The conflict of growing crops for biomass or food.

Pilatus

Member
Location
cotswolds
The looming world tight supply of cereals/ maize(corn), makes me question the growing of crops , worldwide, for biomass to feed AD facilities , versus using the same amount of ha’s to grow cereals for human /animal consumption.
Worldwide I wonder how many ha’s of biomass crops are grown to feed AD facilities.If those ha’s were growing combinable cereals , worldwide,would it make any significant difference to the situation that the tight worldwide grain supplies are heading towards, by the end of this year?
 

toquark

Member
Don't disagree, but it could be argued that the energy crisis/inflation is just as severe as food price inflation, so by cutting production of AD and bioethanol, we could exacerbate that end of the problem.

We (society) need to accept that the current inflation is down to rubbish monetary policy over the last 20 or so years which has led to much more money chasing the same amount of produce. Tinkering around the edges of food and fuel production is unlikely to make much of a difference in my opinion.
 
I don't really see any food shortages yet. Plenty, even on here, trying to talk grain prices down.....
Crack on with biomass, plant trees, even re wild large areas. Let's plant less food, and drive prices into the 21st century where they belong.
I’ll let you plant the trees and rewild, I’m keeping my bit of land productive.

This time next year Rodney 😂😂😂
 
I don't really see any food shortages yet. Plenty, even on here, trying to talk grain prices down.....
Crack on with biomass, plant trees, even re wild large areas. Let's plant less food, and drive prices into the 21st century where they belong.
All that will happen locally is a little less choice and price increases on the "staples", which will be very difficult for those with constrained incomes - Worldwide there will certainly be more areas of catastrophic shortage than there already are...
 

Little squeak

Member
Location
Lancashire
AD crops have been very profitable here for a number of years . Maize, Rye, Beet .
The rest is feed wheat and feed barley that goes to feed chickens mostly . What do you propose we grow as break crops, and why should I be dictated to grow food if it doesn’t pay the rent
do you think they actually produce as much energy as they consume? (genuine question) I thought the only reason AD crops are grown is because they are so subsidied and a percentage has to be added to fossil fuels in a merry go round of what I would call insanity
 

glasshouse

Member
Location
lothians
AD crops have been very profitable here for a number of years . Maize, Rye, Beet .
The rest is feed wheat and feed barley that goes to feed chickens mostly . What do you propose we grow as break crops, and why should I be dictated to grow food if it doesn’t pay the rent
You will have to do as govt directs
 
France prohibits the use of food crops in biomass quite rightly


Given that most food waste - via human bottoms - gets dumped in the Sea, I don't agree at all.

AD is recycling in action, pure and simple. It also processes waste that would otherwise be dumped. The waste from the AD is fertiliser which can be used to grow more food or Biomass. It's a fantastic resource IMHO.

Shame the "Government" don't have their head shoved firmly up their backsides - Government Policy is cretinous.
 
If the government directs then they'll have to put money behind it. From what I've seen of Westminster the complete opposite is happening.

Westminster more likely to buy food off the Chinese rather than invest in the UK.
Except the Chinese have their own to feed which is why they are buying Agricultural land anywhere worldwide which will sell it to them....
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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