The conflict of growing crops for biomass or food.

Except the Chinese have their own to feed which is why they are buying Agricultural land anywhere worldwide which will sell it to them....


As I understand it, the Chinese bought food big last year and supposedly have large stocks - although I cannot currently find the news report.
 

Pilatus

Member
Location
cotswolds
Slightly off topic.
I do not know anything about the growing or economics of Biomass. How do AD plant owners pay for the biomass that is being grown on land that they don’t own/rent.
Do they pay so much a ha to landowners as rent,for the use of the land to grow it or how do they go about paying for the biomass, and does the price of biomass follow the price of cereals per tonne,which means each trailer load of biomass has to go over a weigh bridge?
 

kiwi pom

Member
Location
canterbury NZ
Yes its stupid to use good food producing land to make energy, we already have other ways of doing that, nuclear should be the first option until renewables and grid storage mean we can move away from it.
Nuclear is tricky for the politicians though so they throw money at things like AD plants and burning biomass at power stations which makes it profitable for the land owner compared to producing food and hopefully gets votes for the politicians.
How you use land for the thing its best suited and make it the most profitable for the landowner is a problem no one has solved yet.
 

DRC

Member
Slightly off topic.
I do not know anything about the growing or economics of Biomass. How do AD plant owners pay for the biomass that is being grown on land that they don’t own/rent.
Do they pay so much a ha to landowners as rent,for the use of the land to grow it or how do they go about paying for the biomass, and does the price of biomass follow the price of cereals per tonne,which means each trailer load of biomass has to go over a weigh bridge?
They all have a weighbridge, but can be any or all of the above . Even £ per ton of Dry matter
 

JockCroft

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
JanDeGrootLand
Is there really going to be a shortage of food?
In the UK at least when prices rise significantly, consumer will buy less quantity and waste less. May not have what they want, when they want it , but genuine hunger of the masses. Surely not.

Unless our national distribution is seriously disrupted by shipping rail and road strikes. Now that could be the trigger point.
Continental Europe , North America and probably over half the worlds population are in area's where there is food self sufficiency.
The problems for what some would call less developed regions is how can they afford to pay for imports. If they don't have adequate food then it is likely that many will try to travel to areas where there is food. Hunger is a powerful driver. Masses could travel quickly across a country taking what they want.
they could be much more difficult adversary's than Putins Army.

Scarcity will be controlled by the Laws of supply and demand.

I personally wont be increasing expensive inputs or production.

It would be very easy to be like many industries at present and be selling produce at less than cost of production.

Interesting couple of years to come.
 
Is there really going to be a shortage of food?
In the UK at least when prices rise significantly, consumer will buy less quantity and waste less. May not have what they want, when they want it , but genuine hunger of the masses. Surely not.

Unless our national distribution is seriously disrupted by shipping rail and road strikes. Now that could be the trigger point.
Continental Europe , North America and probably over half the worlds population are in area's where there is food self sufficiency.
The problems for what some would call less developed regions is how can they afford to pay for imports. If they don't have adequate food then it is likely that many will try to travel to areas where there is food. Hunger is a powerful driver. Masses could travel quickly across a country taking what they want.
they could be much more difficult adversary's than Putins Army.

Scarcity will be controlled by the Laws of supply and demand.

I personally wont be increasing expensive inputs or production.

It would be very easy to be like many industries at present and be selling produce at less than cost of production.

Interesting couple of years to come.
I’d say you’re pretty much on the mark, there will not be starvation for the masses, we are a relatively wealthy country food prices will rise which won’t be popular for many but it will only be the poorest in society that will face real hardship.

Rising costs of inputs and hence food will cause bigger problems elsewhere in the world with the consequences that brings
 

JD-Kid

Member
Yes its stupid to use good food producing land to make energy, we already have other ways of doing that, nuclear should be the first option until renewables and grid storage mean we can move away from it.
Nuclear is tricky for the politicians though so they throw money at things like AD plants and burning biomass at power stations which makes it profitable for the land owner compared to producing food and hopefully gets votes for the politicians.
How you use land for the thing its best suited and make it the most profitable for the landowner is a problem no one has solved yet.
yea see in the climate thing the govt pushing wood chip boilers think the dairy co's heading that way and the Canterbury DHB using work chip
ummmmmm fuel to cut the trees down drag out mulch cart to boilers and the carbon released from burning ummmm did they really think that one though fully
can't recall were I read it but think it's around 50% of food grown is wasted out of spec rots or damaged

myself I cant work out for the life of me how nz will charge all the EV we are ment to have on the roads in a few years time way behind the times on using $hit and waste products to make power over here in my view
 

kiwi pom

Member
Location
canterbury NZ
yea see in the climate thing the govt pushing wood chip boilers think the dairy co's heading that way and the Canterbury DHB using work chip
ummmmmm fuel to cut the trees down drag out mulch cart to boilers and the carbon released from burning ummmm did they really think that one though fully
can't recall were I read it but think it's around 50% of food grown is wasted out of spec rots or damaged

myself I cant work out for the life of me how nz will charge all the EV we are ment to have on the roads in a few years time way behind the times on using $hit and waste products to make power over here in my view
Yep they've been pushing Fonterra to move away from coal for years. Fonterra's done the sums and it doesn't make sense but the government is determined to stop burning coal, which is a good thing but swapping it for chips isn't really going to help that much when you think about what's involved.
The North Island really needs a nuclear plant, then we'll have no problem charging all these cars but mention the N word to a Kiwi and they get all hostile. :oops:
I believe there's a company near Waimate that wants to build a power from waste plant but the locals don't want it.
It all just proves that the politicians - even the greens - don't really care about the planet, they just want to look good and get re-elected.
 

JD-Kid

Member
Yep they've been pushing Fonterra to move away from coal for years. Fonterra's done the sums and it doesn't make sense but the government is determined to stop burning coal, which is a good thing but swapping it for chips isn't really going to help that much when you think about what's involved.
The North Island really needs a nuclear plant, then we'll have no problem charging all these cars but mention the N word to a Kiwi and they get all hostile. :oops:
I believe there's a company near Waimate that wants to build a power from waste plant but the locals don't want it.
It all just proves that the politicians - even the greens - don't really care about the planet, they just want to look good and get re-elected.
yea it looks good on paper burning chips and I suppose yer can say it's renewable as the trees grow again just the oil tossed in each time to harvest them
know alot of places like Akaroa etc working on new waste plants but why they dont look harder at using a digester and have power from it is beyond me the slurry could be spread on carbon trees or chipping trees. if people worryed about the sludge
the locals in most areas dont want dams wind farms or solar farms be a long cold winter when the power overloads charging all the EV cars
thing is if hydrogen fuel cells ramp up thats going to drop the power demand but im sure there is not a free lunch there eather even more walking sure people fitter but wear out hip and knee joints no free lunch there
 

Farmer Roy

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
NSW, Newstralya
Meh, as a farmer I don’t grow “food” as such. I grow crops that are best suited to my land / environment / rotations & ultimately, what is most profitable for MY business.

so, in relation to food, my main summer crop this year is going to be cotton. At least 30 %, maybe up to over 50% of my total land area.

My grandfather & great uncle grew a lot of fine wool back in the day

I’m not here to “feed the world”
 

digger64

Member
Yes its stupid to use good food producing land to make energy, we already have other ways of doing that, nuclear should be the first option until renewables and grid storage mean we can move away from it.
Nuclear is tricky for the politicians though so they throw money at things like AD plants and burning biomass at power stations which makes it profitable for the land owner compared to producing food and hopefully gets votes for the politicians.
How you use land for the thing its best suited and make it the most profitable for the landowner is a problem no one has solved yet.
stop interfering with it usually solves that problem
 
Yep they've been pushing Fonterra to move away from coal for years. Fonterra's done the sums and it doesn't make sense but the government is determined to stop burning coal, which is a good thing but swapping it for chips isn't really going to help that much when you think about what's involved.
The North Island really needs a nuclear plant, then we'll have no problem charging all these cars but mention the N word to a Kiwi and they get all hostile. :oops:
I believe there's a company near Waimate that wants to build a power from waste plant but the locals don't want it.
It all just proves that the politicians - even the greens - don't really care about the planet, they just want to look good and get re-elected.

Thorcon power has the solution for you. Park a barge off the coast and let is generate energy.


1653203324954.png
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 78 43.1%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 63 34.8%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.6%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 4 2.2%

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

  • 1,286
  • 1
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/
Top