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  WIST News - January 2017
Event will focus on economic opportunities from natural chemicals
Join us for this free
half-day conference
and learn about potential
to gain value from
waste materials 

This February 28 event will explore opportunities to gain new revenue from vegetable production and processing residual materials. 

Five highly regarded speakers will discuss harvesting and processing techniques, the economics of value-added chemical extraction and purification, drivers for increased use of naturally occurring chemicals in non-food applications and the challenges that exist in bringing such chemicals to market.  

This event is free but registration is required. Register now and mark your calendars to be at Heartland Farms Operations, Technology and Training Center in Hancock, Wisconsin, on Tuesday, February 28. 

The conference invites participation from:
  • potato and vegetable growers
  • entrepreneurs
  • fruit and vegetable processors
  • manufacturers and suppliers of specialist pre-processing and processing equipment
  • downstream users of naturally derived chemicals looking to differentiate their product lines
This event will bring together representatives of the vegetable supply and natural chemical value chains, beginning with growers and ending with home and personal care businesses using naturally sourced chemicals in their product lines. 

Attendees will also hear an update on  a collaborative project already underway to create a "proof of concept center" validating commercialization possibilities for these natural chemicals. Read more about the project on the WIST website.

                

2017 Midwest Compost School to be at UW-Stevens Point
SAVE THE DATE: 2017 Midwest Compost School July 11-13 at UW-Stevens Point

WIST and the UW-Stevens Point Department of Soil and Waste Resources will host the 2017 Midwest Compost School. This annual short course rotates through Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois.

The school will provide an immersive three days of training in compost making and facility operation.

The course is designed for composting operators of small backyard piles to mid- and large-scale facilities and contains content for both new and experienced operators.

Topics include:
  • Introduction to the composting process
  • Recipe development
  • Compost pile building
  • Compost quality and measurement
  • Hands-on compost pile construction
 
Watch for additional details and registration information coming soon.

Register now for these upcoming two-day courses
Optimizing Sheet Structure for Maximal
Product Performance, An Introduction 
February 8-9

This two-day introductory class features morning classroom sessions followed by afternoon sessions of guided exercises using the UW-Stevens Point Fourdrinier pilot paper machine and testing the resulting paper. This combination has proven to be a highly effective and enjoyable way to gain fundamental knowledge of the commercial paper making process. The course runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily with lunch and break refreshments included. Participation is limited to 16 for this course.  The instructor is Dr. Gerry Ring, professor emeritus of paper science and engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point .
  • Understand the relationship between sheet structure and paper qualities
  • Understand why paper making fibers floc
  • Understand manufacturing techniques that minimize fiber floccing
  • Understand the relationship between sheet structure, formation and paper properties
  • Understand both visual and instrumental measurement of formation
  • Understand the difficulties associated with the correlation of visual formation assessment and the instrument measurement
Get more details and register online now.
Introduction to Paper Making Additives 
March 16-17

This course provides an overview of the common paper making additives used in the industry today. Clear descriptions of how and why these additives work are presented in classroom discussions. Attendees will participate in discussions focused on where additives are introduced into the paper making process, potential interactions with both equipment and other additives, and the relationship between additives and enhanced performance of paper. This course uniquely features exercises on the UW-Stevens Point pilot paper machine where attendees will produce paper with different additives. Group exercises will follow that evaluate the properties of this paper using typical laboratory tests. The course runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily with lunch and break refreshments included. Course participation is limited to 16.
Get more details and register online now.
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