Tim ReinbottUniversity of Missouri

Bradford Research and Extension Center

Plentiful12 Billion Bushel Crop, nearly 1 billion

carryoverCompact

45 lbs/ft2

ConsistentMinnesota to Missouri is the Same

Infrastructure in PlaceOn Farm Storage

Often Called Trash:But it Protects From and Provides

Wind ErosionWater ErosionSoil Carbon-Organic Matter

No Food or Fuel Debate?Is this always true?

Does Corn Residue Have An

Economic Value?Harvest Index

Corn-50%Soybean-40%Wheat-40%

N, P, and K/ton19-4-36

Tons/acre120 bu/acre :120 x 56=6720 lbs x 0.67=4500 lbs or 2.25 tons/acre

• 2.25 tons/acre x 4 lbs P205/ton=9 lbs P2O5/acre

• 2.25 tons/acre x 36 lbs K20/ton=81 lbs K20/acre

• 9 x $0.78/lb P205=$7.02• 81 x $0.78/lb K20=$63.18• $70.2/acre or $31.2/ton

Used in Power Plants or Ethanol-Poet in South Dakota

15% of Residue=1000 lbs/acre

Nutrient Removal1 lb P2O5 and 8 lb

K2O/acre-$7.5Specialized

Equipment

• Harvest Index=Grain Yield/total above

ground yieldGrain~52% and Stover ~48%

• Fertilizer Cost of Residue-P

and K=$70/acre

• Cost of Raking and Baling-$12/bale

• Total Cost=$150/acre or $51/ton

Soil Carbon or Organic MatterIn Missouri-~2%We have lost 50%

from tillageCan we maintain

what we have left and still remove the crop residue?

Soil StructureErosion ControlSoil TilthAerationWater Holding

CapacityNutrient CyclingIon ExchangeMicrobial Activity

Percent Soil Organic Matter-8 years Continuous Corn

2.3

2.4

2.5

2.6

2.7

2.8

0 50 100 150

Amount of Previous Crop Residue

Per

cen

t Org

anic

M

atte

r

After 8 years a drop in Soil Organic Matter when even 50% of Residue is removed.

A 120 bu/acre corn crop produces 6720 lbs of Corn Stover. Which is minimal to maintain Soil Organic Matter.

Amount of Cover to Maintain or Limit

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

Plow Notill Plow Notill

Continuous Corn Corn Soybean Rotation

lbs/

acre

Soil OrganicMatterWater Erosion

Wind Erosion

Corn Residue has economic value-$70/acreBaling another $12/bale or $45/acre.

Residue in Missouri Extremely Important for Maintaining Soil Organic Matter and Reducing Erosion

Corn Cobs-OK, just make sure you get something for them.

Primary Forage in Missouri-17 million acres

Cool Season Grass

Most Growth in Spring and Fall

Stockpiling

After Fescue Seed HarvestFescue Seed Harvest

As a Forage-$20/bale

As Biofuel-$35/balePelletizingEthanol

Nutrient Costs?Tall Fescue Hay 40-15-40/ton removedP and K @ $0.78/lb = $42.9/ton

Decent Quality Hay in Spring if Put Up TimelyOften more than needed

High Quality Grazing in Fall

Aftermath of Seed Harvest-Poor Quality

Planting-Seed of Switchgrass is very easy compared to Indian or Big Bluestem

Indian and Big Bluestem must be deawned if you do not have specialized equipment

Standard Seed Metering Fluffy Seed Attachment

Switchgrass is a Early Successional SpeciesWill die out in 10-15

yearsOther NWSG persist

longerSwitchgrass Has A lot

of Ecotypes DevelopedUpland-Cave In RockLowland-Alamo,

Kanlow

Mow, Rake, Bale

WhenBeginning in

October when dormant

Can be delayed to allow more nutrients to move down to the root system

In NE Missouri in 2008 at the Plant Materials Center with 100 lbs N/acreCIR Switchgrass-

4.97 tons/acreBig Bluestem-5.6

tons/acreRumsey

Indiangrass-6.6 tons/acre

Kanlow and Alamo SG-7.9 tons/acre

Our Plots without any N:Switchgrass-1.94

ton/acreIndian-2.14 ton/acreBig Bluestem-1.11

ton/acre

Switchgrass Indiangrass

When it is icy many of the grasses can be broken down

Big Bluestem Big Bluestem (left) compared to Indiangrass (right).

5 tons/acre100 lb N/acre-$80/acreRemove:

P-9 lb/ton x 5 tons=45 lbs/acreK-46 lb/ton x 5 tons=230 lbs/acre*At $0.78/ lb P and K=$35+$179=$214+

$80=$294/acre

* this can go down if harvest is delayed until winter

$294/acre/5 tonsOr $58.8/ton 1200 lb Big Round Bale=$35Cost of Baling-$20/bale

Total Cost-$55/baleDoes not include transport, time, etc.

As much below ground dry matter as above

Very Deep-6 ft

Not going to be a problem

50 million Gallon Ethanol Plant

90 gallon/ton conversion

550,000 tons or 925,000 big Round Bales

At 5 tons/acre 111,000 acres within a 40 mile radius of the ethanol plant

Enough to Fill Faurot Stadium 5 times

An Answer Maybe In Field Pelletizing or

Compression to a More Compact Form

Tall Fescue Aftermath From Seed Harvest Maybe the Best Source of Biofuel

Big Blustem and Indiangrass harder to establish than Switchgrass but will live longer and give similar if not greater yields

Cost of fertilizer replacement is nearly $60/bale

Concerns with year around storage

Corn-1/3 Ethanol, 1/3 Distillers Grain, 1/3 CO2

Cellulosic Ethanol or Pelleting-100% FuelNo animal feed

A monoculture of a grass will be essentially a desert for wildlife

Cost is driven up by N fertilizer

What if we had a mixed stand?

Minnesota Study Published in Science Found More Biomass and Biofuel Potential When As The Diversity Increased

Use of Natives?

Use of Native Legumes for a N source

Also Provide Flexibility for Livestock

At MU Bradford Research and Extension CenterLow Input/High

Diverse compared to a High Input/Monoculture18 different forbs

and legumesSwitchgrass and Big

BluestemCutting HeightSeasonal Harvests

Depending on Need