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style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffff00" size=7>Policy and
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<DIV><BR><FONT size=6><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">In Washington,</SPAN>
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size=6>the popularity of the USDA's Biomass Crop Assistance Program has soared,
with the number of qualifying facilities now exceeding 280</FONT></A><FONT
size=6>. 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.</FONT></DIV></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial>Conservationist,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial> I believe
the time has come here in Missouri to begin a very strategic plan</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial>on how we can become not only serious players in
the biomass industry, but how can</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial>we improve wildlife habitat at the same time. I
will emphatically state there is</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial>known scientific evidence that will validate this
claim--especially all CRP lands that</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial>currently--and maybe futuristically--are enrolled
in a plant material--like fescue and </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial>brome--that has very little
environmental benefits. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial> In order to move an idea
forward there has to be action. And there is no action</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial>until there is movement. My passion and cause for
our state is to add wildlife,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial>environmental and green energy benefits for
Northern Missouri. How do we add</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial>value to an economically depressed area? Firstly,
like a Doctor's oath of promise </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial>for receiving his degree: "Never to do Harm."
We need to emulate nature's blueprint</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial>and follow a path of least resistance. It is
always more difficult to bend mother</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial>nature to our wants, than it is to assimilate to an
ideology</FONT> <FONT size=5 face=Arial>that heeds to bending</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial>with her.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial> One known truth
evident here in N. Missouri is that we can grow native grass
and</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial>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</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial>rebuilding CRP with an ecologically sound plant
material that will boost biodiversity </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial>and reviving rural economies. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial> Please do not take my word
for any of this, use the science at hand. There</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial>are entrepreneurs willing and hoping for such an
opportunity. Does anyone </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial>out there have any suggestions on where or how to
begin this endeavor? We have </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial>nearly 1.5 million acres of CRP here in
Missouri. One plan could be that once</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial>the re-established CRP acres of any single tract of
ground was deemed ready</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial>to be engaged into a regime of
biomass/wildlife management rotation, one forth to one</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial>third of the tract would be allowed to be harvested
in the months of October</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial>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</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial>harvested--rather it be one third to one
forth--would be eligible for a late spring burn </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial>to encourage both forb growth and grass
development. When there is plenty of</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial>thatch build-up, there are less forbs that will
have vigorous growth. We have</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial>experienced this fact in our production fields. It
works like this. Plants store starches</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial>and sugars in their roots systems. In early spring,
if there is a canopy of thatch which</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial>creates enormous shade, when the emerging plant
sends it first two basal leaves </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial>for light scouting, perennial and long lived native
plants will not take the risk of</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial>expending large amounts of root reserves to
overtake the canopy--just too risky. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial> There are many possibilities
that could be worked out. Currently, though, I believe</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial>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</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial>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.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial> 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 </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial>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 </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=5 face=Arial>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</FONT></DIV>
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