Publications
2024
The Center Square Virginia agricultural producers may stand to receive more funding from the Department of Agriculture’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program, as the organization announced another $1.5 billion is available for eligible conservation and climate projects throughout the country. READ MORE2022
FDCE Awarded USDA Funding Through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) (August 2022)Springfield, OH (National Headquarters) – The USDA recently announced a $197 million investment in local conservation projects through the partner-driven Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP)…READ MORE
Fred removed crop losses in his American crops (August 2022)
Seeking a more optimized conservation method, CEO of FDC Enterprises Fred Circle initiated a collaboration with Orkel, reducing energy crop losses while securing better working conditions for his employees…READ MORE
2020
Use of switchgrass growing in popularity for ag conservation (October 2020)
Will switchgrass, a tall, resilient and fast-growing native plant once familiar to pioneers, become the next cash crop for farmers in states in the Chesapeake Bay drainage?…READ MORE
Grant to help scientists, industry and farmers harness biomass and manure to fuel farms (July 2020)
AMES, Iowa – A new federal grant will allow a research team led by Iowa State University, Penn State and Roeslein Alternative Energy to develop new methods of turning biomass and manure into fuel…READ MORE
What’s in a tree? Oxygen, food, clean water and money (March 2020)
One of the simplest ways to improve a landscape–whether it’s a stream bank, a struggling field or a sunbaked blacktop—is to add plants. We all know trees…READ MORE
2019
Baling BTU (March 2019)
Inside the boiler plant at Piedmont Geriatric Hospital near Burkeville, Virginia, an earthy aroma wafts through the air. It’s a warm and inviting smell, a scent that simultaneously hints of both a campfire and baking bread…READ MORE
Superior Service from AGCO (March 2019)
Something had to change. That’s how Fred Circle, president and CEO of FDC Enterprises in Springfield, Ohio, describes his company’s move to Fendt® tractors in 2017. After initially building his conservation and bioenergy company’s fleet with another manufacturer’s tractor, he quickly found the machine’s drivetrain wasn’t reliable…READ MORE….WATCH
2017
Growing Bioeconomy Markets: Farm to Fuel in Southside Virginia. Produced by US Dept. of Energy (August 2017)
Biomass has the potential to supply a significant portion of America’s growing energy needs, while increasing energy independence, diversifying sources of domestic revenue, and adding over a million jobs to the workforce…WATCH
Virginia Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award (April 2017)
The 2017 Governor’s Environmental Excellence Awards were announced on April 4, 2017 at the 28th Environmental Virginia Symposium in Lexington. The awards recognize the significant contributions of environmental and conservation leader in four categories…READ MORE
POET Plans On-Site Enzyme Manufacturing at Project Liberty Plant (March 2017)
Last week the POET-DSM Advanced Biofuels company announced it will build an on-site enzyme manufacturing facility at its cellulosic ethanol plant in Emmetsburg in northwest Iowa, pending state and local approvals. The facility will be integrated into the Project Liberty technology package… READ MORE
2016
Virginia Leads the Nation With This Green Fuel (January 2016)
Every year, Virginia spends a billion dollars on energy from somewhere else – fuel oil, propane or kerosene to heat homes. Now farmers in Virginia are growing an alternative fuel – a clean, sustainable grass…READ MORE
2015
FDC Enterprises – Building The Perennial Grass Energy Supply Chain (December 2015)
FDC has been at the forefront of national efforts to commercialize next generation fuels. The Ohio-based company, a leader in perennial grass systems, has worked with growers and industry partners in Iowa, Tennessee, Kansas and Virginia…READ MORE
SD, VA Projects Receive USDA Value-Added Grant Funding (November 2015)
Five bioenergy projects in two states were among the 258 businesses nationwide receiving a total of nearly $34 million from the USDA Rural Development Value-Added Producer Grant program. The grants were announced last week…READ MORE
Energy Department Harvesting Technology Goes Commercial (October 2015)
Some of our greatest successes at the Energy Department’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy are where the technologies developed with our funding are purchased and put to use by the private sector. Earlier this year, we highlighted five cost-saving harvesting technologies…READ MORE
Running On Grass (September 2015)
Nottoway County officials are exploring a variety of additional grant funds to expand an innovative local industry that’s saving the state big money and putting dollars into pockets of area farmers. Ohio-based FDC Enterprises–which has its Nottoway Biofuels operation in County-owned Pickett Park…READ MORE
Farming On The Margins With Kiley Friedrich (May 2015)
Gratton lab member Kiley Friedrich measures pollinator and plant communities with bee bowls, sweep samples, nesting boxes and planting surveys. On the outskirts of farming fields you’ll often see little strips of unkempt land…READ MORE
Grassland Birds Hold Stock In The Future Of Biofuels (March 2015)
Birds stand to gain valuable grassland habitat if the appetite to balance conservation and biofuel production continues gaining support in scientific circles. But developing a business case for biofuel production that meets the needs of the birds with the current national renewable standards isn’t easy…READ MORE
Improving The Way We Harvest And Deliver Biofuels Crops (January 2015)
America is the largest biofuels producer in the world – accounting for 48 percent of global output. To remain the global industry leader, the Energy Department is investing in projects that address critical barriers to continued growth. This includes a key focus on improving feedstock logistics…READ MORE
Company Helps Regenerate Prairie (January 2015)
A program to plant native grasses in electric transmission line corridors in the Cedar Rapids area will help restore a dwindling Iowa resource – native prairies. “It’s a win for us, a win for wildlife and the environment and a win for the public, which owns the land”…READ MORE
2014
ITC Seeding Native Prairie (December 2014)
A crew from FDC Enterprises in Columbus, Ohio uses a modified Kinze planter on Friday to seed a six-acre transmission line corridor with native prairie plants…READ MORE
Iowa’s New Crop – Harvesting Biomass (December 2014)
Cornstalk balers were a common sight in northwest Iowa this fall. Farmers and custom operators, busy collection corn stover to use as feedstock for the new Project Liberty cellulosic ethanol plant at Emmetsburg, are enthusiastic about their “new cash crop.”…READ MORE
FDC Enterprises, Inc. BALES Team Demonstrates Biomass Harvesting Equipment And Technology (November 2014)
On October 29th 2014, FDC Enterprises and other partners of the Biomass Alliance for Logistics Efficiency and Specifications (BALES) project demonstrated equipment and technology advancements to US Department of Energy (DOE) staff, advancements made possible through funding…READ MORE
Cornstalks Aren’t Just For Scarecrows Anymore (October 2014)
For thousands of years, farmers have been using cornstalks to make scarecrows, preventing crows and other predators from destroying their crops. This fall, the Energy Department’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) is using cornstalk for a different purpose—bioenergy production…READ MORE
EIU To Reap Research Opportunities Through Land Use Partnership (August 2014)
For some students at Eastern Illinois University, the traditional, enclosed classroom will soon be replaced with acres of wind-blown native grasses. Via an arrangement that Thomas Canam, assistant professor of biological sciences, terms a “win-win-win situation for everyone,”…READ MORE
Agricultural Watershed Institute (AWI) Promotes Bioenergy Crops (August 2014)
Tom Schwartz sees the reason for making changes to what is planted on marginal farmland. The challenge for Schwartz is convincing farmers to plant crops such as prairie grasses instead of traditional money-makers…READ MORE
Sweet Briar Plants Native Grasses To Produce Biofuels (May 2014)
Conservation researchers set about killing the grass on about 500 acres of land at Sweet Briar College this spring in preparation for a multi-year study that could have implications for landowners and environmentalists nationwide. This past fall, FDC Enterprises, a conservation service company, was awarded a grant…READ MORE
Sweet Briar To Sell Warm-Season Grasses for Biofuels (April 2014)
Sweet Briar College announced Tuesday that it has entered into an agreement with FDC Enterprises Grassland Services to convert approximately 250 acres of its hayfields to native warm-season grasses with perennial borders. The grasses will be sold as biofuel…READ MORE
2013
Virginia’s Piedmont Geriatric Hospital’s Use Of Native Warm Season Grasses Biomass Boiler (December 2013)
An overview of Piedmont Geriatric Hospital, Nottoway County, and FDC Enterprise Native Warm Season Grass-fired Biomass Boiler. Biofuel to Steam Cooperative…WATCH
Innovation in Feedstock Transport, Testing (November 2013)
In August, Ernest Moniz, secretary for the U.S. DOE, announced more than $22 million in new investments to develop a more efficient feedstock supply chain for advanced biofuels, in addition to more affordable algae-derived fuels. Of that investment, nearly $6 million is destined for Ohio-based FDC Enterprises…READ MORE
FDC Enterprises, Inc. Partners With Pheasants Forever And University of Wisconsin – Madison On Conservation Grant, Integrating Pollinators Into Bioenergy Crops (November 2013)
On September 10th, 2013 Agricultural Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the award of Pheasants Forever’s Integrating Pollinators into Bioenergy Crops grant along with 32 other Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) awarded to entities across the nation…READ MORE
Touring Sustainable Bioenergy In Virginia (October 2013)
Lost month, I had the good fortune to travel to Farmville, VA for a conference on sustainable biomass. Hosted by the Center for Natural Capital, the event at Longwood University featured an impressive array of presentations, and included tours of some local facilities…READ MORE
Secretary Moniz Announces New Biofuels Projects To Drive Cost Reduction, Technological Breakthroughs (August 2013)
During remarks at the Energy Department’s Biomass 2013 annual conference, Secretary Moniz today highlighted the important role biofuels play in the Administration’s Climate Action Plan to increase our energy security and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector…READ MORE
Iowa’s Vermeer To Share In Biomass Research Effort (August 2013)
The U.S. Department of Energy announced a nearly $6 million effort to make it easier to use corn stover and other biomass to produce biofuels. The research led by Columbus, Ohio-based FDC Enterprises will include work by Vermeer, the Iowa-based equipment firm…READ MORE
FDC Enterprises Contributed To John Rockenbaugh Memorial Scholarship (July 2013)
Austin Clarridge was recently selected as the first recipient of the John Rockenbaugh Memorial Scholarship. He was presented the $500 scholarship and a framed certificate by Luke Miller, Chairman of the Rockenbaugh Scholarship Committee…READ MORE
A Better Bedding? (March 2013)
To the untrained eye, Dennis and Pam Miller’s poultry house is no different than most others in the area. It’s about 25,000 square feet of chicken habitat, with the familiar technology pumping out water and heat to 38,000 chicks. But the unassuming poultry house on Turley Creek Lane near Broadway is home to an experiment…READ MORE
2012
FDC Enterprises, Inc. Partners With Pheasants Forever, BLM And NRCS On 32,000 Acre Sage-Grouse Habitat Restoration Project In Idaho (December 2012)
Pheasants Forever recently awarded FDC Enterprises, Inc. a contract to restore nearly 32,000 acres of Greater sage-grouse habitat in southern Idaho. Work on the Burley Landscape Sage-Grouse Habitat Restoration project began December 1, 2012 in Cassia County…READ MORE
2011
What In The World Are “Feedstock Logistics?” (December 2011)
Biomass feedstocks – the raw organic material that can be converted into biofuel, biopower, or bioproducts – come in many forms, from woody crops like hybrid poplar and shrub willow to herbaceous species such as switchgrass and agricultural residues such as corn stover…READ MORE
FDC Enterprises Promotes Mason And Schwartz To Vice President (October 2011)
FDC Enterprises announces the promotion of Kevin Mason to Vice President of Operations and Tom Schwartz to Vice President of Marketing. The promotions are part of a realignment of responsibilities due to the company’s recent growth…READ MORE
Biomass District Energy Update: Current Trends And Issues In The U.S. (August 2011)
Across the United State, the number of biomass-based district energy plants is growing, incorporating a variety of renewable fuels, technologies and business strategies. The motivations behind this increase include offsetting greenhouse gas emissions…READ MORE
2009
DOE Awards FDC Enterprises $4.9M For Cellulosic Ethanol Feedstock Delivery System Development (October 2009)
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced that FDC Enterprises of Columbus, Ohio was one of five winners to share in a $21 million grant to develop supply systems to handle and deliver feedstocks for cellulosic biofuels production. Cellulosic biofuels can be derived from a diverse number of feedstocks…READ MORE
State Bioscience Plants Right On Track, Says CEO (September 2009)
Tom Thornton is never bashful about where he thinks Kansas is going in the bioscience industry. And the CEO of the Kansas Bioscience Authority showed that again in a speech at the annual Kansas Day of Innovation, held Thursday at the Wichita Marriott…READ MORE
Warm Season Grass Touted As New Crop (February 2009)
The Virginia Cooperative Extension is offering an opportunity for farmers and rural landowners to turn old pastures into a new cash crop for Central Virginia. Warm season grasses, or grass that grows best during the summer months, have recently emerged on the farming scene…READ MORE
2008
FDC Enterprises Adds To Its Marketing Team (November 2008)
FDC Enterprises announces the hiring of Gregg Strand of Marshall, Michigan as FDC Enterprises’ new National Marketing Representative. Strand will be directly involved in the development and marketing of FDC Enterprises” native grass establishment program…READ MORE
Farming Warm Season Grasses For Fuel (September 2008)
Jeff Waldon, Executive Director of the Conservation Management Institute of Virginia Tech, made a presentation at the Virginia Biofuels seminar on August 5th on how warm season grasses can be used as fuel for boilers. As we will see not all research into biofuels calls for turning switch grass and other warm season grasses into diesel fuel…READ MORE
FDC Enterprises Hires New National Marketing Manager (September 2008)
FDC Enterprises announces the hiring of Tom Schwartz, 35, of Petersburg, IL as FDC Enterprises’ new National Marketing Manager. Schwartz will be in charge of promoting FDC Enterprises native grass establishment program for wildlife habitat, forage, reclamation and biofuels…READ MORE
The Longleaf Pineland Legacy: CP36 And NWSG Enhance Wildlife (August 2008)
In these hottest months of summer, it may be hard to remember the cool moisture of the spring grass planting season. But landowners who completed CP36 installations in the Southeast last spring may already be seeing the fruits of their labor…READ MORE
Seven Rivers RC&D And FDC Enterprises Conducts CP-36 Native Grass Establishment Tour (August 2008)
Seven Rivers RC&D and FDC Enterprises, a native grassland installation company, met with local agencies to demonstrate native grass installation techniques and results on CP-36 (longleaf pine CRP program) projects completed this spring…READ MORE
FDC Enterprises Makes Contribution To Local Conservation Districts (August 2008)
FDC Enterprises, a grassland installation company, donated $8,000 to seven local Conservation Districts in the Green River Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) area during the KY Association of Conservation District annual meeting…READ MORE
Ohio-Based Company Selling New Grass Crop To Virginia Farmers, Some Farmers Glowing Over Prairie Grasses (June 2008)
Most Virginia pastures thrive in the spring and fall, but turn brown in the summer because the grass can’t take the heat. However, an Ohio-based company is selling a new grass crop to some area farmers developed to flourish in the dog days of summer….READ MORE
Innovation And Partnership Unlock Prairie Potential (Spring 2008)
Fred Circle and his company FDC Enterprises (FDC), have developed a highly efficient and effective system to restore native grasses under the federal Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Hard work, a passion for the perfection and the drive to partner for innovation…READ MORE
Creative Solutions In Vegetation Management (March/April 2008)
An increasing number of national and state highways are looking dressed up: no longer parched stretches of dull green or faded brown spikes but instead a fantasy of brightly colored flower. A driver is tempted to stop and pick a few for the dinner table…READ MORE
BASF, Professional Vegetation Management Announces 2007 QVM Project Habitat Award Winners (February 2008)
BASF Professional Vegetation Management is excited to congratulate the winners of the 2007 QVM Project Habitat Awards, announced at the second annual awards banquet on Thursday, Jan. 31, 2008 in Peachtree City, Georgia. The QVM Project Habitat Awards is an annual awards program…READ MORE
CP36 Funding For Native Warm-Season Grass And Longleaf Pine In Georgia (Winter 2008)
The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) has always been a lifesaver for wildlife. The program encourages landowners to protect habitat and restore areas once overtaken by agriculture. Many forest landowners benefit from extra income derived from hunting leases and opening their land for other outdoor recreational pursuits…READ MORE
2007
Growing Biofuel On The Southside (September 2007)
State officials say a Halifax County crop and future biofuel looks very promising. Representatives from the Department of Agriculture walked the fields there Monday afternoon. Also in the crowd, the owner FDC Enterprises. It’s an Ohio-based company that planted the switchgrass this summer…READ MORE
The Prairie Builder Comes To Northern Halifax County (June 2007)
Just about anyplace one goes these days within the agricultural community, conversations invariably include some discussion of biofuels, biomass feedstocks and the potential to grow these in southern Virginia. Production of energy from biomass resources could stimulate economic growth…READ MORE
2006
NWSG: The Nation’s Largest Installer Of Native Warm-Season Grass Shares His Knowledge with QDMA (June 2006)
In the last four years, native warm-season grass (NWSG) has become a hot topic in wildlife management. Though conservation groups like Pheasants Forever and many Midwestern biologists were encouraging people to re-establish native grass species long before that, the recent emergence of government incentive programs…READ MORE
Prairie Builder (May 2006)
With 16,000 acres to plant and spray this spring, Fred Circle will be one of the busier farmers in the Midwest. Circle specializes in planting warm-season prairie grasses , and with the advent of special conservation programs like the Scioto River Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, his services are in demand…READ MORE