[Carpenter Prairie Discussion] biomass

Tue Feb 2 11:03:40 CST 2010

Dr. David Tilman is the most cited scientist regarding this subject and from all of the information I have been able to gather probably not biased or influenced by the various interest groups.  I am including a science article on this subject.  The other factor that should be considered are the annual input costs, the maintenance costs, establishment costs and the long term cost to our environment.  How many invasive species do we need to experiment with before we figure out that maybe nature and God had it figured out with our prairie.
 I recently attended a two day seminar on alternative bio fuels at the University of Illinois that ended up being a big promotional campaign for Miscanthus.  The establishment costs were cited as being $3000.00/ acre, and no real data on the total life cycle costs.   Yields of 40tons per acre were being tossed around but again no real long term data to provide total  life cycle costs. I just completed a 70 acre planting of 6 different grasses and 25 forbs on my Putnam county farm and this will cost 10% of this Miscanthus figure and require very little in the way of additional input or maintenance cost in the future.  An occasional cutting in the early stages of development to prevent weed competition and a burn or grazing interruption once established.
I believe the proven attributes of a bio diverse prairie must be considered in this new movement towards more invasive species to degrade our remaining marginal lands and eliminate more wildlife habitat.  The CO2 sequestering capability of prairie grasses are getting studied and have been cited by the University of Minnesota after 20 years of studies.  Their ability to store and filter water are also getting real scientific research and not just biased promotional advertisement.  Our soil erosion problem in Missouri is one of the worst in the country and could be helped significantly by a prairie root system that can be 15 ft deep and not only prevent soil erosion but provide some of the most fertile soil in the nation.  These attributes all have a real $ value and should be identified and quantified.  Lets all get more informed on this subject, especially those responsible for the direction we take in this exciting new field of alternative energies.

Rudi Roeslein
CEO
Roeslein & Associates, Inc.
9200 Watson Road, Suite 200
St. Louis, MO  63126  USA
[cid:image001.gif at 01CAA3F4.649B0870]
Main: +1 314 729 0055 x8807
Direct: +1 314 270-8807
Mobile: +1 314 280-3762
Fax: +1 314 729 0070

E-mail: rroeslein at roeslein.com<mailto:jhart at roeslein.com>
www.roeslein.com<http://www.roeslein.com/>
www.imt-mfg.com<http://www.imt-mfg.com/>

From: Scott Woodbury [mailto:Scott.Woodbury at mobot.org]
Sent: Tuesday, December 15, 2009 8:32 AM
To: Hamilton Native Outpost; Frank Oberle; Rudi Roeslein; Carol Davit; Kevin Carpenter; Jon Wingo
Cc: Ben Duffield; Amy Buechler; Mervin Wallace; John Hoskins; John Burk; John Knudsen; Steve Mowry; David Erickson; Denny Donnell; Wayne Morton; George Seek; Kelly Srigley Werner; Linda Tossing; Alan Leary; Ted Cooper; Susan Hazelwood; Mike Currier; Steve Heyling; Andrew Forbes; James Trager; Tim Barksdale; Tim Reinbott; phil wire; DeeCee Darrow; John Murphy; Dave Murphy; Bill Bergh; Bill McGuire; Dwaine Gelnar; Allen Powell; JR Flores; Eddie Hamill; Gene Gardner; Tim Banek; Darlene Johnson; Karen Brinkman; Brent Jamison; Keith Jackson; Aaron Jeffries; Jean Herman; Steve Bruckerhoff; Steve Flick; Jerry Kaiser; Ken Struemph; staceyg at missouri.edu
Subject: RE: biomass

This sounds great as long as long as landowners opt for a diverse planting in CRP. Right now the research on biomass is showing that sterile hybrid miscanthus yields 2-3 times as much biomass as native switchgrass, and therefore could bring in more money. That's comparing a pure stand of switchgrass to a pure stand of miscanthus. Now days' CRP isn't a pure stand of switchgrass. My fear is that landowners will drop CRP when they see that they can make more money growing miscanthus? Of course this can't happen until Miscanthus production becomes mechanized. Please tell me otherwise. I don't like the idea of miscanthus replacing CRP.

Scott

________________________________
From: Hamilton Native Outpost [mailto:hamilton at train.missouri.org]
Sent: Monday, December 14, 2009 1:56 PM
To: 'Frank Oberle'; 'Rudi Roeslein'; 'Carol Davit'; 'Kevin Carpenter'; 'Jon Wingo'
Cc: 'Ben Duffield'; 'Amy Buechler'; 'Mervin Wallace'; 'John Hoskins'; 'John Burk'; 'John Knudsen'; 'Steve Mowry'; 'David Erickson'; 'Denny Donnell'; 'Wayne Morton'; 'George Seek'; 'Kelly Srigley Werner'; 'Linda Tossing'; 'Alan Leary'; 'Ted Cooper'; 'Susan Hazelwood'; 'Mike Currier'; 'Steve Heyling'; 'Andrew Forbes'; James Trager; Scott Woodbury; 'Tim Barksdale'; 'Tim Reinbott'; 'phil wire'; 'DeeCee Darrow'; 'John Murphy'; 'Dave Murphy'; 'Bill Bergh'; 'Bill McGuire'; 'Dwaine Gelnar'; 'Allen Powell'; 'JR Flores'; 'Eddie Hamill'; 'Gene Gardner'; 'Tim Banek'; 'Darlene Johnson'; 'Karen Brinkman'; 'Brent Jamison'; 'Keith Jackson'; 'Aaron Jeffries'; 'Jean Herman'; 'Steve Bruckerhoff'; 'Steve Flick'; 'Jerry Kaiser'; 'Ken Struemph'; staceyg at missouri.edu
Subject: RE: biomass

CRP as we have known it in the past may have been a fescue field or a rank stand of native grasses with little diversity.  Conservation is ready to step up to the next level and create rare and declining habitat.  To marry biofuels with wildlife conservation has the added benefit of bringing disturbance into the picture.  Disturbance is important to grasslands; fire, herbivores, and climatic extremes once acted as disturbance factors.  The use of the mowing on the biofuel ¼ or 1/3 would be a forn of disturbance as would the burning on another ¼ or 1/3.  Some of the grassland wildlife is even dependent on this disturbance.  I think this has lots of potential.

Amy Hamilton
Hamilton Native Outpost

________________________________
From: Frank Oberle [mailto:foberle at nemr.net]
Sent: Thursday, December 10, 2009 2:00 PM
To: Rudi Roeslein; Carol Davit; Kevin Carpenter; Jon Wingo
Cc: Ben Duffield; Amy Hamilton; Amy Buechler; Mervin Wallace; John Hoskins; John Burk; John Knudsen; Steve Mowry; Amy Buechler; David Erickson; Denny Donnell; Wayne Morton; George Seek; John Burk; Kelly Srigley Werner; Linda Tossing; Steve Mowry; Alan Leary; Ted Cooper; Susan Hazelwood; Mike Currier; Steve Heyling; Andrew Forbes; James Trager; Scott Woodbury; Tim Barksdale; Tim Reinbott; phil wire; DeeCee Darrow; John Murphy; Dave Murphy; Bill Bergh; Bill McGuire; Dwaine Gelnar; Allen Powell; JR Flores; Eddie Hamill; Dwaine Gelnar; Gene Gardner; Tim Banek; Darlene Johnson; Karen Brinkman; Brent Jamison; Keith Jackson; Aaron Jeffries; Jean Herman; Steve Bruckerhoff; Steve Flick; Jerry Kaiser; Ken Struemph; Andrew Forbes; staceyg at missouri.edu
Subject: Fw: biomass

Policy and Policymakers

In Washington, the popularity of the USDA's Biomass Crop Assistance Program has soared, with the number of qualifying facilities now exceeding 280<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102878250501&s=2761&e=001GCQRvDWWio9VqdgKxH5ka5XkUUSUmFWBbXSArjKjhTtaDOpWohH_PRRKv98bxvAubhTlGoXmbGveN7sRWa6GEz4ju1VmK5fz7-OqpEpiZsRNmEHUh-ZPKMJQ_9Lmsi62vUvUvzcSOTrOW1QTo1XQ0tfM52QbPr-asoVf5UQ5iEb8wjfsZ3fSYNt0wbMkB-ANWdUk6lb7IMctDHv-k97r1T8NzZddbx0Uo1mq8IRZa-emZtr0p6VBCbXhd-zPjLC9>. The Biomass Crop Assistance Program assists agricultural and forest land owners and operators with matching payments for the amount paid for the collection, harvest, storage and transportation of eligible material by a qualified Biomass Conversion Facility.

Conservationist,
       I believe the time has come here in Missouri to begin a very strategic plan
on how we can become not only serious players in the biomass industry, but how can
we improve wildlife habitat at the same time. I will emphatically state there is
known scientific evidence that will validate this claim--especially all CRP lands that
currently--and maybe futuristically--are enrolled in a plant material--like fescue and
brome--that has very little environmental benefits.
     In order to move an idea forward there has to be action. And there is no action
until there is movement. My passion and cause for our state is to add wildlife,
environmental and green energy benefits for Northern Missouri. How do we add
value to an economically depressed area? Firstly, like a Doctor's oath of promise
for receiving his degree: "Never to do Harm."  We need to emulate nature's blueprint
and follow a path of least resistance. It is always more difficult to bend mother
nature to our wants, than it is to assimilate to an ideology that heeds to bending
with her.
      One known truth evident here in N. Missouri is that we can grow native grass and
broadleaf legumes. Cellulosic's greatest asset is that indigenous plant material suited to the soil and climate adds to the success of the project. We have the potential of
rebuilding CRP with an ecologically sound plant material that will boost biodiversity
and reviving rural economies.
     Please do not take my word for any of this, use the science at hand. There
are entrepreneurs willing and hoping for such an opportunity. Does anyone
out there have any suggestions on where or how to begin this endeavor? We have
nearly 1.5 million acres of CRP here in Missouri. One plan could be that once
the re-established CRP acres of any single tract of ground was deemed ready
to be engaged into a regime of biomass/wildlife management rotation, one forth to one
third of the tract would be allowed to be harvested in the months of October
through January. There would be no rental penalty for the landowner to pay if the plant material was used in some biomass project. The next designated portion to be
harvested--rather it be one third to one forth--would be eligible for a late spring burn
to encourage both forb growth and grass development. When there is plenty of
thatch build-up, there are less forbs that will have vigorous growth. We have
experienced this fact in our production fields. It works like this. Plants store starches
and sugars in their roots systems. In early spring, if there is a canopy of thatch which
creates enormous shade, when the emerging plant sends it first two basal leaves
for light scouting, perennial and long lived native plants will not take the risk of
expending large amounts of root reserves to overtake the canopy--just too risky.
    There are many possibilities that could be worked out. Currently, though, I believe
we could be passing on a great opportunity to rebuild our landscape to a vegetation that is suited to attract and sustain our rare and declining wildlife, but too, the biomass entrepreneurs. It also would be good for pollinators, producers and weaning our
nation's dependency on imported fossil fuels. I'm not saying the above is the perfect set of blueprints for a run away success story, however, I can say with wisdom and discernment that CRP could use a make-over that gives the customer--our hard working American taxpayers--real dividends for their investment.
     In the beginning of the Conservation Reserve Program, the goals of preventing soil erosion and cleaning up our streams was an industrious and very successful
conservation accomplishment. We have progressed immensely in the field of understanding and implementing native plant communities and the adverse affects of toxic and invasive fescue. The research going on at NRCS's Plant Material Center and
MU's Bradford Farm will yield much to the enhancement of a myriad of wildlife and biomass concerns. Thanks to all those partners supporting these exigencies.   fo

********************************************************************************************************************************************************************

The information transmitted (including attachments) is
covered by the Electronic Communications Privacy Act,
18 U.S.C. 2510-2521, is intended only for the person(s) or
entity/entities to which it is addressed and might contain
confidential and/or privileged material. Any review,
retransmission, dissemination or other use of, or taking
of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons
or entities other than the intended recipient(s) is prohibited.
If you received this in error, please contact the sender and
delete the material from any computer.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://www.seaplace.org/pipermail/carpenter/attachments/20100202/01625421/attachment-0001.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.gif
Type: image/gif
Size: 13365 bytes
Desc: image001.gif
URL: <http://www.seaplace.org/pipermail/carpenter/attachments/20100202/01625421/attachment-0001.gif>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: science1044.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 377704 bytes
Desc: science1044.pdf
URL: <http://www.seaplace.org/pipermail/carpenter/attachments/20100202/01625421/attachment-0001.pdf>