By embracing sustainable materials and construction practices, we can reduce the demand for tree-based building materials, protect natural resources, and contribute to a more environmentally friendly and resilient future.
While Agriboard is not new. Our Agriboard Green Building System™ version 4.0 is simply the latest advance in a technology that has been developing for almost a century.
We began our journey in the year 2000. Ron and Renae Ryan purchased ‘Agriboard Industries’ located in Electra, TX.
At the time of purchase Agriboard Industries used an extrusion Mill process, which takes wheat or rice straw, cleans it, steams it, compacts it under pressure, cools it and cuts it into panels to be used as a building material. The first patented machine that produced the panels was built by Raytheon in the 1990s.
After the purchase, the first thing was to remodel and up-grade the plant. We found from in-house testing, that the Fiberboard product had many qualities that could benefit the building industry such as fire resistance, high insulation factors, sound abatement and earthquake resistance. Also, the cost savings on utilities was up to 40% less. With these benefits we saw several commercial and residential market potentials for the product.
Next, we moved to our Research & Development phase. This involved third-party independent testing. This testing included strength, fire, sound, insulation, mold, mildew, pests, earthquake, durability and more. As a result of our extensive testing, we received the ‘International Code Compliance’ acceptance certification. This allowed the building of military and other government projects. Because of the blast resistance of the Agriboard panels, some were used in the Middle East to protect our troops.
At that time we decided to pursue the commercial market with Structural Insulated Panels. We built a panel line that took the basic Compressed Agricultural Fiberboard (CAF) panels and enclosed them in “Oriented Strand Board.”
Phase 1 - Commercial We built large, ready for construction, custom panels for banks, restaurants, homes, schools, and warehouses. We built over 300 commercial structures from the East Coast to California. The first totally GREEN Post Office was built in Ft. Worth, Texas using Agriboard.
Phase 2 - Affordable Housing In 2005 a Tsunami hit Sri Lanka near India and killed over 200,000 people and destroyed many homes. We had been doing research and development on new concept affordable housing. Ron and Larry built the first model in a warehouse in Wichita, Kansas. Walmart paid for the shipping and Agriboard donated and helped build ten of these homes in Sri Lanka.
This experience motivated us to continue our research and development using this incredibly accessible building system, that we know today as, the Agriboard Green Building Systems™.
We went on to build homes in Central America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and Mexico. The acceptance was overwhelming and we found a vast international market. All countries need affordable housing. They have plenty of raw straw materials and want to stop burning their rice and wheat fields which causes environmental pollution and health problems.
We secured international patents in over 20 countries and preliminary contracts in a dozen places that wanted to build Agriboard plants. In 2009, little did we know that several miles from our plant, on a windy day, two electrical wires touched and started a devastating wildfire. It roared through the Texas plains, destroyed everything in its path including our manufacturing plant. There were 42 fire departments trying to stop the inferno. Our Factory and Mill were destroyed.
The only thing of value on our 54 acres that survived was the 600 square foot Agriboard model house. Amazing!!!
The fire and total destruction of the production plant and years in delayed insurance payments, slowed us, but did not stop us. With most of the Research and Development and Testing behind us, we knew there was an incredible market around the world and in the U.S. for affordable housing. Other companies were picking up on this building system from our website. All of them were using old machines, less capable than the one the fire destroyed. Most machines were slow, and the quality was lacking. The time had come to invent new patented technology for the 21st century.
We took our 10 years of experience and drawings of the Raytheon Mill to develop new machinery. The new technology would not only produce quality building materials but would generate twice as much product. This would deliver greater profits for the investors and manufacturers.
Using the 3,000 drawings from the previous Mill we developed updated patented New Mill technology. The new Patents are called the, ‘Efficient Method and Apparatus for Producing Compressed Structural Fiberboard’. The patents were assigned to Agriboard International and issued in September 2019. Agriboard’s Intellectual Properties consist of five U.S. Patents, two Patents Pending in India, one Patent for International expansion and three trademarks.
The new Patented Mill is engineered with eight (8) different cell divisions totaling approximately 200 feet. It uses the latest 21st Century technology with reliable and durable components. It takes very few people to run the Mill. It is easy to maintain, safe, produces an excellent product and will last many years with proper maintenance for maximum profits.
Agriboard Green Building Systems has tremendous interest from the U.S. and around the world for its “green” building products and technology. All countries need affordable housing and most have plenty of straw waste materials and want to stop the burning of their rice and wheat fields, causing environmental pollution and health problems.
Agriboard’s new patented technology, engineering experience, designs, and testing can build many regional Mills in the U.S. and internationally. This can help meet the worldwide market demand for affordable housing. The new Mill can build 2,700 three bedroom/two bath homes per year. Developers, contractors, and builders everywhere are looking for pre-engineered designs that save construction costs, labor, waste and provide buildings that are safe, strong, and green.
If you are interested in finding out more about purchasing or investing in Agriboard Green Building Systems or you would like to stay updated on the availability to purchase our 4th generation Mill, please visit our website at Agriboard.com or send an email to info@agriboard.com.