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July 28, 2017 CapitalPress.com 9 Nurseryman ventures into hemp By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press Eric Mortenson/Capital Press Hiroshi Morihara believes briquettes made from woody biomass or crop residue can replace coal used to power electrical plants. His firm has developed technology to pro- duce the briquettes. Solution to a burning problem By ERIC MORTENSON Capital Press 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 re- fined a process for turning log- ging slash or other biomass into briquettes that can be burned in coal-fired electrical plants such as the one in Boardman, Ore. His company, HM3 En- ergy Inc., has built a $4 million demonstration plant in Trout- dale, Ore., just east of Portland. It plans to license the technol- ogy and sell it worldwide. A Japanese firm, New Energy De- velopment Co., has invested $2 million in HM3 and said it will build a production plant at an undisclosed location in Oregon. The fuel is produced through a method called torrefaction, in which woody debris, crop resi- due or other plant material is es- sentially roasted in the absence of oxygen. The end product is a brittle, briquette-looking ma- terial that can be crushed and burned. This story was first pub- lished Oct. 24, 2016. Western Innovator Hiroshi Morihara Occupation: Founder, president and CEO of HM3 Energy Inc., Gresham, Ore. Age: 79, but “Age is rela- tive,” he said. Personal: Married to Mary McSwain. He’s an expert skier and still teaches skiing at Mount Hood Meadow. He also runs, and has complet- ed more than 50 marathons. Barry Cook doesn’t want passersby to get too excited about the new crop he’s got growing at his nursery in Bor- ing, Ore. The distinctive palm-like, serrated leaves that identify the plants as cannabis are bound to attract some unwanted at- tention, which is why Cook has posted his fields with signs that identify them as industrial hemp, marijuana’s non-psycho- active relative. The signs clarify that hemp contains zero THC, the psycho- active compound, and will pro- duce no mind-altering effects if smoked, so stealing the plants is “not worth the headache.” “If we get robbed, we’ll probably only get robbed once,” Cook said. The name of Cook’s new venture — Boring Hemp Co. — is a double entendre refer- ring to its physical location and the crop’s lack of psychoactive properties. While the legalization of marijuana in Oregon has spawned a multitude of new businesses seeking to capital- ize on the crop, Cook believes hemp also presents big oppor- tunities with fewer risks. “I don’t have the same se- curity concerns as medical and recreational growers have,” he said. For now, the Boring Hemp Co. is focusing on producing hemp seeds, which have been Western Innovator Barry Cook Occupation: Business owner, nursery producer, hemp grower Hometown: Boring, Ore. Mateusz Perkowski/Capital Press Barry Cook, left, speaks with his son, Bo, in a field of hemp growing at his nursery in Boring, Ore. Cook, his wife and three sons are growing hemp as a way of diversifying the company. in short supply as the nascent industry finds its legs in the state. Next year, Cook plans to be- gin segregating male plants, al- lowing the females to produce seedless flowers from which one can extract cannabidiol, or CBD, a medicinal compound used to treat pain, seizures and inflammation. The stems and stalks of the plant will be dried and stored until Oregon’s hemp industry becomes more mature, in the hopes that processing facili- ties will be built to turn these byproducts into textiles, paper, rope, building materials or oth- er goods. “The plant has multiple income opportunities,” said Cook. At this point, Cook is tak- ing a conservative approach by growing hemp on land that’s resting fallow between rota- tions of nursery stock. This strategy will allow Boring Hemp Co. to get a sense of how much money can be earned from the crop and whether it’s worth expanding. “We’re not quitting the nursery industry, but here is an annual crop that has a potential up side not only financially but environmentally,” he said. Research has shown that hemp’s deep roots are valuable for soil structure and reduce the presence of undesirable nema- todes and fungi. They’re also used in “phytoremediation” of land by drawing heavy metals from the soil. Hemp is already grown on a large scale in Canada for oil- seed and fiber, but Cook thinks Oregon growers can establish a niche industry on a smaller scale because the plant’s flow- ers are the primary product. “We’re doing it for different reasons,” he said. Boring Hemp Co. is starting as a family affair, with Cook’s wife, Lee Ann, and three grown sons, Bo, Sam and Ty, involved in different aspects of the oper- ation. Bo is in charge of growing the plants, Sam will be devel- oping a business plan and Ty will work with vendors and customers. “They all communicate really well with each other,” Cook said. Venturing into hemp isn’t the first time Cook has rein- vented his agricultural enter- prise. In the early 1980s, upon buying his property, Cook raised raspberries, strawberries and blackberries but eventually grew tired of insufficient labor Age: 58 Education: Attended the University of Montana Family: Wife, Lee Ann, and three grown sons, Bo, Sam and Ty and weather fluctuations that damaged the crops. In 1996, he switched to growing various types of or- namental nursery stock while operating a hydro-seeding and erosion control company, Northwest Hydro-Mulchers, that continues to be the family’s primary business. Now, he’s aiming to put his plant knowledge to use while exploring new territory by breeding hemp to maxi- mize CBD while minimizing THC. “We’re hoping we can be- come more refined and accu- rate,” Cook said. This story was first pub- lished Sept. 26, 2016. A glass of bubbly, Oregon-style: Davis adds sparkle to wine production By ERIC MORTENSON Capital Press McMINNVILLE, Ore. — Oregon wine is already a big deal, especially the interna- tionally acclaimed Pinot noir coming from the Willamette Valley and other regions, but the next big thing may be bub- bling up. Industry observers say sparkling wine is on the verge of breakout production and could become the American version of high-quality bub- bly associated with the Cham- pagne region of France. And if that happens, the industry will raise a glass to Andrew Davis, whose Radiant Sparkling Wine Co. is making it possible for even small wineries to produce what they’ve long known was possible but didn’t pencil out. Making sparkling wine takes more time, equipment and storage space than most wineries can afford. Davis, a veteran of Oregon’s wine scene, provides a mobile unit that bottles on-site for the criti- cal secondary fermentation pe- riod. He also prepares a yeast culture specific to his client’s wine and provides consulta- tion on the harvest. Since start- ing in 2013, Radiant Spar- kling Wine has grown its client list to 34 vineyards. Sparkling Andrew wine sits three Davis to five years before it’s ready to drink, and much of what Davis and his clients have produced is just beginning to trickle out. Early reviews indicate the reception is “astounding,” Davis said. Davis previously worked 10 years at Argyle Winery in Dundee, which was an Oregon pioneer in making sparkling wine. Given that experience, “I knew the promise of sparkling in the Willamette Valley,” he said. He also knew the vintners interested in making sparkling wine would be shooting for the same quality — and spen- dy price range — as their Pinot noir. They wouldn’t want to produce simple wine with big bubbles, “Big gushy wines that want to gush out of the glass,” as Davis puts it. “We will never shoot for $15 to $20 for spar- kling.” Making sparkling wine by Western Innovator Andrew Davis Position: Founder of Radiant Spar- kling Wine Co., McMinnville, Ore. What he does: Provides consulting and a mobile bottling operation to produce sparkling wine using “meth- ode champenoise.” Online: http://radiantsparkling.com/ what’s called the “méthode champenoise,” or Champagne method, is a lengthy, complex process. The wine, most often made from slightly under-ripe Pinot noir or Chardonnay grapes, is fermented in a barrel first, then bottled for the secondary fer- mentation, which includes add- ing the yeast and a bit of sugar. The bottle is sealed with a tem- porary “crown cap.” Next is the “riddling” process, in which the bottles are set at an angle, neck down, so cloudy yeast particu- lates settle at the opening. The bottle necks are later frozen, turned upright and the cap re- moved. Pressure forces out the frozen bits of yeast in a process called “disgorging.” Last comes the cork, foil covering and the familiar wire halter that holds everything in place. This story was first pub- lished April 10, 2017. 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. Serving Idaho, Oregon, Washington • www.skysnap.us AI17-2/#T1D 2017 PIONEER 700 M2 • 4X4 • 3-SPD. AUTO TRANSMISSION • LIQUID COOLED • FUEL INJECTION • 12 MONTH WARRANTY MSRP Serving Farms & Ranches for 53 Years - 1964-2017 YOUR AUTHORIZED FULL SERVICE DEALER TONS OF ACCESSORIES • EASY FINANCING • FULL SERVICE DEALERSHIP • COMPLETE LINE OF HONDA ATVS 2140 N. Pacific Hwy. 99E • Woodburn, OR • Open 8-6 Tues-Sat. 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