On Marginal Land, These Grasses May Be Greener
by Kristofor Husted (KBIA) In the parched, rolling hills of western Missouri, you might expect to see a desolate scene after this summer’s drought. But in this field, hip-high native grass sways across the landscape like seaweed in the ocean.
Wayne Vassar is growing these native plants for biofuel.
“They’ve had corn or soy on (this land) in the past,” he said, “and what’s happened was when you have these kinds of slope it erodes pretty rapidly and you lose a lot of your fertility as the top soil goes down the hill.”
Farmland experts call this kind of land “marginal land.” The hills make it difficult for the soil to hold onto the topsoil nutrients. And along the rivers and other flood plains, frequent flooding can deprive plants the oxygen they need to survive. It all adds up to an estimated 116 million acres in the central U.S.
Land like this might only produce a profitable harvest with traditional crops, like corn or soybeans, once or twice every five years. That’s quite a financial risk for farmers. So how can farmers avoid that risk factor and make sure such soils provide a consistent economic return?
… “We estimate that based on the current level of productivity, if you convert 10 percent of the marginal land along the Mississippi River, we can produce up to 6-8 billion gallons of advanced biofuels from this corridor alone,” (Shibu) Jose said. “And that would be about a third of the advanced biofuel target that we have as a country.”
Vassar said interest in growing biomass is building among land owners – especially in light of the drought. Indeed, the USDA’s biomass program has a waiting list of farmers ready to jump on board. READ MORE lISTEN to Interview WATCH VIDEO
