William T. Hlubik, Agricultural Agent, Professor
Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station
Cooperative Extension of Middlesex County
1. Universities such as the Rutgers Cooperative Extension and many other government agencies are trying to find a crop which can be grown to produce energy on the farm. What are some of the many characteristics the appropriate species must contain both biologically and economically?
The biological and economic characteristics a crop must have to be used for on-farm energy production are; the ability of the entire plant to be processed into energy as opposed to just a portion, the capacity to be grown on marginal land to preserve prime land for food crops, have a low to no need of additional inputs such as water, fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides, etc. and the ability to be easily grown, harvested and processed using existing farm equipment and infrastructure. All these characteristics can be found in native plant species such as Switchgrass.
2. Farmer Brown used pelletized switchgrass he grew, harvested and processed on farm to heat his greenhouse in years X,Y and Z rather than natural gas. After going through his financial records for the past few years, he discovered that he saved money using pellets in years X and Z but spent more money in year Y. Why might this have been? Discuss possibilities either within his control on his farm, and not in his control outside his farm.
Some possibilities of why Farmer Brown lost money in year Y which were within his control could have been; he applied more inputs such as water and fertilizers when it was not necessary, he harvested his Switchgrass at the wrong time of the season or did not allow it to dry properly before baling which resulted in crop loss or equipment damage. A cause which may have occurred that was beyond his control was the price of natural gas dropped sharply in year Y, resulting in the cost of harvesting and processing his Switchgrass was higher than the price of natural gas.
Multiple Choice-
1. Farmers can easily process bioenergy crops on-farm by converting them to:
a. Pellets
b. Ethanol
c. Briquettes
d. Logs
2. Drying biofeedstock crops can easily be done:
a. In the field
b. In large, commercial driers
c. Not necessary
d. By the final purchaser
3. Switchgrass production will be viable if yields increase, and costs decrease by:
a. 10%
b. 20%
c. 30%
d. 40%
4. Each farm has their own unique challenges within the same region except for:
a. Equipment
b. Soil quality
c. Commodity prices
d. Field slope and elevation
5. Another source of combustion materials free to farmers to use on-farm is:
a. Corn
b. Waxed cardboard
c. Leaf mulch
d. Natural gas
6. All are future challenges to the feasibility of growing bioenergy crops except:
a. Disease and pest resistance
b. Decrease input costs
c. Increase yields
d. Increase public awareness
True/False-
1. It is usually more profitable for a farmer to grow crops for human consumption rather than energy due to the variations in the weather from year to year. – False
2. Switchgrass has a very shallow root system. – False
3. Switchgrass can out-compete many weed species. – True
4. Switchgrass is just as profitable as traditional food crops such as tomatoes and eggplant when grown in similar prime agricultural plots. – False
Fill in the Blank-
1. When harvesting switchgrass, it should contain,_______% moisture. (15%)
2. A group of farmers working together to share the costs of equipment, harvesting and processing, etc. is called a________. (Co-op)