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Pathfinding the Agronomics of Agricultural Biomass in Ontario
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Role of Partners
Agronomic – Field-scale – Farmer Experience
Agronomic – Research – Qualify & Quantify
Processing, Aggregations & Logistics
Steering Committee Chairs
Funding Partner
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Agenda
• Object of the Project
• Locations of Research Sites
• Crops and General Agronomics
• Establishment Practices and Approx. Costs
• End-Uses
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Project ReviewObjective
To explore the economic and agronomic feasibility of purpose-grown biomass as a potential new commercial crop in Ontario.
Process
1. Field-scale Agricultural Study and Assessment
2. Aggregator Pilot and Organizational Study
3. Economic and Nutrient Modeling
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Data Collection
• Establishment measurements
• Seeded grasses: density, biomass harvest weight
• Miscanthus: cut length, basal circumference, biomass harvest weight
• Winter survival
• Yields (in cooperation with grower)
• Moisture (fall and spring)
• Ground cover/weed pressure
• Grower surveys
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Research Sites
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Biomass Acreage2010 2011 Donated TOTAL
Miscanthus
Giganteus
Nagara
Illinois
Amuri
Switchgrass
Cave-in-Rock
Sunburst
Tecumseh
Forestburg
Native
Kanlow
Big Blustem
Prairie View
Native
Indian Grass
Native
Prairie Cordgrass
Native
Tall Grass Mixture
Native
Cave-in-Rock/Prairie View
304.3
67.8 0.0 0.0 67.8
35.8 35.8 120.0 191.5
35.0 0.0 0.0 35.0
0.0 10.0 0.0 10.0
255.2
108.6 46.0 62.4 217.0
3.9 0.0 0.0 3.9
0.0 6.0 0.0 6.0
0.0 5.0 0.0 5.0
2.3 20.0 0.0 22.3
0.0 1.0 0.0 1.0
34.3
2.0 0.0 0.0 2.0
17.3 15.0 0.0 32.3
27.8
27.8 0.0 0.0 27.8
10.0
0.0 10.0 0.0 10.0
130.1
25.0 94.0 9.6 128.6
1.5 0.0 0.0 1.5
326.8 242.8 192.0 761.5
Project Crop Composition
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Costs
Miscanthus (/ac) Establishment Item Switchgrass (/ac)
$100-$400 Land Rent $50-$200
$70-$140 Labour/Planting Equipment $20-$40
$600-$800 Plant Material/Seed $150
$50-$60 Herbicides $50-60
$820 - $1,400 YEAR ONE TOTALESTIMATES ONLY
$290 - $450
Mature (YR-3) Stand Yields: Miscanthus 6-12 dT/a Switchgrass 3-8 dT/a
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Combustion End-Uses
• home/district heating
• ave. family home will heat for 10T/yr (1-3 acres of crop)
• CoGen development: 20% replacement = 70% decrease in emissions
• pelleted = std model ($40/T)
• bale possible = specialized burner
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Feedstock End-Uses
Organic, “dust-free”, 2+x absorbency of wood chips.
Utilize 3 screen sizes of one cut/year: fine, medium, coarse, or pelleted.
• horse bedding (pellet)
• calving/fowling (coarse)
• small animal (fine)
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Alternative End-Uses
• Bioplastics
switchgrass bale - bioplastic resin pellet - injection mould
ex. Home Hardware Biobins, maple syrup buckets, chair seats, car parts
• Fiberboard
In development as “green” alternative/add-in for plywood
Dr. Amaar Mohanty, University of Guelph
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Producer-Identified Gaps
• field capacity and removal
• uniformity in feedstock
• variety testing
• marginal soils: where, when, why to plant?
• remediation for poor establishment
• weed control (nurse crops, establishment yrs)
Agronomy
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Producer-Identified Gaps
• storage cost, convenience and logistics
• high density bales?
• moving the right form of product (level of on-farm processing required)
• pellet mill die life
• feedstock handling (most effective)
Processing
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Producer-Identified Gaps
• opportunities in animal bedding (market/quality/value)
• bio-heat (densified vs. non-densified)
• cost durability, output of densified biomass
End-use
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Producer-Identified Gaps
• value for crop insurance
• establishment assistance or loan program
• crop insurance on cover crop
• define environmental benefits for buy-in/value
Policy
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COMING SOON
2012 Ontario Regional Biomass ToursSept 17-25, 2012 | biomass.cloverpad.org
Similar in design to 2011 Regional Tours, 2012 tours will be targeted to farmers and general public with more handouts and end-use information
Preliminary Project Report
• Preliminary project information will be available after harvest (March-April 2012) on yields, economics of establishment, BMPs for planting/managing in establishment
•Economic Analysis will be released at Growing the Margins conference (March 5-7)
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Nick Betts
Outreach Coordinator
Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association
1 Stone Road West | Guelph, Ontario | N1G 4Y2
519.826.4219