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USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development, Basil Gooden, visits Northstar Lime

On Wednesday, August 28, Northstar Lime, hosted the USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development (RD), Dr. Basil Gooden, and some of his colleagues. In 2023, as part of the Fertilizer Production Expansive Program, Northstar Lime received a Grant for $4,409.183 to expand the market for spent lime and improve land productivity.

Gooden was in Crookston Wednesday to tour the Northstar Lime facility and view a presentation in the Conference Room at Crystal Sugar. Brian Boll led the presentation with a slide show and handed around sample-filled jars. The jars contained anything from different test runs of how they wanted to compress the spent lime to products used to make biochar, such as oat hulls, dried beet pulp, and turkey droppings. “I’m just so excited, any chance that we can come and in rural America to see exactly how our funds are going to work,” said Gooden. “What really impressed me here is the ingenuity that is happening in rural America and also the impact that it’s making in the surrounding communities.”

Boll and his team have put the grant money to good use at Northstar Lime.  The facility, located at 2100 S Main Street in Crookston, is building its business in stages.  They are currently in Stage 1, but the facility is already impressive.  There won’t be a shortage of lime anytime soon as Crystal Sugar uses so much they have piles behind the Crystal Sugar Plant.  This is where Boll got the idea to make use of it instead of building another landfill. 

What can be done with the spent lime? With 50,000 Tons of Lime product, Northstar says it can impact 300,000 acres, make 6000 cubic yards of biochar, 20,000 tons of manure pellets, 2,200 tons of nitrogen, and create 20+ new jobs.

Recently, Polk County and the City of Crookston approved a rail spur that goes onto Northstar property. Northstar, among other businesses, will be able to access the train and move their product by railcar. For every railcar, you can fit four truckloads, so this will be vital for moving Northstar Lime products in the future.

What impressed Gooden the most was the ingenuity and creativity in what Northstar Lime is doing. “Seeing a need and coming up with a way to address that need, starting with the phrase, yes, we can do this, and then figuring out a way to make it happen,” said Gooden.

In his final words to the group touring the new facility, Under Secretary Gooden told the group what he felt upon his visit today. “Absolute best of America, so this is what we are going to talk about when I go across the country. We are going to really highlight what’s being done here,” Said Gooden.

If he was nervous at all today, you couldn’t tell.  Brian Boll spoke about his background, his family, and his farm and what it means to have Under Secretary Visit Today. “It’s exciting to have somebody come from that level and see what we are doing here, and really, this is what rural America is about,” said Boll. “It’s about trying to make do with what you have and make the best of what you’ve got.”

Boll says the idea was not his alone for this project, he spoke with other farmer to really get a feel for ways to utilize the lime.  Boll feels fortunate to be doing what he is. “I’m fortunate that we’ve had the opportunity to do this, we’ve had the opportunity to explore and advance, and the grant money has allowed us to do some of that. I’m grateful to all the people who have been involved and all the businesses and people that have helped us along the way,” said Boll. “We’ve got a great team of people, from Chris and Phil all the way down. It’s been a philosophy I’ve always had: if you find a good person, hire them and then find something for them to do.”

The NorthStar Lime facility is currently waiting on a couple of pieces of equipment but is eager to get started using the spent lime for good purposes and improving the land and its productivity.

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