Clean Energy Farming

	Biofuels: Alternative Feedstocks - Photo by Vern Grubinger “Bioenergy will be the biggest change in agriculture in our history,” said Gale Buchanan, USDA’s Undersecretary of Agriculture for Research, Education and Economics in 2007. In fact, change is already widespread across the Midwest, where corn is fetching record prices and the rapidly expanding ethanol industry has been a boon to many rural communities. As far as biofuels are concerned, however, a clean energy future will not be limited to corn-based ethanol, but will include a wide variety of alternative energy crops, or feedstocks. Such feedstocks can be used for both ethanol and biodiesel, grown in varied climates and farming systems, and lead to more diversity on the farm. Also on the horizon are improvements in the conversion efficiency of existing feedstocks, such as wood and grass pellets. Alternative Feedstocks for Ethanol Corn is currently the primary feedstock for ethanol because it is easy to grow, the conversion technology is well-developed, and a combination of government incentives and fuel prices ensure profitability. Most experts agree, however, that many other plant materials provide a much higher net energy gain than corn for ethanol. Research to develop these alternative feedstocks and conversion technologies has been ongoing for years and should be economically feasible within the next 5-10 years. Cellulosic biomass – the fibrous, woody and generally inedible portions of plant matter – is an emerging alternative feedstock. It comes from a wide variety of crops and offers positive environmental benefits. With the exception of crop residues, such as corn stover or wheat straw, most cellulosic material comes from perennial crops, which generally require less intensive planting methods, integrate well into existing rotations and provide better soil cover than annual row crops. Cellulosic crops, such as perennial grasses, poplar trees and alfalfa, allow for more diversity across the landscape and can be grown successfully in many areas, providing opportunities for growers across the United States. Producing Biomass for Energy: What You Need to Know What crops can you plant with the equipment, soil type and knowledge base you already have? What is the season of crop you are considering relative to season of energy demand? What kind of storage capacity do you have for the biomass? How much land can you safely dedicate to new and experimental crops? Can you use perennial and diverse cropping systems for bioenergy feedstocks? Do you have underused or marginal land that could be used for woody biomass or grass mixtures? Have you calculated the inputs needed for biomass crops? Energy crops should produce more energy than they require to grow and process. How can you integrate sustainable energy into a whole-farm plan? (adapted from a climateandfarming.org fact sheet.)                 Top