Stanislaus County and agricultural leaders hosted a Thursday visit of California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Secretary Karen Ross to Stanislaus County, including a stop at a bio-industrial manufacturing in Keyes.
Her visit was prompted by the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors Jan. 31 vote to commit $10 million towards the “Stanislaus 2030” sector development strategy, which includes bioindustrial manufacturing. In collaboration with Beam Circular, the county is establishing itself as a hub to convert waste from food and agriculture processing into valuable bio-based products, fuels and materials.
The visit marked important early momentum for the Stanislaus 2030 Investment Blueprint, a community roadmap for generating high-quality jobs focused on growing a local specialization in bioindustrial manufacturing.
Secretary Ross began her visit with a roundtable discussion at Modesto Junior College with county Supervisors Vito Chiesa and Mani Grewal present. Also attending were Karen Warner, BEAM Circular’s CEO; Ann Veneman, President George W. Bush’s former Agriculture Secretary and current advisor to BEAM Circular; as well as leaders from local education, the Almond Board of California, Stanislaus County Farm Bureau, Stanislaus Community Foundation, Opportunity Stanislaus, and the nonprofit organization Sustainable Conservation. The group discussed efforts to establish the Valley as a global leader in bioindustrial manufacturing.
Josette Lewis of the Almond Board explained how her industry is developing uses for almond hulls, shells and tree trimmings to create new bio-based products.
Ross affirmed CDFA’s commitment to support local efforts through participation in the Leadership Council of the newly formed North San Joaquin Valley Bio-industrial Manufacturing Innovation Engine, a coalition co-led by UC Merced, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and BEAM Circular with over 25 local and state partners focused on building regional innovation and the workforce in the sector.
“As the leading agricultural state in the nation, it is essential for California to advance a circular bio-economy that converts waste streams and food and ag processing byproducts into ‘climate smart’ products,” said Ross. “The efforts underway in the North San Joaquin Valley to advance the bio-industrial manufacturing sector will accelerate innovation and generate higher paying jobs that lift families out of poverty.”
She termed the county’s investment in the BEAM Initiative as “bold local leadership that will ensure the long-term viability of agriculture and the vitality of our rural communities.”
From MJC, Ross joined BEAM Circular for a tour of the Aemetis bioenergy production facility on Jessup Road in Keyes and a nearby biomethane anaerobic digester project developed by Aemetis with the support of a Dairy Digester Research & Development Program grant from CDFA. Aemetis produces 65 million gallons of ethanol per year. The company is expanding efforts to collect wood waste and transform them into low-carbon fossil fuel replacements.
Ross ended her tour with a visit to the almond processing operation of Travaille and Phippen Inc., in Manteca where she learned about supply chain dynamics related to the movement and preparation of biomass, such as almond hulls and orchard waste, for use as inputs to bioindustrial manufacturing.
“The North San Joaquin Valley is the best place in the country for innovations in the circular bio-economy to be brought to scale,” said Warner. “Secretary Ross has been a tremendous champion for agricultural communities like ours, and we look forward collaborating to accelerate models that expand local economic opportunity for our residents while unlocking solutions to global environmental challenges.”
