Wood Pellets

It's an energy source that is made of waste and is used in over 1 million homes across the US. From a tree, to sawdust, to wood pellets bound for the stove to produce heat. Rocky Canyon Pellet Company in Grangeville, Idaho is one of about 100 pellet mills across the US that produces the resource. "Initially we get dry shavings from the IFG planer here in Grangeville, Idaho and they are trucked over to our facility. We put them through a hammer mill to beat them to about the consistency of coarse flour or corn meal. From there they are blown into a sawdust mill which is extruded and we are left with a clean, nice pellet which is cooled and packaged and prepared for delivery to retailers.” Rocky Canyon makes mostly red fir pellets which is preferred and Corey says the pellet market is booming, especially in urban areas as consumers look for environmentally friendly and cheaper energy sources. “We offer an excellent alternative to firewood. You still get that warm dry heat and those in metropolitan areas really seem to enjoy it. It is also a zero emission. There are no regulatory days that you have to opt out for. You can burn it all winter long without any issue at all.” Smith says the high desert town of Elko, Nevada where trees are scarce and electric or gas power is expensive is a big market for Rocky Canyon pellets. "We move more product into Elko, Nevada than any other city or any other store. The cow ranch store there in Elko sell more than all the other cow ranches put together. Single-handedly they are our largest selling store. That's just because there isn’t any other heat option other than electricity and we are certainly much more cost effective than that.” The mill also produces livestock feed. Originally wheat farmers, the Smith family is especially thankful this year for the diversification of their business interests. "We have been very fortunate but we have the pellet mill and the shavings business to help carry us through years that are less than ideal on the farm side whether its market prices or commodity quality, it has been a huge blessing for us to be able to have that diversity.”