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Need
Most farmers have excess land each year that is not used for crops and there is an abundance of "marginal” and/or fallow farmland available which is not suitable for the production of food.  Other types of suitable underutilized land also exist, such as power line rights-of-way and highway median strips.  The value of such land is often low and is often a monetary drain to the owner and is therefore sometimes sold for development. 

Solution
Switchgrass, or Panicum virgatum, is a species of prairie grass native to North America.  By planting this grass (or other warm-season grasses) either as a monoculture or as a mixture with other native prairie plants, and densifying such biomass into fuel, such farmland can become quite productive.  Switchgrass is easy to grow even with minimal or no fertilization or care.  A single planting of this perennial grass lasts many years and is not overly draining to the soil, especially when planted along with legumes which serve to fix nitrogen into the soil. 

Harvest
Switchgrass is typically harvested in the late fall or in late winter/early spring because it is then dormant and can be harvested without damaging the plants or disturbing wildlife.  A large benefit of late harvesting is that the grass is already dry and so it does not require expensive or energy intensive drying processes.  This late harvest also has the advantage of not interfering with a farmer’s normal summer and late summer workload.

There are many ways to harvest native prairie grasses and standard hay baling techniques may be used.  Another method for harvesting the grass is to use a flail chopper which then deposits the chopped grass into a self-unloading wagon.  The grass is then transported to whatever location is chosen for the densification process.  Either way, storage is an issue that must also be considered.  Any method of storage that will keep the grass dry enough to inhibit most mold growth, such as bale wrapping, tarps, silos and bunkers, can be used.

Result
A typical yield for switchgrass on either marginal farmland or in cooler climates is 4 tons per acre per year. This yield can potentially be in excess of 5 or 6 tons per acre given adequate fertilizer, good soil, a warm climate and/or a good growing season.  The current price of densified switchgrass-based fuel is about $125 - $175/ton* depending on location.  This equates to approximately $500 - $1050* gross income per acre per year depending on yield and fuel market conditions.  Considering that these perennial grasses need only be planted once and require minimal or even no fertilizer, the cost of growing a prairie as an energy crop is minimal meaning more of the gross income is profit.  We believe that grassland energy production can potentially be one of the most lucrative crops available.

Most landowners who produce grass-based fuel will also use it to heat their own homes as well as other farm structures or greenhouses.  This method of space and hot-water heating is very economical to begin with, and is even more so for the fuel producer himself.  It also has the added benefit of making a land owner more self-reliant when it comes to heating and hot water. 

One drawback to grass fuel over wood fuel, however, is that they have slightly different burn qualities which requires stoves/boilers that are designed to utilize them or special modifications to existing stoves/boilers. There are several manufacturers of multi-fuel biomass stoves and boilers and as grass fuel becomes more and more available, more stove manufacturers are marketing the ability to utilize grass fuel.  The ash content of the fuel can also be controlled somewhat by harvesting different grasses such as Big Bluestem and through harvesting at different times of the year.  Research into the ideal mixture for for various desirable properties such as yield, ash content, hardiness and habitat is ongoing.

Environmental Benefits
When burning switchgrass-based fuel, the greenhouse gas emissions are quite low.  When considering the entire process, in fact, the carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere may actually be negative.  Carbon dioxide released during the combustion of biomass fuel, such as switchgrass briquettes, is reclaimed into the process during the growth of the grass.  The plants involved return and store a significant amount of carbon back to the soil which has an overall effect of reducing greenhouse gasses in the Earth’s atmosphere while simultaneously building the soil quality.

Additionally, fields of switchgrass are an excellent habitat for birds and other wildlife, a habitat which is not adversely affected by the grasses’ late harvest when the grass is dormant and the wildlife has gone into hibernation or migrated away.  It provides forage and important nesting and hiding places for many native animals, as well as a hunting ground for birds of prey.

The ash produced by the burning of grass-based fuel can also be recycled by spreading it back onto the fields in place of lime. The process has no waste if managed correctly. The growing of switchgrass and the combustion of biomass fuel is truly a green energy source in more ways than one.

* Information based on estimate