Ontario Fieldscale Agricultural Biomass Update

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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

Agenda

• Object of the Project

• Locations of Research Sites

• Crops and General Agronomics

• Establishment Practices and Approx. Costs

• End-Uses

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

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

Research Sites

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

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

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

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)

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

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

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

Producer-Identified Gaps

• opportunities in animal bedding (market/quality/value)

• bio-heat (densified vs. non-densified)

• cost durability, output of densified biomass

End-use

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

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

[email protected]