Florida Feedstocks for Florida Biofuels Workshop
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel) …The potential for energy crops in the state was one of the topics at the recent Florida Farm to Fuel Summit. One of the presenters was Bill Vasden Jr., Chairman of the Florida Feedstock Growers Association. …“We’ve been growing feedstock crops like camelina and kenaf here in Florida for four years,” he says. As a cattle and citrus farmer, he started growing energy crops to help cut his on-farm diesel costs. “Later it became apparent that a lot of these crops can be grown here in Florida, with additional revenue streams.” They now have 2500 acres in kenaf, which is a spring biomass crop, then in the fall they rotate into camelina, which is an oilseed crop. READ MORE Download Presentation
In his presentation, Bill Vasden describes the beneficial characteristics of Florida for integrating energy crop cultivation with cattle grazing. He provides photos and graphs of the crops and the process. Results of a survey of 500 Florida farmers are included, showing substantial interest in learning more about growing energy crops for on-farm use or market. One photo shows kenaf used as absorbent barriers to protect beaches from oil spill pollution.
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