Staff Writer
Energy alternatives are cropping up, literally, right here in Aroostook County, with corn now being grown and processed by Spud Country Corn for use as fuel to heat homes and businesses.
“Corn is an alternative fuel — a piece of the puzzle that will enable us to move away from our dependence on fossil fuel,” said Alan Perry, co-owner of the company.
Perry said with the growing number of energy options available now, it’s up to the public to determine what best suits their needs.
“Stoves vary. Some burn pellets, some a pellet/corn combination and some just corn,” said Perry, who recommended buying a stove that’s capable of burning both pellets and corn.
“It’s better to purchase a stove that’s multipurpose, than one that burns only one source of fuel,” he continued.
While both alternatives provide ample heat, Perry said corn has its advantages.
“A corn crop can be renewed in 120 days, as opposed to trees that require 20 years or more. Corn can be grown locally. It also is creosote-free and burns hotter than pellets,” Perry said, noting corn generates more BTUs per bushel than its heating counterpart, pellets.
Perry, a certified crop adviser with Farm Technologies Network, of Presque Isle, said he’s done farm consulting work with farmers all over the world, helping them find ways to increase their income. Corn production for use as a fuel was one viable option discussed.
“Talking with county farmers, we looked for ways to increase (revenue from) non-potato crops. Oats and barley have not been high-value crops. One of the alternative crops that looked attractive was corn,” he explained.
Perry said corn serves as a nice rotation to potatoes.
“It’s a good soil-building crop, has value as animal feed equal or better than oats and barley. And as a fuel crop, its value is a lot higher,” Perry said.
Initially, Perry said the idea was for farm clients to grow corn for their own use.
“They’d heat their own homes and farm buildings. They had the land base and equipment already to do so,” said Perry, noting that was about five years ago. “Three years ago two of my clients and I formed Spud Country Corn — Larry Ireland of Easton, Richard Porter of Blaine and I.”
The company has faced a few challenges, with weather affecting crops. But Perry said all in all, “the strategy has been good.”
“The weather, a short growing season and insects have been issues. But it’s mostly controllable. We’ve learned along the way, with help from farmers downstate and in New Brunswick who helped us with our learning curve,” he said. “I have clients all over the world that we were able to draw from their knowledge.”
On average, Perry said farmers can grow 150 bushels per acre, with the number dropping slightly once it’s dried for storage.
As the business evolved, so has the customer base. No longer is it primarily farmers using corn to heat their homes and buildings.
“Most business now is the non-farm public who use (corn) as they would wood pellets,” said Perry.
Perry said there’s a lot of misinformation about corn as a heating source that he, Ireland and Porter want to clear up.
“It’s a very safe fuel. You can burn it in a trailer. The stove itself and the area around it doesn’t get hot like a wood stove does. It’s a more contained heat, sort of like coal, with a blue flame. The biggest difference between pellets and corn — corn has to be dropped onto the flame or some stoves push pellets from the bottom. Corn is dumped from the top,” he said.
Another misconception is that pellet stoves can be used to burn corn.
“Because corn burns hotter, the fire part of a corn stove are made of heavier metal. Corn stoves can be used to burn pellets but not vice versa,” said Perry. “Another advantage to burning corn is there’s no creosote buildup. You don’t need a full chimney but more like a dryer vent-type pipe.”
Because they don’t require full chimneys, Perry said corn stoves are practical for use in heating greenhouses.
“And because there’s no creosote or carbon put off, they won’t harm plants,” he said.
Perry said two factors determine how much heat the corn produces — how much the corn weighs and how much moisture it contains.
“Just like green wood produces less BTUs, corn is much the same,” he said.
Perry said any corn his company sells is under 15 percent moisture.
“That’s the industry standard. We try to keep it 14 or under. It has to be no more than 15 for storage purposes,” said Perry.
Dried corn is stored in a silo. Most days, Perry said, corn will generate about 10 percent more heat than pellets.
Unlike pellets whose prices follow the cost of heating fuel, running comparative to that market, corn doesn’t fluctuate as much, since it’s considered in line with food crops.
“Farming-type issues affect crops. Fertilizer prices can be very competitive since they relate to fuel oil prices, and machinery requires fuel to operate in the fields. But once a crop is harvested, the price doesn’t fluctuate for that crop,” said Perry.
Spud Country Corn sells corn by 40-lb. bags, as well as by bulk loads.
“Some of our clients are prepared to take a ton at a time. That saves bagging costs. Or we have bags inventoried in our Mars Hill warehouse. We also can deliver for a fee. We have a lot of different options,” said Perry. “We’re currently offering delivery in primarily the central Aroostook area.”
He said the corn is “very storable and easy to transport.” It’s also dust and cob-free.
Perry said the company also assists some clients with storing the corn, once it’s delivered.
“We’ve assisted some elderly clients with piling bags in their garages,” he said.
Perry said if a someone has corn left over once the weather begins to warm, it’s easy to store.
“It doesn’t soak up water like wood will. It’ll dry out again. Even if it molds, it’ll dry out and still burn,” said Perry, adding, “just keep in mind where you store it. Deers, squirrels and other rodents like to eat it, which could create an issue.”
Perry said supply shouldn’t be an issue, since corn is being produced as a fuel in many states.
“If we have a problem here, say, due to weather and the crops don’t produce as well, we can get corn for our clients from distributors elsewhere,” he said.
Contrary to popular belief, Perry said using corn for fuel won’t directly impact prices of food made from corn.
“This corn is grown for fuel and cattle feed. It’s being grown instead of rotational crops like wheat and barley. If anything, it will affect foods made from those crops,” said Perry.
Perry said his goal was to “increase the value of farm crops and reduce oil consumption.”
“Spud Country Corn is doing just that. The goal was to have a renewable U.S. source of fuel that’s farm-owned. An average farmer has plenty of land to produce enough for his own use,” said Perry. “You only need about three to five tons to heat a house for a year, depending on the size of house. There’s roughly 36 bushels in a ton and about 180 bushels can be produced per acre, so it wouldn’t take much more than that to heat their home.”
The owners hope to have a Web site available in the future.
“Anyone wanting more information can contact me at the office at 762-6640 or by cell at 227-0436 or Richard at 551-3002. We have inventory all the time,” said Perry.

THE PROCESS BEGINS — Greg Foster is pictured at the Ireland farm in 2007 as the first corn crop produced at the farm for Spud Country Corn is processed.