Miscanthus

[paulthefarm]

Anyone able to shed light on the growing of Miscantus and ROI?

 

[robs1]

Anyone able to shed light on the growing of Miscantus and ROI?

Looked into it years ago, if you have an outlet for it that doesnt involve middle men then it's a good earner, several bits round here have been ripped up due to them not being able to sell it.
I expect with all the red tape and anti farming crap coming it might be a way of earning money from marginal land.

 

[paulthefarm]

Thanks for the reply, my question was raised due to a recent article where company is willing to plant the stuff and share part the carbon capture benefits.

 

[robs1]

Thanks for the reply, my question was raised due to a recent article where company is willing to plant the stuff and share part the carbon capture benefits.

Might be worth looking into but being a cynic I always am sceptical about these things, no harm in having discussions about it. Carbon capture could be better than farming the the world is going

 

[Clive]

Thanks for the reply, my question was raised due to a recent article where company is willing to plant the stuff and share part the carbon capture benefits.

if they burn it where is the capture ?

 

[steveR]

if they burn it where is the capture ?

Chop and bury/work it in?

 

[Clive]

Chop and bury/work it in?

mow chop spread would work maybe, leaving it yo the soil biology to consume

not sure about the “working in” bit though !

burning for power would be capturing nothing

 

[Deerefarmer]

Here (east coast us mid atlantic region) a major market is bedding for broiler barns. Renewable source of bedding vs wood shavings
Some is burned for bio gas too

Can't help the OP much tho but anything that requires government grants and subsidies to encourage people to grow it must have a pathetic ROI imo

 

[Luke Cropwalker]

Thanks for the reply, my question was raised due to a recent article where company is willing to plant the stuff and share part the carbon capture benefits.

Only 1 winner in that equation. The company trousers the majority of the cash and the farmer is left with miscanthus he has to farm forever, even if the financial return is rubbish. Might as well give them the land.

 

[steveR]

mow chop spread would work maybe, leaving it yo the soil biology to consume

not sure about the “working in” bit though !

burning for power would be capturing nothing

Think it would take the worms a while to work through a crop of miscanthus left on the floor....?

Best "crop" for building OM?

The question has come out from a discussion I have had locally where STW need to "stockpile" water on the land, as they are taking so much out from local boreholes, that the water flow has dropped in a specific water course. The chap organising the scheme seems to be a bit focused on glorified...

thefarmingforum.co.uk

Potentially a similiar type of end game...

 

[Forkdriver]

Very good game cover, probably it's best value.

 

[steveR]

Very good game cover, probably it's best value.

I wondered when looking at a great flat of the stuff last year, what game birds made of it! Presumable best in strips?

 

[Forkdriver]

I wondered when looking at a great flat of the stuff last year, what game birds made of it! Presumable best in strips?

Cut rides and open areas. Then you get to cut and sell it in spring. No inputs at all, and grows on rubbish land.

 

[wanton dwarf]

From what I understood when I looked into it, the money is in the selling of the Ryzomes.

According to this lot £2700+ per hectare.

Miscanthus rhizomes

Commercial orders of more than 10 000 rhizomes Rhizomes are delivered in bags of 10 000 rhizomes per bag. Prices are ex VAT. Rhizomes are produced in Taunton, Somerset. Transport costs are ex Taunt…

www.crops4energy.co.uk

 

[steveR]

From what I understood when I looked into it, the money is in the selling of the Ryzomes.

According to this lot £2700+ per hectare.

Miscanthus rhizomes

Commercial orders of more than 10 000 rhizomes Rhizomes are delivered in bags of 10 000 rhizomes per bag. Prices are ex VAT. Rhizomes are produced in Taunton, Somerset. Transport costs are ex Taunt…

www.crops4energy.co.uk

Bit like biomass willow in the early 90s then....

 

[Courier]

if they burn it where is the capture ?

The rhizomes sequester carbon .....

 

[DaveGrohl]

if they burn it where is the capture ?

Other that the CO2 taken out of the air by the crop do you mean?

 

[robs1]

mow chop spread would work maybe, leaving it yo the soil biology to consume

not sure about the “working in” bit though !

burning for power would be capturing nothing

Burning is the least valuable use of it, can be used for bedding and then returned to the soil, however it has many other uses, when I looked at it many years ago they had example of fast food containers made with it and a mix of potato starch, internal car body panels etc, in total I think there was around 100 different products made with it, in the new green world it should have a big future, especially on marginal land

 

[farmerfred86]

mow chop spread would work maybe, leaving it yo the soil biology to consume

not sure about the “working in” bit though !

burning for power would be capturing nothing

I was told it is a "miracle" crop because it removes more carbon that it gives off when burnt... https://www.miscanthus.co.nz/the-plant/miscanthus-a-carbon-negative-crop/

 

[steveR]

Burning is the least valuable use of it, can be used for bedding and then returned to the soil, however it has many other uses, when I looked at it many years ago they had example of fast food containers made with it and a mix of potato starch, internal car body panels etc, in total I think there was around 100 different products made with it, in the new green world it should have a big future, especially on marginal land

I remember the same statements, and even went on a day, where it was being touted as the new wonder crop. Mostly for power station usage, and that didn't end well....