employees, one of whom reported the statement immediately to his supervisor, who then reported it to senior management. Before the employee returned to work the next day, the company had consulted with counsel and notified the local police department. The police were waiting, and the employee was

escorted home, where the police found an AK-47 rifle and over 100,000 rounds of ammunition. The employee was taken into custody for psychiatric evaluation. In this case, the prompt reporting of an employee’s threatening conduct, a violation of the employer’s workplace violence prevention policy, averted a potential tragedy.

Breaking the Code of Silence Unfortunately, non-management employees often are reluctant to confide in management about their co-workers’ conduct, even if that conduct poses a danger to themselves and others. This reluctance is often more apparent in union shops where management is sometimes perceived as an adversary. In some cases, there are cultural or ethnic fears by an employee who may complain about a co-worker from a different cultural or ethnic group. As the case studies reveal, however, this implicit code of silence can result in workplace accidents that cause injury or death to one or more employees. As case study one illustrates, an employee who sees a co-worker engaged in unsafe conduct but does not report that conduct may suffer tremendous emotional and moral distress and guilt if the co-worker is later injured or killed as a result of his behavior. In addition, behavior that creates an unsafe condition poses a hazard not only to the employee who engages in the violative conduct, but also to other employees working in the area. Accordingly, it is critical that employers break down this code of silence by ensuring that employees have an open line of communication to report safety violations or unsafe conduct by co-workers or even supervisors without fear of retaliation by the employer or co-employees. Employees must understand that their own safety and the safety of others must take priority over the fear of being labeled as a snitch.

• Establish an infrastructure that allows employees to raise concerns about workplace safety in a manner that is comfortable for the employee. This may be an anonymous tip line, suggestion box, or other way of reporting safety violations without the stigma of being a snitch. • Develop a reliable method for tracking safety-related complaints and corrective action. • Advise employees that reporting

unsafe conditions or conduct in the workplace will not result in any form of disciplinary action against the employee reporting the condition. • Ensure that individual employees (including supervisors) are accountable for following safety rules and procedures by taking appropriate disciplinary action where an employee violates a safety- or health-related rule. Maintain documentation of any such disciplinary action. R

St. Joseph, MO800.373.6156

www.ameri-pac.com

Ameri-Pac, Inc. recently achieved a rating of SUPERIOR by AIB, the American Institute of Baking, as of March 1, 2010. This rating assures customers that their manufacturing facility has met the highest and most rigorous standards of cleanliness, food safety, ingredient quality and manufacturing integrity. To earn this designation, our company and every person working in our facility has made a total commitment to product quality and safety.

Quality Products Quality Service Quality People

Total commitment.

25How do you improve on 25 years of quality products?


The employer can take several steps to alleviate this fear and create a “safety first” workplace culture. First, the employer must communicate to employees the importance of adhering to safety rules and policies and the potential perils of allowing safety violations to go unreported. Employees must understand that unsafe conduct puts themselves and their friends at risk, and that the emotional impact of an accident or fatality can be devastating. Second, the employer must involve non-management employees in the development and implementation of safety rules and policies. If employees have ownership in the process, they are likely to be more willing to raise concerns or bring issues to the employer’s attention. Third, the employer must establish some reliable and confidential method by which employees can report conduct or conditions that are unsafe. For example, the employer may set up an anonymous “hotline” where employees can report unsafe conditions. The employer must also develop some way of tracking action taken to correct any condition or violation reported by an employee. Finally, employers must advise their employees that no disciplinary action will be taken against any employee for reporting an unsafe condition or unsafe conduct by a co-worker or supervisor. Employees are in fact protected from retaliation for making complaints of unsafe conditions under Section 11(c) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

Conclusion and Recommendations In conclusion, it is imperative that employers break the workplace code of silence and foster an open dialogue between management and employees about workplace safety. It is recommended that employers consider the following. • Develop written policies that advise employees of the importance of following safety-related rules and procedures in the workplace. Communicate to employees the expectation that they not only follow those rules and procedures but insist that their co-workers and supervisors do likewise. • Regularly ask employees for input or feedback on safety-related rules and procedures.

People,

Places &...Carl Peterson Mourned

S C P C o n t r o l , Inc., founder Carl M. Peterson died June 14, 2010, in Minneapolis, MN. He was 72. Peterson, an expert i n o d o r c o n t r o l technology for the rendering industry, founded SCP Control in 1982 and was an active member of the National Renderers Association.

He was a graduate of the University of North Dakota where he received his bachelor of science and master of science degrees in mechanical engineering. Peterson then went on to receive his PhD in environmental health from the University of Minnesota. Peterson is survived by his wife of 46 years, Shirley, sons Eric and Nathan, daughters Kris and Nancy, six grandchildren, a sister, and many more family and friends, including those in the rendering industry.

Darling Acquires Nebraska Renderer Darling International, Inc., has acquired substantially all of the assets of Nebraska By-Products, Inc. Nebraska By-Products, Inc., head-quartered in Lexington, NE, is a provider of dead stock collection and rendering services in Nebraska, Kansas, and parts of Colorado and South Dakota. The acquisition includes a rendering facility located in Lexington, NE, as well as several transfer stations. “We are pleased to have the opportunity to add this business to our portfolio and carry on Nebraska By-Products’ long tradition of outstanding service to farmers, ranchers, and feedlot operators in the Midwest,” said Randall Stuewe, chairman and chief executive officer, Darling International. Headquartered in Irving, TX, Darling International is the largest publicly-traded food processing by-

products recycling company in the United States.

Dupps Names New President Frank Dupps Jr. took the helm as president of The Dupps Company, Germantown, OH, on July 1, 2010. He succeeds John A. Dupps, who became the company’s chairman of the board on July 1 after serving as president since 1982. Frank Dupps Jr., who leaves the post of director of international sales, joined the company i n 1 9 9 1 . During his tenure, he has gained experience i n e v e r y aspec t o f the business, including engineering, manufacturing, service, administrative operations, marketing, and sales. In his most recent role, he was responsible for introducing The Dupps Company into new global markets, including major positions in Latin America, that now account for a significant and growing portion of the company’s annual sales. As president, Dupps plans to usher the company into new markets, including process applications that would benefit from Dupps’ engineering and manufacturing expertise, as well as even more comprehensive product and service offerings to traditional Dupps market segments. He is careful to put ambitious company growth into perspective, noting that, “As we pursue the business objectives that will keep us on a successful path well into the future, we will do so with the same philosophy – putting the customer first, offering the best value possible, and cultivating opportunities and incentives for our family of employees – that we’ve stood for since the company was founded 75 years ago.”

The Dupps Company designs, builds, markets, and services a rendering systems and machinery for the protein co-products industry. The company also serves the pulp and paper, oilseed, fish meal, and other industries with a variety of processing systems and equipment.

Diversified Laboratories Awarded Accreditation Diversified Laboratories, Inc., is now ISO/IEC 17025:2005 accredited, which, along with the company’s U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) accreditation, validates the laboratory’s technical competence and quality management systems. The International Organization for Standardization, or ISO, International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 17025 is the international standard by which a laboratory’s commitment to quality is evaluated. It not only considers management and technical expertise, but emphasizes continual improvement of customer service and the overall quality management systems. “We always considered outside verification of our laboratory vital,” commented Peter Kendrick, chief execu t ive o ff i ce r, D ivers i f i ed Laboratories. “ISO accreditation is another part of our continuing mission to improve how we serve our customers.” Diversified Laboratories is currently the only independent laboratory accredited by the ISO and USDA for chlorinated hydrocarbons and PCBs.

JBS Souderton Reaches Settlement Over Clean Water Violations JBS Souderton, Inc., formerly known as Smithfield Beef Group, has agreed to pay $2 million in civil penalties and damages to resolve allegations that the company’s beef processing plant in Franconio Township, Montgomery County, PA, failed to comply with the Clean Water Act and the Pennsylvania Clean Streams Law during plant

Carl Peterson

Frank Dupps Jr.



operations, some of which resulted in fish kills. The consent decree was entered into with the United States of America and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of 2004, JBS Souderton’s operations, which include a rendering facility, were producing approximately 180 million pounds of boxed beef and 117 million pounds of ground beef per year. The rendering facility processes the inedible material from the slaughter operations and kitchen grease from various restaurants. Water from the beef processing and rendering facilities is conveyed to an on-site wastewater treatment plant, treated, and then discharged into the Skippack Creek, pursuant to a permit. The creek is a tributary of the Perkiomen Creek and the Schuylkill River. In December 2008, the United States filed a complaint alleging that the plant had been out of compliance since 2003 with the federal water act and state streams law. The allegations concern three areas: • The environmental agencies allege that the plant spilled pollutants into the water without a permit. • The agencies allege that the plant discharged pollutants into the water in excess of the limitations set by its permit. • The agencies allege the plant failed to operate and maintain its facilities in a manner appropriate to ensuring compliance with its environmental obligations. These violations resulted in fish kills in the Skippack Creek on August 10, 2007 (16,461 fish), December 5, 2007 (1,754 fish), and June 10, 2008 (6,500 fish). The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission intervened with their own allegations in June 2010. During the time frame covered by the consent decree, JBS Souderton, Inc., was formerly known as Smithfield Beef Group – Souderton, Inc. The name change occurred in 2008 when Smithfield Foods, Inc., sold its stock in Smithfield Beef Group, Inc., to JBS USA, Inc. The consent decree requires JBS Souderton to make a number of changes to its operations that are meant to prevent the kinds of environmental incidents alleged in the complaint. They include:

• the implementation of an environ-mental management system that incorporates prevailing best practices and that will, among other things, include a process for analyzing the root causes of future environmental mishaps to ensure that they are corrected; • the installation of a computer based system – the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system – to monitor equipment, leaks, and water flow; • improved record keeping and training; • an asset management and preventive maintenance program to set schedules for the upkeep of the operation’s equipment. The consent decree also requires JBS Souderton to construct an upgrade to the system of pipes that brings water to the wastewater treatment plant. The construction project includes installation of advanced piping, an inventory of existing piping, and shut-off of unused piping. The upgrade is to ensure that all the wastewater that needs treating will be safely carried to the wastewater treatment plant. The consent decree is part of other enforcement activity by environmental agencies that requires JBS Souderton to construct an approximately $6 million state-of-the-art wastewater treatment plant. The required $2 million payment by JBS Souderton includes civil penalties of $950,000 each to the federal government

and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and $100,000 in civil damages, of which $10,000 represents investigative costs, payable to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.

JBS Buys U.S. Feedyard, Belgium Beef Processor On June 30, 2010, JBS S.A. entered into an agreement to acquire through its U.S. subsidiary – JBS Five Rivers Cattle Feeding, LLC – the McElhaney Feedyard in Welton, AZ. The feedyard has a one-time capacity to feed 130,000 head of cattle and is strategically located near the JBS production facility in Tolleson, AZ. The transaction, which includes the purchase of 100 percent of the assets including yards and feed mill, is valued at $24 million. “We are very pleased with the proposed acquisition of this state-of-the-art installation through which we can liaise with local producers and ranchers to provide feed service for their cattle and customize the animal diet to suit the needs of our many customers not only in the U.S. but around the world,” said JBS’ Wesley Batista. “As I have said previously, we are strong believers in the U.S. livestock community and we will continue our efforts to bring efficiencies


People Continued from page 39

to the sector for the benefit of all.” The transaction is subject to the customary regulatory approvals. Meanwhile, in mid-July, JBS S.A. finalized its purchase of the Toledo Group, located in Gent, Belgium, for $11 million Euros. The Toledo Group specializes in researching, developing, and commercializing customized cooked and frozen beef products for a wide range of end users across Western Europe. In 2009, the company had net revenue in excess of $50 million (U.S. dollar). The Toledo Group was founded by Clayton Toledo and Bob Stevens more than 20 years ago and has developed its cooked beef products through partnerships at production level with beef companies in South America.

Kastalon Takes Home Safety Honors For the second consecutive year, Kastalon, Inc., makers of the Sekure Kap for internal used cooking oil tanks, was honored with the Safety Award of Honor from the Fabricators and Manufacturers Association (FMA), Inc., for having a perfect safety record of no reportable injuries or illnesses for the year. Having accumulated more than 1,350 days without an accident, this was only one of many safety awards and special honors that Kastalon took home. As a member

of the Workers’ Compensation Trust of Illinois, or WCTi, the company ranked first out of 29 eligible companies for their second WCTi Chairman’s Award for Safety Excellence, as well. “We have implemented more than a safety program; we have adopted a holistic safety philosophy,” said Bruce DeMent, president, Kastalon. “In addition to the obvious advantage of conserving our ‘human capital,’ we have reaped the benefits of reduced workers’ compensation premiums, reduced absence resulting in higher productivity, and a greater harmony amongst our employees. It is truly a win-win combination.” Kastalon, a second generation family-owned polyurethane manufacturer, has 65 employees in the south suburbs. DeMent credits the thorough safety training program that was put into place in 2005 along with the lean manufacturing practices that were adopted around the same time for the company’s award-winning safety record.

Meat and Wool New Zealand Changes Name On July 1, 2010, Meat and Wool New Zealand, Ltd., changed its name to Beef and Lamb New Zealand, Ltd. The group’s Web site has also changed to www.beeflambnz.com. The name change signals a fresh start as the organization moves into a

new era with a meat only focus. The group now shares its name with Beef and Lamb New Zealand, Inc., its partner in domestic promotion work that was principally funded by Meat and Wool New Zealand.

New Zealand Processor Closing Plants Silver Fern Farms will close its Canterbury, New Zealand, lamb cutting plant, and the rendering and casings departments at its Belfast plant. The company will also restructure the coldstore department at the Belfast location. Chief Executive Keith Cooper said the closures are a result of Silver Fern Farms’ continued focus on streamlining business operations and optimizing efficiencies across the company’s various processing sites in the South Island. According to the company, New Zealand’s red meat industry is suffering from the threat of alternative land uses, processing overcapacity, weak processor profitability, and low farmer returns. “Against this backdrop, Silver Fern Farms must, and will, continue to make difficult decisions to maintain industry competitiveness and give security to the business and our farmer shareholders going forward,” said Cooper. “This means integrating our operations where possible so that the majority of our product is slaughtered, cut, and packed at the same plant to attain the highest standards of food hygiene and safety and minimize our environmental impact.” Affected by the closures are 174 employees: 135 at the Canterbury plant and 39 at the Belfast plant. The company is offering a range of support services to affected employees including employment search assistance and, where possible, alternative employment at other plants where vacancies exist. In 2008, Silver Fern Farms closed the slaughter chains at Canterbury but retained the lamb cutting operation to cater for an imbalance between the forecast kill and Silver Fern Farms’ overall cutting capacity. “Since that time sheep and lamb kill numbers in the South Island have dropped and with increased on-site cutting at slaughter plants, the imbalance is no longer an issue,” said Cooper. Regarding the closure of the rendering and casings departments and

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restructuring of the coldstore operations at the Belfast plant, Cooper explained that in 2009 a joint venture company was formed with Farmbrands to provide capital to establish new specialized rendering facilities, improve processing efficiencies, and leverage expertise in technology, processing, and marketing. The Farmbrands’ purchase of a new state-of-the-art rendering facility at Washdyke has provided the company with an alternative for rendering Belfast material. Retaining rendering at Belfast would require significant incremental capital investment to achieve and maintain building, hygiene, and environmental standards. The company is not ceasing the beef slaughter operation at Belfast, its largest South Island beef processing plant. Silver Fern Farms, a farmer controlled cooperative representing more than 20,000 farmer shareholders, is New Zealand’s leading procurer, processor, and marketer of lamb, mutton, beef, venison, and associated products to more than 60 countries. The company operates 22 processing facilities throughout the country.

National Pork Board President Elected Gene Nemechek, a swine veterinarian from Springdale, AR, has been elected president of the National Pork Board by his fellow board members. The board also elected Everett Forkner, a pork producer from Richards, MO, as vice president. Both will serve one-year terms effective July 1, 2010. Nemechek is a swine quality assurance veterinarian with the live swine division of the Tyson Pork Group, Inc., for Tyson Fresh Meats, Inc. He has a shared responsibility to work with the Tyson pork production units in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri as well as customer quality assurance for the Tyson Pork Group weaned pig and feeder pig customers. Nemechek is serving his second three-year term on the National Pork Board and serves on the organization’s Budget Committee, Resolutions Committee, Pork Safety Committee, and Swine Health Committee. Previously, he served as president and vice president of the North Carolina Pork Council. Forkner is the owner and president

of Forkner Farms, Inc., which has 500 purebred sows and markets 8,000 hogs per year. He has sold hogs in 27 different countries, and raises corn, soybeans, and wheat on 2,000 acres. Nationally, Forkner is chair of the board’s Budget Committee and serves on its Administrative Committee. He also serves on the Pork Checkoff’s Animal Science Committee and Niche Committee, and serves on the Nutritional Efficiency Consortium. At the state level, Forkner is a member of the Missouri Pork Producer Association and serves on the board of directors.

University Breaks Ground on Animal Health School Washington State University (WSU) broke ground in late June 2010 on a 62,000-square-foot, three-story flagship research building for a new School for Global Animal Health. Scheduled for completion in the spring of 2012, the new research facility, which will house a state-of-the-art infectious disease research center for investigating emerging diseases, will be constructed with the help of a $25 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The balance of the $35 million total cost of the first-phase project will be comprised of bonds issued by the State of Washington and private gifts to the university.

According to WSU, zoonotic diseases, or infections transmitted from animals to humans, account for more than 70 percent of human infectious diseases, with a disproportionate impact in the developing world. The university is pursuing innovative solutions for the prevention of zoonotic diseases through vaccination and other strategic interventions in animal populations and the environment that will reduce pathogen levels below thresholds required for transmission. The new research building will not house animals, but will support scientific staff with two floors of research laboratory space and an administrative wing containing conference rooms, administrative offices, and eventual access to a planned second facility providing high-level biosecurity laboratory space for surveillance and test development for diseases such as avian influenza and bovine spongiform encephalopathy. All construction plans will utilize state-of-the-art energy management and sustainability strategies. The Gates Foundation grant constitutes the largest single private financial commitment to WSU in the history of the university. The long-term capital plan for the School for Global Animal Health includes additional laboratory space for emerging disease diagnosis, surveillance, and test development. R


Dear Editor, Thanks for your article in the June 2010 edition that summarized the discussions from the National Renderers Association Spring Meeting for those of us who were not able to attend. I especially appreciated the comments from the Biofuels Committee regarding the February release of the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Renewable Fuel Standard and the early work completed by the Fats and Proteins Research Foundation in greenhouse gas reductions. In the future, the Biofuels Committee responsibilities might be expanded to include “bioproducts” since rendered products are now increasingly being utilized as feedstocks for non-fuel, recyclable, renewable substitutes for petroleum-derived products; examples would include using fat-derived waxes as substitutes for paraffinic-based coatings. In some water-proofing applications, paraffin-based coatings require the product to be landfilled after use; when rendered fats and oils

are used as paraffin substitutes, the water-proofed items can be recycled or composted. In many cases, these substitutes are already competitively priced with petroleum-based products and government subsidies or tax credits are not needed. Just as the industry benefited from early member efforts in biofuels, possibly more valuable benefits would derive from similar efforts in bioproducts. Thanks again for your excellent coverage.

Fred WellonsChemol Company, Inc.

Greensboro, NC

Dear Editor, That was a wonderful article on Frank Burnham (June 2010 Render). He truly changed the way the world sees rendering with the magazine and books! It was an honor several years ago to be featured in an all but very small article and the first article in Render on biodiesel. And now Render has huge

sections dedicated to the production and sales of biodiesel. This is one of my favorite magazines that I read cover to cover. Best regards.

Norma HavensUSA Fleet Solutions

Reno, NV

Dear Editor, I love the book. It gives a lot of facts about rendering. I got the book from R.E. Ebersole. Is there any way to give more about hides from each slaughterhouse, and how much trucks haul like in California, Iowa, Virginia, and Washington? I wish I worked for rendering. The book keeps me informed about rendering. Thank you.

Jeff StromingerMaretta, PA

Render welcomes your opinions. Send to 2820 Birch Avenue, Camino, CA 95709, e-mail to [email protected], or fax to (530) 644-8429.

The only magazine that targets the rendering industry...

By advertising in Render magazine, you are reaching your core audience...not meat processors, not poultry producers, but renderers!!

Published six times a year, Render is read by thousands of potential clients, and hundreds more on the Internet.

Now is the perfect time to reach your target market as 2010 rates are at 2007 levels, so reserve your space now!

Contact Render at (530) 644-8428e-mail: [email protected]/media_kit


Letters

Mark Your

CalendarSeptember

American Feed Industry Associa-tion’s 40th Annual Liquid Feed Symposium, September 14-16, San Antonio, TX. Log on to www.afia.org.

Feed and Pet Food Joint Industries Conference, September 22-24, Chicago, IL. Presented by the National Grain and Feed Association and Pet Food Institute. Log on to www.jointindustriesconference.org.

American Feed Industry Association Import and Export Seminar, September 27-28, Arlington, VA. Log on to www.afia.org.

October

National Chicken Council 56th Annual Conference, October 5-6,

Washington, DC. Log on to www.nationalchickencouncil.com/events.

U.S. Poultry and Egg Association’s Poultry Protein and Fat Seminar, October 7-8, Nashville, TN. Log on to www.poultryegginstitute.org.

American Fats and Oils Association Annual Meeting, October 13-14, New York, NY. Log on to www.afoaonline.org.

National Renderers Association 77th Annual Convention, October 26-29, Naples, FL. Log on to http://convention.nationalrenderers.org.

November

U.S. Animal Health Association Annual Meeting, November 11-17, Minneapolis, MN. Visit www.usaha.org.

7th Annual Canadian Renewable Fuels Summit, November 29-December 1, Gatineau, QB, Canada. Log on to www.crfs2010.com.

January 2011

Association of American Feed Control Officials Midyear Meeting, January 16-21, St. Pete Beach, FL. Log on to www.aafco.org.

International Poultry Expo, International Feed Expo, and International Rendering Expo, January 26-28, Atlanta, GA. Log on to www.ipe11.org.

Have an upcoming event or meeting? Send event date, name, location, and registration information to [email protected].

One Location…Countless Opportunities• Top Industry Executives and Purchasing Decision Makers• World’s Largest Poultry, Feed and Rendering Technology Exchange• 14 Acres of Exhibits• Expo Revenue Supports NRA• Exceptional Education Programs

o Animal Agriculture Environmental Sustainability Conferenceo Pet Food Conferenceo International Poultry Scientific Forumo Poultry Market Intelligence Forumo Special Rendering Education Programs

19,000 Industry Leaders from Over 100 Countries

International Poultry ExpoInternational Feed Expo International Rendering Expo

January 26-28, 2011 | Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, Georgia USA | www.ipe11.org


ClassifiedsUsed and Rental Boilers

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3 used Anco cookers, 5’ x 12’, painted. Auger and elec. equipment.

Vertical centrifuge, polisher, Westfalia SA-60-06-177 stainless 40 hp. Call Bud at (704) 485-4700

2002 IH rendering truck w/Serco 4500 loader and 16’ dump body.

Call Brian Stanley, (715) 340-1480

2005 FL rendering truck, no CDL, w/Kesla 500Z loader and 15’ body. Call Brian Stanley, (715) 340-1480

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Amalfi Ingredients .................................................................................... 25Ameri-Pac, Inc. ........................................................................................ 37Anco-Eaglin, Inc. ....................................................................................... 9Babock Wanson USA, LLC / Scan American Corp. ....................................... 3Baker Commodities, Inc. ...............................................................Back coverCentrifuge Chicago Corporation .............................................................. 29Centrisys Centrifuge Systems ....................................................................... 7Dupps .................................................................................................... 17Dupps ............................................................................... Inside back coverFay’s Industrial Services, Inc. .................................................................... 33Flottweg ................................................................................................. 23Haarslev, Inc. ............................................................................................ 1Industrial Steam ........................................................................................ 5International Poultry Expo ......................................................................... 43Kastalon ................................................................................................. 39Kemin Industries, Inc. ................................................................................. 2Lantec Products, Inc. .................................................................................. 5Onken, Inc. ............................................................................................ 35Par-Kan Company ................................................................................... 40Redwood Metal Works ............................................................................. 31Scaffidi ................................................................................................... 41Travis Body & Trailer, Inc. .......................................................................... 27Walinga Engineered Transportation Equipment ........................................... 16West Coast Reduction, Ltd. ...................................................Inside front cover

ADVERTISER INDEXEQUIPMENT/SERVICE

WEB SITE ADDRESSESAssociation or Agency ...........................................................................................................................................................Web AddressAmerican Fats and Oils Association ............................................................................................................................www.afoaonline.orgAmerican Feed Industry Association ......................................................................................................................................www.afia.orgAmerican Meat Institute ...............................................................................................................................................www.meatami.comAnimal and Plant Health Inspection Services .............................................................................................................www.aphis.usda.govAnimal Protein Producers Industry ........................................................................................www.nationalrenderers.org/biosecurity-appiAssociation of American Feed Control Officials .................................................................................................................www.aafco.orgAustralian Renderers Association ......................................................................................................................www.ausrenderers.com.auCanadian Renewable Fuels Association ......................................................................................................................www.greenfuels.orgCenter for Veterinary Medicine .......................................................................................................................................www.fda.gov/cvmEuropean Fat Processors and Renderers Association ............................................................................................................www.efpra.euFats and Proteins Research Foundation ................................................................................................................................. www.fprf.orgFood and Drug Administration ...............................................................................................................................................www.fda.govFood Safety and Inspection Service ...............................................................................................................................www.fsis.usda.govForeign Agricultural Service ...........................................................................................................................................www.fas.usda.govNational Biodiesel Board ...............................................................................................................................................www.biodiesel.orgNational Cattlemen’s Beef Association .................................................................................................................................www.beef.orgNational Grain and Feed Association ................................................................................................................................... www.ngfa.orgNational Pork Producers Council ..........................................................................................................................................www.nppc.orgNational Renderers Association ........................................................................................................................www.nationalrenderers.orgNational Renewable Energy Lab .......................................................................................................................................... www.nrel.govOccupational Safety and Health Administration .................................................................................................................. www.osha.govPet Food Institute ................................................................................................................................................ www.petfoodinstitute.orgU.S. Animal Health Association ......................................................................................................................................... www.usaha.orgU.S. Department of Agriculture ........................................................................................................................................... www.usda.govU.S. Poultry and Egg Association ............................................................................................................................... www.poultryegg.orgWorld Renderers Organization ............................................................................................................................. www.worldrenderers.org


Won’t Let You Down

A word about qualityfrom a friend at Dupps

Phone: 937-855-6555

Fax: 937-855-6554


www.dupps.com

The Dupps family includes all the dedicated

and hard working employees whose efforts,

loyalty and pride have made our company

the best in the business. Compare our level

of knowledge, experience and service with

any of our competitors. When you do,

we’re sure you’ll agree that Dupps is your

logical choice.

Scott Libecap —CNC Programming & Tooling Manager

“Quality and experience,you see them in everypart we make.”

“In the machine shop, we all understand how every part

in a Dupps system works. That’s important, because we

know the tolerances we have to hold to make sure each

part is right.

“We design the fixtures, we create the CNC programs

and we test the tooling. All in an effort to make the best

parts we can. A case in point: our new manufacturing cell

that makes our Pressor® cast flights. We applied the

latest machining and tooling technology so we could take

advantage of a new casting process—today our cast

flights are much stronger and have a much longer service

life. We can make the flights quicker now too, so they’re

always on the shelf when a customer needs them.

“I enjoy my contact with our customers too, because it’s

a chance for me to learn what their needs are. We

promise that a customer can reach us twenty-four

hours a day, seven days a week, and one of my jobs is

to answer calls on weekends. We’ll pull parts from the

warehouse and ship the same day to keep a customer

up and running.

“I feel our biggest advantage is our experience. We take

our knowledge of what our customers need and apply it

in ways to make better equipment.”

replacing fish meal with animal proteins replacing fish ... - aws

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