Today, it is an experiement, & does not produce more energy per gallon than you use to get there.
It has the _potential_ to produce more ethanol per acre than corn grain does, but that is only a theory today. It is not actual.
They need to come up with better enzymes to make it work more efficiently & more completely.
They feel 5-10 years it should be a _real_ thing with switch grass.
Note that corn stover (leaves, stalks, cobs) can also be used to produce ethanol, if we develop the right enzymes. Then we come back to a lot more ethanol per acre from corn, if we ferment both the grain & the stover.
Several farm magazines have had reports about the infant state of switch grass.
It appears it grows (well yields...) much better in southern USA, so little help to me here in MN.
It is very, very miserable to harvest - this has been a universal statement. No using the beat up old NH square baler to come up with the millions of tons of this stuff needed to fuel a plant. Seems a regular sized plant would need a semi load of switchgrass every 7 minutes 'round the clock. That is a _lot_ of volume....
It is like a summer grass - very hard to establish, miserable actually to get it to grow. Once established tho it is then very persistant.
I like all the media reports that talk about switch grass as if it were a real thing today. It's all theory today, but they hope to get there in a decade or so.
Likewise the sugar cane - Brazil has a lot of rainforest that doesn't treat regular crops very well - disease & fungus & such - but is _perfect_ for growing high-yield sugar cane, so naturally they are way ahead on that - it works there.
Corn is what works in the USA. In a few years, bio-mass from cornstalks, rice, wood waste, and switch grass might work even better.
We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]
Today's Featured Article - Hydraulics - Cylinder Anatomy - by Curtis von Fange. Let’s make one more addition to our series on hydraulics. I’ve noticed a few questions in the comment section that could pertain to hydraulic cylinders so I thought we could take a short look at this real workhorse of the circuit. Cylinders are the reason for the hydraulic circuit. They take the fluid power delivered from the pump and magically change it into mechanical power. There are many types of cylinders that one might run across on a farm scenario. Each one could take a chapter in
... [Read Article]
Latest Ad:
1964 I-H 140 tractor with cultivators and sidedresser. Starts and runs good. Asking 2650. CALL RON AT 502-319-1952
[More Ads]
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy
TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.
