Could This Be the Farm of the Future?

Business News/Analysis, Opinions, R & D Focus, Small scale biorefineries, Sustainability

May 25, 2011

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by Tom Quaife (Dairy Herd Network) “Pretty amazing,” commented one man standing next to a demonstration model at the Alltech International Animal Health and Nutrition Symposium this week in Lexington, Ky.
The large-scale model, measuring approximately 4 feet by 4 feet, showed a farm with a cellulose biorefinery, a solid-state fermentor, algae fields, an aquaculture center, wind turbines, solar panels, as well as traditional crops and livestock — all designed to work together to produce feed and fuel. Find out more.
And, cellulosic sources of fuel, such as corn cobs and switchgrass, wouldn’t compete against the feed supply like corn-based ethanol does.
…(C)arbon dioxide from the fermentor could be used to help grow the algae. The algae, in turn, could be used as a feed source for livestock.
The take-home message at this week’s Symposium was that agricultural systems will have to become more sustainable — economically, environmentally and socially — in order to feed 9 billion people in the world by the year 2050. READ MORE Watch animated VIDEO

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