We are presently growing two 15-20 acre test sites of sweet sorghum to show area farmers an alternative fuel crop,( i.e. sweet sorghum) and to provide additional data to confirm our economic assumptions. We are also awaiting the completion of a feasibility study that will give us a more accurate cost of the plant.

The initial planned project is to build a 10 million gallon per year facility to process sweet sorghum to fuel ethanol. Smaller regional facilities will;

1. Keep growing areas to a more workable size, 5-10,000 acres.
2. Minimize transportation costs of feed stock to the plant and ethanol to the market.
3. Lower the risk of production loss (weather, mechanical, etc…) by developing regional plants though out our state.
4. Minimize plant size to be more community friendly. And not least of all
5. Spur economic development in many regions.

We will be pursuing grants, including one of, which is available to companies that will increase economic development in rural areas, by growing an alternative fuel crop to produce fuel. In the near future we will be soliciting 20-25% equity from investors that will likely be in the range of 4-8 million dollars.
Presently we are looking to attract investors to help us continue with our day to day expenses, which include but are not limited to salaries, transportation costs, farm supplies, equipment, farming and testing costs and grant writing. If you have a serious interest in joining us as an investor, we would like to speak with you in more detail.

Global Renewable Energy tests sweet sorghum in Florida

A small Sebastian corporation wants to build Florida's first sweet sorghum-based ethanol production plant amid the croplands of southern Brevard County. Global Renewable Energy hopes to seed a 100-acre sweet sorghum test crop this spring south of Palm Bay, said Harold Brooks, the company's chief executive. The property is owned by the Sartori family, Brevard's fifth-largest private landowner. If Brooks' vision becomes reality, his company will someday grow 3,000 acres of sweet sorghum and build a distillery producing 3 million to 4 million gallons of ethanol per year. Economic ramifications are unknown. 'We're not sure this is going to be commercially, economically successful. We're the pioneers of the whole country on this,' Brooks said. 'With every planting, we learn more.' The biofuel concept remains in the research and development stage. GRE has partnered with a firm in India, Crest Biotech, on a feasibility study. Conversion of sugar-based crops into ethanol is common in Brazil and India, but not in the United States. Sugar-to-ethanol plants are planned or under construction in Louisiana, Texas and Oklahoma. Corn-based ethanol is blended with gasoline and sold across much of the Midwest. President Bush has called for increased bio-energy production to wean the nation from its dependence on imported oil. Studies have shown, however, that ethanol decreases fuel mileage, generates formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and other pollutants from tailpipes, and consumes more fossil energy in its production than it offers in its use.

Ethanol pioneers Terence McElroy, press secretary for Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Charles Bronson, said Global Renewable Energy's sweet sorghum ethanol initiative may be unique in the state. 'I don't know anybody that's actually doing it on a commercial basis. There may be someone doing it under the radar, but I'm not aware of anyone else doing it,' McElroy said. During last summer's Florida 'Farm-to-Fuel' summit in St. Petersburg, experts discussed potential ethanol production using unusual sources such as citrus peels, mulberries and processing waste from fish farms. From plants to fuel Sweet sorghum is a fast-growing plant that resembles a cross between corn and sugar cane. In Florida, plants mature in 90 to 120 days and can grow 12 feet tall. The stalks contain a sugar-rich liquid that typically is used in syrup production. Global Renewable Energy plans to grow, harvest and crush these stalks, then use yeast to distill this sugary juice into ethanol.

In March, GRE planted a 10-acre sweet sorghum test crop in an old Indian River County citrus grove. After a second experimental summer crop was successful, the company grew and recently harvested 70 acres near the St. Lucie County border off Florida's Turnpike. Ethanol distillation experiments followed. 'We think it's the answer. From all the studies we've read, it's two to three times better than corn -- energy in, energy out,' Brooks said. Brooks, a Sebastian dentist and bio-energy entrepreneur, founded GRE in 2004. The company president, Ray Coniglio, is a former vice mayor of Sebastian and past president of the Sebastian River Area Chamber of Commerce. Coniglio hopes sweet sorghum farming will take root across many of Central Florida's struggling citrus groves. Stricken by canker and other diseases, the industry's statewide citrus acreage dropped 25 percent from 2000 to 2006, U.S. Department of Agriculture records show. Brevard's citrus-producing property plummeted 49 percent during this span, from 10,045 acres to 5,080 acres. Indian River County citrus acreage fell 33 percent, from 60,293 acres to 40,191 acres. 'Farmers are very interested. They're in a wait-and-see attitude, but they're very interested,' Coniglio said. 'It's not like we're going out and working on a new invention. We're doing something that's needed. States are making mandates that 10 percent of gasoline must include ethanol.' But funding for the sweet sorghum initiative is difficult to find. GRE is seeking investors and government aid. It also needs farmers. And before attempting full-scale crop production, Brooks said his company needs a press, which could cost from $200,000 to $700,000, and a $250,000 sugar cane harvester. Last month, GRE officials asked state Rep. Ralph Poppell, R-Vero Beach, to try to secure $520,000 in funding. Coniglio said state officials rejected an $800,000-plus request last year. GRE also will plant 100 acres of sweet sorghum in Indian River County and 20 acres near Destiny, head chemist Ben Scheffres said. Contact Neale at 242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com Energy company sees sweet return for farmers