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CapitalPress.com
October 28, 2016
People & Places
Solution to a burning problem
Hiroshi Morihara
uses juniper, other
biomass to replace
coal in power plants
Western Innovator
By ERIC MORTENSON
Personal: Married to Mary McSwain. He’s an expert skier and
still teaches skiing at Mount Hood Meadow. He also runs, and has
completed more than 50 marathons.
Hiroshi Morihara
GRESHAM, Ore. — Hi-
roshi Morihara jokes that his
current project — finding a
clean-fuel replacement for
coal — was his wife’s fault.
“Hiroshi,” his wife, Mary
McSwain, told him several
years ago, “you look bored.
Why don’t you invent some-
thing again?”
On Oct. 18, Morihara’s
company announced it has
refined a process for turning
logging slash or other bio-
mass into briquettes that can
be burned in coal-fired elec-
trical plants such as the one in
Boardman, Ore. His company,
HM3 Energy Inc., has built
a $4 million demonstration
plant in Troutdale, Ore., just
east of Portland. It plans to li-
cense the technology and sell
it worldwide. A Japanese firm,
New Energy Development
Co., has invested $2 million
in HM3 and said it will build
a production plant at an undis-
closed location in Oregon.
The fuel is produced
through a method called tor-
Age: 79, but “age is relative,”
he said.
What he’s up to: He and partners developed equipment to turn
woody debris into briquettes that can be a “drop-in” replacement
for coal and used to fire electrical generation plants. HM3 Energy
built a demonstration plant in Troutdale, Ore., and intends to
license the technology to companies that could build processing
plants.
Eric Mortenson/Capital Press
Hiroshi Morihara believes briquettes made from woody biomass or
crop residue can replace the coal used to produce electricity. His
firm has developed the technology to produce the briquettes.
refaction, in which woody
debris, crop residue or other
plant material is essentially
roasted in the absence of ox-
ygen. The end product is a
brittle, briquette-looking ma-
terial that can be crushed and
burned.
Morihara and others be-
lieve the briquettes can be a
cleaner, “drop-in” replace-
ment for coal, which is con-
sidered a dirty energy source.
Portland General Electric,
which operates the Boardman
power plant, is looking for a
replacement fuel. Later this
year, PGE will conduct a 24-
hour test burn of torrefied bio-
mass to see if it works.
The utility would need up
to 8,000 tons of biomass fuel
per day to replace the coal it
now burns. Other companies
are pursuing the technolo-
gy; PGE is working with a
coalition called Oregon Tor-
refaction to obtain the ma-
terial it needs for the test
burn.
The project potential-
ly could become part of the
Ag connection: Intrusive Western juniper trees could be a key
feedstock for briquette plants. Ranchers, wildlife officials and land
managers say removing junipers improves rangeland, restores
watersheds and can improve habitat for sage grouse.
Background: Born in Japan, he was 8 years old when Japan sur-
rendered to end World War II. Came to the U.S. to attend college,
earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engi-
neering from the University of Michigan-Dearborn, and a Ph.D. in
mechanical engineering from the University of Buffalo.
Professional life: Worked for Union Carbide Corp. and on
projects for the U.S. Department of Energy, helped start a silicon
processing plant, ran a pair of biotech companies, owned a golf
course. Claims he’s retired three times.
West’s solution to intrusive
Western juniper. Part of
HM3’s grant funding came
from the USDA as part of its
search to find a use for juni-
per, and the fuel on display at
the company’s press tour this
month was made from the
gnarly wood.
Morihara said using log-
ging debris or material from
forest thinning projects re-
duces the risk of catastrophic
wildfire and could be part of
an economic revival in rural
Oregon.
“I wanted to make sure ru-
ral people have family wage
jobs, and forestry is the best
way,” he said.
89th National FFA Convention & Expo
Exeter FFA receives innovation award
National FFA Organization
INDIANAPOLIS — The
Exeter FFA Chapter in Cal-
ifornia has been named the
2016 National Model of Inno-
vation Chapter Award winner
in community development at
the 89th National FFA Conven-
tion & Expo in Indianapolis.
The nation’s top 10 three-
star chapters in the community
development division compet-
ed for the award. Exeter FFA
was awarded a plaque in an
onstage ceremony during the
second general session.
Top chapters were also se-
lected from the middle school,
student and chapter develop-
ment divisions.
Exeter FFA wanted to do its
part to combat hunger in their
community. During the “Hun-
ger Heroes Food Hunt,” mem-
bers were split into teams and
assigned to a section of the city
of Exeter. With adult drivers,
the teams visited homes within
their section to collect nonper-
More than 60,000 members of the FFA from around the national converged on Indianapolis last week
for the organization’s annual convention and expo. FFA members from across the West demonstrated
their skills in many areas.
ishable food items for a local
food bank. Many students and
volunteer drivers participated
in the event, collecting over
2,600 nonperishable food items
during the one-hour activity. All
of the food items were donated
to the local food closet follow-
ing the event. Because of the
FFA chapter’s efforts, Exeter is
one step closer to eliminating
hunger in the community.
The Models of Innova-
tion awards are sponsored by
John Deere.
Western FFA ag proficiency winners announced
National FFA Organization
INDIANAPOLIS — The following
Western FFA members national received
proficiency awards at last week’s FFA Con-
vention and Expo.
• Diversified Livestock Production —
Entrepreneurship/Placement: Ross Blat-
tner.
Ross Blattner of the Kuna FFA Chapter
in Idaho has an SAE project with 57 reg-
istered Suffolk ewes and three registered
Suffolk stud rams. He’s chosen the Suffolk
breed because of their superior milking and
mothering ability.
He’s also raised 19 market heifers.
Blattner raises the heifers to market
weight before selling them to buyers. He
is supported by his parents, Lori and Jack,
Calendar
Friday-Sunday
Oct. 28-30
and his FFA advisors, Shawn Dygert, Joe
Blackstock, Travis Edward and Allison
Touchstone.
This award is sponsored by Tractor
Supply Co. and Wahl Clipper Corp.
• Equine Science — Entrepreneurship:
Caleb Sloan McMillan.
For most of his life, Caleb Sloan Mc-
Millan of the Wilson Creek FFA Chapter
in Washington has been training horses
for rodeos and other equine events. He
has trained for steer wrestling, calf roping
and team roping. When he began learning
about horses, his duties were restricted to
feeding. Today, he manages all aspects of
the operation, including feeding, medical
checkups, fencing and tagging. McMillan
is supported by his parents, Lynette and
Mark, and his FFA adviser, Scott Mortimer.
Sponsored by:
To submit an event go to the
Community Events calendar on the
home page of our website at www.
capitalpress.com and click on “Sub-
mit an Event.” Calendar items can
also be mailed to Capital Press, 1400
Broadway St. NE, Salem, OR 97301.
Oregon State Beekeepers As-
sociation Fall Conference 2016,
The Oregon Garden, 879 W. Main
St., Silverton, Ore. The theme for
this conference is “Beekeeping Out
of the Box.” Other topics such as
honeybee health will be covered as
well. Speakers include Tom Seeley,
George Hansen, Ramesh Sagili,
John Skinner, Elina Nino, Judy Wu
Yelm FFA
named model of
excellence winner
National FFA Organization
Courtesy of FFA
and Miksa Queens. There will be a
beginning beekeeping class running
concurrently with the main meeting
on Saturday. OSU will have a bee
lab on site. https://orsba.org
Saturday, Oct. 29
Cattle Producers of Washington
annual meeting and banquet. 10
a.m.-8 p.m. Northern Quest Casi-
no, 100 N Hayford Road, Airway
Heights, Wash. The event will fea-
ture several speakers including Jim
Robb of the Livestock Marketing
Information Center who will share
cattle market forecast predictions.
Two national cattlemen’s organi-
zations that represent independent
cow-calf producers will also speak
at the event: Maggie Nutter from
the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association
This award is sponsored by Red Brand.
• Specialty Animal Production — Entre-
preneurship/Placement: Jake Keith Bobo.
Jake Keith Bobo of the Baker FFA
Chapter in Baker City, Ore., has been
doing his SAE since the third grade.
As a fourth-generation beekeeper, he
bought his first pallet of bees with mon-
ey he got from mowing lawns. In one
year, his bees travel from California to
Idaho to Washington and on to Mon-
tana before returning to Oregon. Bobo
sells the honey he extracts before end-
ing a production year with his bees. He
is supported by his parents, Carolyn and
Keith, and his FFA adviser, Bibiana Gifft.
This award is sponsored by the Nation-
al FFA Foundation and National FFA
Organization.
INDIANAPOLIS — The
Yelm FFA Chapter in Washing-
ton has been named the 2016
National Model of Excellence
Chapter Award winner at the
89th National FFA Convention
& Expo in Indianapolis.
All chapters that receive
national three-star ratings are
eligible to compete for the
national Model of Excellence
award.
Yelm FFA received a
plaque in an onstage ceremony
during the convention and ex-
po’s second general session on
Thursday. Top chapters were
also selected from the middle
school, student, chapter and
community development divi-
sions.
Yelm FFA was given a
week by the Yelm High School
administration to develop an
event to distribute spirit ma-
terials for a “Pink Out” breast
cancer awareness football
game. Through the chapter’s
efforts, 368 Yelm High School
students received pink face
paint, hair dye or spirit materi-
als and together created a “sea
of pink” to raise breast cancer
awareness among students,
parents and community mem-
bers.
A s a result of the event, the
chapter recruited six new FFA
members who were inspired
by the cause. This chapter
also conducts other activities
throughout the year, such as a
leadership lock in, the McK-
enna Elementary Science Fair
and a Hop for Hunger.
The Model of Excel-
lence award is sponsored
by John Deere as a special
project of the National FFA
Foundation.
GASES / WELDING / SAFETY / FIRE
www.oxarc.com
will share on national topics related
to trade, Country of Origin Labeling
and public lands issues. R-CALF
CEO Bill Bullard will be the dinner
keynote speaker. Day tickets (in-
cludes lunch) are $35, dinner tick-
ets are $45 (includes prime rib din-
ner), an all-day and dinner ticket is
$75. www.cattleproducersofwa.com
Sunday, Oct. 30
Farm Succession Planning
Workshop. 4-8:30 p.m. Forest
Grove United Church of Christ, 2032
College Way, Forest Grove, Ore.
Hosted by Tualatin SWCD, Rogue
Farm Corps and Dairy Creek Com-
munity Food Web. RSVP requested
at 971-409-6806 or nellie@rog-
uefarmcorps.org, http://www.swcd.
net/event/leaving-a-legacy/
20 Northwest Locations
Tuesday-Thursday
Nov. 1-3
2016 NIAA Antibiotics Sym-
posium. Antibiotic Use — Work-
ing Together for Better Solutions.
National Institute for Animal
Agriculture conference at Hyatt
Regency Dulles, Herndon, Va. an-
imalagriculture.org/2016-Antibiot-
ics-Symposium, call 719-538-8843
or email niaa@animalagriculture.
org
Wednesday, Nov. 2
Oregon Blueberry Commission
meeting. Noon. Chemeketa Events
at Winema, Room 210, 4001 Wine-
ma Place, Salem. 503-399-6444
Oregon Orchardgrass Seed
Producers Commission, 7:30 a.m.
Established 1928
Board of directors
Mike Forrester ..........................President
Steve Forrester
Kathryn Brown
Sid Freeman .................. Outside director
Mike Omeg .................... Outside director
Corporate officer
John Perry
Chief operating officer
Occupation: Founder, president and
CEO of HM3 Energy Inc., Gresham,
Ore.
Capital Press
Capital Press
1-800-765-9055
Elmer’s Restaurant, 2802 Santiam
Highway SE, Albany, Ore. www.or-
chardgrass.org
Wednesday-Friday
Nov. 2-4
Washington State Weed Con-
ference, Wenatchee Convention
Center, 121 N Wenatchee Ave.
www.weedconference.org
Thursday, Nov. 3
Columbia Basin Development
League annual meeting. 1-8 p.m.
Big Bend Community College ATEC
Building, 7662 Chanute St. NE,
Moses Lake, Wash. Attendees will
receive an update on the Colum-
bia River Basin Project expansion.
http://www.cbdl.org
Capital Press Managers
Mike O’Brien .............................Publisher
Joe Beach ..................................... Editor
Elizabeth Yutzie Sell .... Advertising Director
Carl Sampson ................Managing Editor
Barbara Nipp ......... Production Manager
Samantha McLaren .... Circulation Manager
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Index
California .............................. 16
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Livestock ............................. 15
Markets .......................... 13-14
Opinion .................................. 6
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