Today’s military surplus growing tomorrow’s energy
 By Jeff Landenberger
  Excess military equipment donated by Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services is playing a part in alternative energy and agricultural research happening in North Carolina. A bush of sweet potato similar to the ones being investigated as a possible source of energy by North Carolina State University.




A bunch of sweet potato lay in rich brown soil next to a shovel with green plants in the background of the image.
        Sweet potato
            A bush of sweet potato similar to the ones being investigated as a possible source of energy by North Carolina State University.

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                    Photo By: Sergiy Akhundov
                    
                    VIRIN: 230215-D-DO441-567 The research takes place at more than 20 facilities operated by North Carolina’s Land Grant Universities, in conjunction with the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, according to John Garner, research operations manager for two North Carolina State University farms. Garner said each land grant farm is unique, including the two he oversees. The smaller NC State farm produces fruits and vegetables. Garner said staff and students there test new varieties of plants and develop new agricultural practices designed to avoid diseases, pests, and weeds to increase the harvest. Garner said the information the farm develops is not proprietary, it is shared with the state’s farmers to help them increase production, profit margins, and keep the North Carolina agriculture flourishing. Garner’s larger farm is the Willimasdale Biofuels Field Laboratory, a 600-acre farm that serves as the university’s hub for biofuels research. 3d illustration of Arundo Donax Grass. One of the crops being investigated as a possible source of energy by North Carolina State University.




A tall plant from the grass family, it has thin leaves coming off a central stalk on each side. At the top of the stalk is an off white crown,
        Arundo Donax Grass
            3d illustration of Arundo Donax Grass. One of the crops being investigated as a possible source of energy by North Carolina State University.

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                    Photo By: Phap Nguyen
                    
                    VIRIN: 230215-D-DO441-568 More than 30 species of crops of numerous varieties are grown at the site, from conventional crops such as sweet potatoes and oats, to exotic crops including tropical sugar beets, giant reed, and Arundo Donax. Once harvested, the crops are used in the research and production of biodiesel, ethanol, and other ag-based energy options. Garner said the Willimasdale site was started in 2008 with “a handful of equipment that the university and state bought.” “I had a bunch of holes I needed to fill,” Garner said. The site needed more trucks, trailers, and even tractors, so he turned to DLA Disposition Services. Garner said he is lucky, located halfway between Fort Bragg and Camp Lejeune, the two biggest military instillations in North Carolina, with the most excess equipment available for donation and manageable equipment transport distances. The task of learning how the program worked and discovering what DLA Disposition Services could provide fell to him, and he said it has paid off, netting him everything from tractors and pickup trucks to fuel storage tanks and semi-trailers. “I got all kinds of stuff here from Disposition Services,” Garner said. “Of all the farms, I probably have the most DLA equipment.”