Waste straw burned on wheat fields is one of Washington’s top sources of air pollution. Columbia Pulp purchases this straw to produce pulp and bio-polymers, creating a new revenue stream for wheat farmers that would typically go up in smoke.

Smart, Sustainable Business

Columbia Pulp’s 140,000-square-foot mill has created 100 family wage jobs in the agricultural communities of Dayton, Starbuck and Pomeroy, Washington. Straw purchases from local farmers exceed $15 million dollars every year.

An Economic Engine

Columbia Pulp eliminates the need for farmers to burn 250,000 tons of straw waste every year, improving air quality region-wide. Our state-of-the-art facility and locally-sourced feed stock reduce carbon emissions by 76 percent compared to traditional pulp mills.

Protecting the Environment

Creating a Sustainable Future

Columbia Pulp is North America’s first alternative fiber market pulp mill, using wheat farmers’ waste straw to create pulp for paper products as well as bio-polymers for a variety of industrial uses.

Latest News

Columbia Pulp Mill Increases production of Eco-Friendly Fiber, Columbia Gold®

DAYTON—Columbia Pulp LLC has resumed operation of its first-of-its-kind mill near Dayton, Wash. ​Idled between April, 2020 and June, 2021 due to the pandemic, the company used that time to implement numerous process improvements and has resumed production. Columbia Pulp is now steadily increasing wet lap production and improving quality for delivery to customers. ​In addition to a sustainability [...]

Columbia Pulp announces Ag Energy Solutions partnership

STARBUCK—Columbia Pulp LLC and Ag Energy Solutions, Inc have announced an agreement to partner in processing wheat straw from the Columbia Pulp facility through the Ag Energy Solutions biomass processing platform. The output from this processing is a form of high-quality biochar, branded Carbon Logic, to be utilized as a soil amendment proven to increase crop yields in some [...]

Columbia Pulp CEO John Begley to retire

DAYTON—Columbia Pulp is announcing the retirement of John Begley effective September 3. Begley has been CEO of Columbia Pulp since its inception and has led the company through its development, financing, design, construction, and start-up phases, including the time it was shuttered by the COVID 19 pandemic. Read more ...

Association of Washington Business (AWB)

2018 Operational Excellence Award

Recognizing a company that has a distinctive manufacturing process, including continuous improvement, innovations, lean and six sigma and/or application of high technology.