Field Notes
From the field and the build-out.
10 articles
Biomass Magazine: How Two Submariners Built a Rice-Hull Biochar Plant in Arkansas
Biomass Magazine profiled Cold Steppe's Stuttgart facility - how two former Navy submariners took a $15 million rice-hull biochar plant from incorporation to commissioning in fifteen months, and why the engineering habits of a nuclear reactor turned out to apply.
EducationBiochar in the Built Environment: Concrete, Ceramics, and Carbon
How carbon- and silica-bearing biochar is being evaluated in concrete, brick and ceramics, filtration media, and as an industrial carbon substitute - and what 'biogenic carbon' means for construction.
PressCold Steppe Wins Groundbreaker of the Year at the 2026 International Biomass Conference & Expo
Cold Steppe Inc. received the Groundbreaker of the Year Award at the 2026 International Biomass Conference & Expo, recognized for building and commissioning its commercial-scale biomass-to-energy facility in Stuttgart, Arkansas in just 169 days.
EducationDistributed Carbon and Energy Infrastructure: How Biomass Becomes Four Products
How modular pyrolysis sites turn underused agricultural biomass into carbon removal, renewable power, industrial heat, and biochar - and why a 'multi-revenue infrastructure asset' model works.
Programs & FundingUSDA Biochar Funding: How EQIP and CPS 336 Cover Soil Carbon Amendments
A plain-language guide to the USDA NRCS programs that can fund biochar on farms - CPS 336, EQIP, RCPP, and CIG - including how cost-share works and what a typical application looks like.
EducationRice Hull Biochar in Agriculture: How It Improves Southeastern Soils
What rice hull biochar is, how it changes soil water-holding, nutrient retention, and carbon, and why it suits the low-organic-matter soils of the U.S. Southeast.
PartnershipsCold Steppe Partners with FarmRaise to Scale Growth and Enhance Conservation Efforts
Cold Steppe has partnered with agtech company FarmRaise to streamline NRCS conservation processes and put finance and conservation tools directly in farmers' hands.
Policy & CommunityCold Steppe Joins the NRCS Arkansas State Technical Committee
Cold Steppe has joined the NRCS Arkansas State Technical Committee, taking a focused role on the Soil Health Subcommittee to advance biochar adoption across the state.
ResearchCold Steppe Begins Collaboration with USDA ARS
Cold Steppe is working with the USDA Agricultural Research Service and local Arkansas farms to measure greenhouse-gas emissions and validate biochar's environmental benefits in rice production.
Programs & FundingEQIP Application Window 2024
The 2024 EQIP application review window is opening soon. Cold Steppe's biochar qualifies under CPS 336, and the company provides it at zero out-of-pocket cost to producers.