Company Building $15 Million Plant in Iowa To Utilize Corn Plants

Some farmers in Iowa, the nation's leading producer of corn, will soon have another in-state market for their corn crop. This one comes from a company that is already using cornfield leftovers to make a unique series of products.

Corn Board Manufacturing (CBM), a company based in Texas, has announced plans to build a $15 million plant near Odebolt in Sac County in northwest Iowa. The plant will use corn stover (leaves, stalks, and corn cobs) to make CornBoard pallets. Yes, pallets made of corn. They're just as strong, but weigh less than their wood counterparts, according to CBM.

The already patented CornBoard isn't a new thing. Corn Board Manufacturing has been producing it for several years, shaping it into everything from surfboards to skateboards to "plywood" and, yes, pallets. CBM describes CornBoard as a green alternative to pressed wood products. Corn Board Manufacturing says wood pallet production results in the devastation of one million acres of forests in the United States each year. You can see some of CBM's CornBoard products HERE.

The Des Moines Register reports Corn Board Manufacturing will likely partner with between 30 and 50 farmers to provide about 50 million pounds of corn stover each year at a cost of up to $750,000.

Construction of the 50,000 square foot plant is expected to begin in the spring of 2021. There's been no announced timetable for its opening. It will employ up to 30 people.