Farmers will follow harvest recommendations

 “How can you ensure farmers are harvesting a responsible amount of biomass?”

That question has popped up a couple times when discussing our soil data showing that POET’s removal rates (about 1 ton/acre) are consistent with good farm management. Some people are concerned that farmers won’t leave enough biomass on the ground when they know they could get paid for it.

We’re confident that won’t happen. Fields around Emmetsburg will maintain appropriate cover after the biomass harvest, as illustrated in the photo above.

First, the POET people in Emmetsburg know these farmers and work with them. If a farmer has 1,000 acres, he or she won’t have a contract that calls for 3,000 tons of biomass. The contract reflects a responsible amount of corn cobs, leaves, husks, and some stalk, and it leaves room to account for unforeseen problems with yield or available acres.

Second, POET Biomass team members in Emmetsburg drive the country roads and visit participating farmers to check out how things are going. This fall, they helped fine tune harvest operations to clear up some early misunderstandings. Check out a summary of their work in this presentation.

Third, stover is not the primary cash crop for these farmers, and they won’t jeopardize soil health for extra bales. The farmers have been cautious moving forward with biomass harvesting for the same reasons POET has been cautious: This won’t work if it’s not done sustainably.

We commissioned Iowa State and USDA to gather soil data because the farmers need that information. We’re not forcing it on them; they’ve asked for it. 

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BCAP's Unspoken Benefits

With the future of the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) up in the air due to federal budget discussions, I thought I'd point out the benefits we've seen thus far in our work on Project LIBERTY.

1) Producer Participation/Assistance/Incentive - The biggest impact that BCAP has provided is for producer incentive and assistance with getting started. The early adopters that we are working with have made a bold step in choosing to collect biomass. With no other commercial facility in the country to point to where biomass is being delivered, many farmers ask why they should do this and what their incentive is to do so. BCAP has offered financial backing to help assist producers in investing in new equipment and creating an incentive to be part of the next scope change to modern farming.

2) Rural Economic Boost - As producers have invested in new equipment and looked for additional help, the money they spend is going directly to rural communities. In Emmetsburg, people are starting up new businesses to serve the farmers in their new endeavor. In the tough economic conditions our country faces, this can make a big impact.

3) Project Growth/Stability - BCAP provides a project like ours the ability to role out a biomass collection program with more financial stability. The support funding helps limit a project's financial exposure and/or allows for project growth/expansion in the early years. In the case of LIBERTY, we have been able to spread to more farmers and actively work with them to show them how biomass collection will benefit them.

4) Environmental Re-focus - Part of the BCAP program is performing a Conservation Plan. Many of the items included in this plan are already being done by farmers today. This has provided an opportunity for the producers to re-look at how they manage their land and make sure they are performing the best practices to help them be both productive and sustainable.

5) Farm Operation Expansion/Diversity - By participating in biomass collection and BCAP, producers are expanding their operations and creating more diversity. In some instances, this has opened the door to allow another person into the operation that may not have had the opportunity or space to support them without such a program. Programs like this offer the chance for more of our farm youth to come back to the farm.

As one can see by the list above, BCAP is having many positive impacts to the producers enrolled in BCAP, the Biomass Conversion Facility supporting BCAP, and the community in which the project is being established. Further support of BCAP should continue as it will create a pathway to help establish Second-Generation Biofuels and Re-powering.