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Northern NY Agricultural Development Program 2006-2007 Project Report

EVALUATION OF WARM SEASON GRASSES FOR BIOFUEL PRODUCTION IN NORTHERN NY

Project Leader(s):
Cornell University Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics: D.R. Viands, 607-255-3081; drv3@cornell.edu; J. Hansen, 607-255-5043; jlh17@cornell.edu; H. Mayton, 607-255-5043; hsm1@cornell.edu

Collaborator(s):
Gary Bergstrom,Russ Hahn,Quirine Ketterings,Elson Shields,Mike Davis, W.H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute, Pete Barney (St. Lawrence County Cornell Cooperative Extension), Anita Deming (Essex County Cornell Cooperative Extension), Paul Salon (USDA Big Flats Plant Materials Center, Corning, NY), Mike Hunter (Jefferson County Cornell Cooperative Extension), Steve Jones, Belleville-Henderson Central School District.

Background:
The close proximity of agricultural land in the Northeast to major population and transportation centers makes this region ideal for development of bioenergy crops and industrial bi-products from energy conversion processes.

Corn grain is the primary bioenergy crop used for ethanol production in the US, but perennial grasses have the potential to be more economical and environmentally sustainable than corn for ethanol production. The cellulosic conversion process that produces ethanol from biomass utilizes a greater percentage of the plant than the corn-ethanol conversion process.

Corn is an annual crop and requires substantial inputs each planting year, whereas the grasses identified as candidates for dedicated bioenergy crops are perennials and can be harvested for several years with very little input. Perennial grasses can be used for conversion to liquid fuels or for direct combustion. Life cycle analyses of perennial grasses have demonstrated that these crops will reduce greenhouse gas emissions when used as an alternative to fossil fuels. In addition, perennial grasses reduce soil erosion and improve soil health and structure through production of an extensive root system.

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) has been selected as a model biofuel feedstock crop by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) due to its native geographic distribution and potential for high biomass production.

The majority of research conducted on switchgrass for the DOE was done in the Midwest where management practices and environmental conditions differ from those in Northeast. Therefore, data obtained in the Midwest trials may not reflect how different perennial grass species or varieties within species will perform in New York.

The objectives of this project are to evaluate several switchgrass varieties along with other warm season grass species for biomass yield and bioenergy crop value.

Methods:
A replicated perennial grass trial (144 total plots) was established in a field (Collamer silt loam soil type) adjacent to the Belleville-Henderson Central School in Jefferson County, NY. A few weeks prior to planting the field, an annual ryegrass cover crop was sprayed with the herbicide Roundup® (Monsanto, St. Louis, IL).

The field was prepared for planting by mold-board plowing, disking, rototilling, and smoothing with a Brillion seeder (Brillion Iron Works Inc., Brillion, WI, Figure 3). Plots (3.5 ‘ X 15 ‘), each with six rows spaced six inches apart, were established in a randomized complete block design with six replications.

Seed of the different trial entries was planted with a Carter (Carter Manufacturing Co., Brookston, ID) small plot seeder. Twenty trial entries were planted in monoculture (a single variety of a grass species) and four entries consisted of a mixture of two different grass species. After planting, the field trial was cultipacked to enhance seed to soil contact.

Seeding rate for switchgrass and eastern gamagrass was 10 lb pure live seed (PLS)/A; big bluestem 12 lb PLS/A; and coastal panicgrass 8 lb PLS/A.

Pure live seed is the percentage of seed that is alive, and percent quick germination is the percent of seeds that will germinate shortly after planting, the remainder of the seed is dormant or dead. The actual seeding rate per variety was corrected for percent pure live seed and percent quick germination reported on the seed tag label by the companies from which seed was obtained. The approximate number of pure live seeds per monoculture plot ranged from 274 for eastern gamagrass to 19,493 for ‘Pathfinder’ switchgrass. This range is due to variation in seed size and percent quick germination among the seed lots. After correcting the seeding rate for the percent quick germination rate, the actual seeding rate ranged from 9 to 63 lbs/A. Thus for research purposes, the number of seeds per plot was standardized across all seed lots.

For this short term research project, it was necessary to have the same number of germinable seeds planted per plot to collect adequate data on stand counts. Producers would not normally correct for percent quick germination because some of the dormant seed should germinate. Since seed of warm-season grasses is expensive, it is important for producers to try to purchase seed lots with high percent pure live seed and high percent quick germ to keep input seed costs as low as possible. This is an area that needs further research in order to determine and make recommendations for the most appropriate seeding rate for planting.

During the seeding year, data were collected on percent stand established and canopy height. Plant disease incidence and severity, weed pressure, and seedling vigor were also recorded.

Because it takes three years to establish a mature stand of the warm season grasses selected for the trial, yield and cell wall composition of the trial entries and quality characteristics important for conversion to biofuels will begin to be evaluated in 2008. Weeds were cut once during the growing season in July with a string trimmer. After planting, fertilizer or pesticides were not applied in order to minimize total input costs.

Results:
Researchers have reported that a grass stand of approximately 40% in the establishment year was a good indication of a successful planting. By this criterion, all of the grass species/varieties had acceptable establishment except for ‘Niagara’ big bluestem and ‘Pete’ eastern gamagrass.

The average percent stand of all grass entries planted in Jefferson County in 2007 was 62 %.

The switchgrass varieties ‘Blackwell’, ‘Carthage’, ‘Shelter’, ‘Forestburg’, and ‘Cave-in-rock’ had the highest 1st year stands.

These data are consistent with stand establishment data from other warm season grass trials planted at various locations in New York State in 2007.

Big bluestem cultivars ‘Goldmine’ and Niagara and other warm season grass species did not establish as well as the majority of switchgrass cultivars. The seed for the switchgrass cultivar Pathfinder was heavily contaminated with foxtail weed seeds and thus we were unable to collect data on stand establishment.

In terms of overall growth measured by canopy height, the switchgrass cultivars Blackwell, Carthage and Cave-in-rock performed well.

Significant weed pressure was observed in the plots; however, the warm season grass plants were still able to receive adequate sunlight and moisture and were not smothered by the weeds. The most common broadleaf weeds observed in the plots were pigweed, lamb’s quarter, and ragweed. Other weeds present were foxtail, and nutsedge. Leaf spot disease symptoms were observed on most varieties but did not exceed more than 10 % in any individual grass plot.

Conclusions/Outcomes/Impacts:
Producers should correct seeding rates for percent pure live seed, as each seed lot will vary in the amount of inert material in the seed bag.

Establishment of the warm season perennial grasses without the use of post-emergent herbicide applications resulted in plots with heavy weed pressure, yet good stands of the grasses were obtained in most cases when good quality seed was planted. All of the plots in each replicate had at least 40% weed infestation. Competition with annual and perennial weeds is a common problem that has been reported in the literature in establishment years for warm season perennial grass field trials.

Data collected in 2008 will provide more information on stand, weed pressure, cultivar biomass yields and bioenergy quality characteristics.

Outreach:
Information regarding the trial was reported at field days held in Tompkins County, at the USDA/NRCS Plant Materials Center in Big Flats, and in Dutchess County. Information and data from this research trial was reported to extension educators at the Agriculture-Food-In-Service meeting in Ithaca, NY, held during the second week of November 2007. Several field day meetings will be held during the 2008 field season.

Next steps:
Yield data of the various perennial grasses harvested from the plot trials and characteristics associated with energy conversion will be evaluated in 2008. An additional small plot trial identical to the experiment in Jefferson County will be established at the W.H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute in 2008.

Acknowledgments:
This project was funded by the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program and the Cornell University Agriculture Experiment Station. Salaries for summer technicians working on the Jefferson County trial were also funded in-part by a grant from the New York Farm Viability Institute.

 

June 11, 2007

Contacts:
Cornell University: Dr. Donald R. Viands, 607-255-3081; Julie L. Hansen, 607-255-5043; Hilary Mayton, cell: 607-327-0044

Note: Plantings are planned for Wednesday, June 13 in Madrid, NY at the Lee farm

Cornell University researchers will soon sow a new field trial of switchgrass and other grass species at Tom Lee’s farm in Madrid, NY.

The researchers are interested in the potential of the grasses to produce bioenergy.

Lee is interested in the potential of the grasses as a crop he can raise as he transitions away from dairy farming.

The Northern New York Agricultural Development Program, the New York Farm Viability Institute, and Cornell Agricultural Experiment Station in Ithaca are funding grass research trials in St. Lawrence and Jefferson counties in 2007 and in Eastern NNY in 2008.

“Our first trials here in 2000 were in response to a company in Quebec wanted 10,000 acres of switchgrass to pelletize and send to France as a fuel source. A plant in Cornwall was shifting to switchgrass to replace pulpwood to produce paper, and town governments in the Adirondack region were looking to cap landfills with switchgrass,” says Cornell Cooperative Extension of St. Lawrence County Field Crop Educator Peter M. Barney. “We needed to know if the crop could survive under Northern New York growing conditions.”

Switchgrass is a warm season grass that the United States Department of Energy has identified as the perennial grass with the most promise as a biomass crop for much of the U.S.

For Madrid farmer Tom Lee, switchgrass represents a crop he might grow as he transitions away from raising dairy heifers. He stopped milking cows after 21 years in 1997 to raise heifers. Lee says if the grass trial goes well, he will take a conservative approach to work gradually away from the heifers and into the crop over the next five years.

“Hearing about switchgrass at some crop meetings intriqued me. Cornell looking for land for a field trial gives me a perfect opportunity to try growing a new crop with their guidance,” Lee
says. “If the grass grows well here, I would likely plant ten acres next year to start,” Lee says.

Beef producer Mark Rinehart of Richville has grown nine acres of switchgrass on his clay soils since 2003 to feed his beef cows. He harvests once a year and says the key is not cutting the crop too low.

“The beef animals love switchgrass. It provides them with a physical energy source similar to feeding corn,” Rinehart says. “I would love to see switchgrass catch on as an energy crop to produce heat in this area, but the industry has to catch up first. It is very difficult to get the grass pelletized.”

Rinehart, who works with the Partners for Wildlife program of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, does not harvest his crop until after July 15 when the birds that have nested in the switchgrass cover have fledged their young.

Research Team Says Grass Has More Potential than Corn for Ethanol Production
Dr. Donald R. Viands, Research Associate Julie L. Hansen and Extension Associate Hilary Mayton – all of the Cornell University Plant Breeding and Genetics Department – are the 2007-08 grasses-for-energy project leaders.

A plant pathologist, entomologist, weed scientist, crop and nutrient management specialists, and staff at the USDA Big Flats Plant Materials Center in Corning, NY, will assess the entire feedstock production system for the grasses. An economist will analyze 2008 field samples data for the grasses’ income potential.

Viands says, “Grass and legume crops potentially provide more economical and environmentally sustainable feedstocks than corn for ethanol production. Their perennial growth eliminates the costs associated with an annual crop and they are environmentally more sustainable because of their lower nutrient inputs and because their root system holds the soil against erosion and they require less land disturbance as they grow.”

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County Field Crops Educator Michael E. Hunter says the potential for switchgrass pellets to produce heat was demonstrated at the 2007 Spring Home Show at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds. Sundance Pool and Leisure of Watertown successfully burned switchgrass pellets in a biomass stove at their show display.

“The agricultural industry is also taking steps to develop the infrastructure needed to support grass fuel production. For example, a Pennsylvania company is about to debut a tractor-driven hay pelletizer that could encourage additional interest in on-farm development of the grass crops. At an expected cost of up to $80,000 for the new machine, the potential may exist for a custom service that would go from farm to farm to pelletize the grasses,” Hunter says.

Switchgrass Proves Suited to NNY Climate
Barney says trials have shown the upland variety of switchgrass to be more suited to the Northern New York climate than the lowland varieties.

“Switchgrass prefers well-drained loam and sandy loam soils. It will grow on soils with a relatively wide range of pH, but a pH of 6.5 is optimal, and to establish the crop we recommend not applying manure or nitrogen in the first-year to reduce weed pressure on the new crop,” Barney says.

Seedbeds need to be properly prepared for a first crop of switchgrass to enhance seed-to-soil contact. Barney says. “One to three seedlings per square foot at the end of the first year is considered a successful start for a new crop of switchgrass.”

An “Establishing and Managing Switchgrass” Agronomy Fact Sheet compiled by Barney, graduate student Joe Lawrence and Cornell Crop and Soil Sciences Professors Dr. Jerry H. Cherney and Dr. Quirine Ketterings, says seeding should take place after the soil temperature reaches 60 degrees Fahrenheit or within two weeks of the recommended corn planting dates for one’s area. Seeding should not take place after June due to risk of winterkill.

Seeding rates should be based on pure live seed per acre recommendations and dormancy percentages. Depth for seeding by conventional and no-till methods is one-quarter to one-half inch with the shallower depth for heavier soils. A slightly higher seeding rate is recommended for no-till and frost seedings.

Properly labeled herbicides and mowing just above the height of the switchgrass are recommended for weed control. Chemical weed control can be used in the fall prior to establishment, pre-plant and post-plant. Hormone herbicides should be avoided.

Soil testing should be conducted every three years to assess the nutrient status of the soil and to guide applications of lime, phosphorus and potassium. When switchgrass is managed as a biomass crop under a single cut system, nitrogen fertilizer needs are lower than when it is managed under a multiple-cut forage system. For a single-cut biomass planting after the first year, 50 to 75 lbs of nitrogen per acre per year is recommended.

Manure can be applied in place of commercial fertilizers, however, the amount of manure that should be applied may be limited for biomass-for-combustion plantings because nutrient removal by that type of planting is minimized.

“For stand longevity, we recommend not harvesting the crop the first year. In later years, the timing of harvest for a single-cut system is at a six-inch stubble height to assist with plant recovery. This is different than for a spring mowing of a grass crop overwintered for harvest as livestock forage,” Barney says.

Among the funders of the grasses-as-energy project is the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program, a farmer-driven research, education and outreach program funding projects that take place on regional farms, at the research farms in Northern New York.

NNYADP board member and beef farmer Don Holman says, “The opportunities for grass-based agriculture in Northern New York are exploding – from grass-fed livestock production to growing grasses to power our equipment and farms, heat our homes, and sell. Testing under our local climate and growing conditions provides valuable data for farmers to factor into our decision-making.”

For a copy of the Cornell fact sheet on growing switchgrass, contact your local Cornell Cooperative Extension office or go online to: http://nmsp.cals.cornell.edu/.

Northern NY Agricultural Development Program Small Grants Project Report (2006-2007)

Project Leader(s):
D.R. Viands, Professor, Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics; 523 Bradfield Hall; Cornell University; 607-255-3081; drv3@cornell.edu

J. Hansen, Sr. Research Associate, Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics; 101 Love Lab; Cornell University; 607-255-5043; jlh17@cornell.edu

H. Mayton, Extension Associate, Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics; 101 Love Lab; Cornell University; 607-255-5043; hsm1@cornell.edu

Collaborator(s):
Gary Bergstrom, Russ Hahn, Quirine Ketterings, Elson Shields, Mike Davis, W.H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute, Pete Barney (St. Lawrence County Cornell Cooperative Extension), Anita Deming (Essex County Cornell Cooperative Extension), Paul Salon (USDA Big Flats Plant Materials Center, Corning, NY), Mike Hunter (Jefferson County Cornell Cooperative Extension), Steve Jones, Belleville-Henderson Central School District.

Background:
The close proximity of agricultural land in the Northeast to major population and transportation centers makes this region ideal for development of bioenergy crops and industrial bi-products from energy conversion processes.

Corn grain is the primary bioenergy crop used for ethanol production in the US, but perennial grasses have the potential to be more economical and environmentally sustainable than corn for ethanol production.

The cellulosic conversion process that produces ethanol from biomass utilizes a greater percentage of the plant than the corn-ethanol conversion process. Corn is an annual crop and requires substantial inputs each planting year, whereas the grasses identified as candidates for dedicated bioenergy crops are perennials and can be harvested for several years with very little input.

Perennial grasses can be used for conversion to liquid fuels or for direct combustion.

Life cycle analyses of perennial grasses have demonstrated that these crops will reduce greenhouse gas emissions when used as an alternative to fossil fuels. In addition, perennial grasses reduce soil erosion and improve soil health and structure through production of an extensive root system.

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) has been selected as a model biofuel feedstock crop by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) due to its native geographic distribution and potential for high biomass production.

The majority of research conducted on switchgrass for the DOE was done in the Midwest where management practices and environmental conditions differ from those in Northeast. Therefore, data obtained in the Midwest trials may not reflect how different perennial grass species or varieties within species will perform in New York.

The objectives of this project are to evaluate several switchgrass varieties along with other warm season grass species for biomass yield and bioenergy crop value.

Methods:
A replicated perennial grass trial (144 total plots) was established in a field (Collamer silt loam soil type) adjacent to the Belleville-Henderson Central School in Belleville, NY, Jefferson County, NY. A few weeks prior to planting the field, an annual ryegrass cover crop was sprayed with the herbicide Roundup® (Monsanto, St. Louis, IL).

The field was prepared for planting by mold-board plowing, disking, rototilling, and smoothing with a Brillion seeder (Brillion Iron Works Inc., Brillion, WI). Plots (3.5 ‘ X 15 ‘), each with six rows spaced six inches apart, were established in a randomized complete block design with six replications.

Seed of the different trial entries (Table 1) was planted with a Carter (Carter Manufacturing Co., Brookston, ID) small plot seeder. Twenty trial entries were planted in monoculture (a single variety of a grass species) and four entries consisted of a mixture of two different grass species. After planting, the field trial was cultipacked to enhance seed to soil contact.

Table 1. Common name and scientific name of grasses planted.

Common name Species
big bluestem Andropogon gerardii
coastal panic grass Panicum amarulum
eastern gamagrass Tripsacum dactyloides
indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans
switchgrass Panicum virgatum

Seeding rate for switchgrass and eastern gamagrass was 10 lb pure live seed (PLS)/A; big bluestem 12 lb PLS/A; and coastal panicgrass 8 lb PLS/A. Pure live seed (PLS) Actual seeding rate is corrected for quick germination Cave-in-rock seed for this entry was stratified before planting.

Pure live seed is the percentage of seed that is alive, and percent quick germination is the percent of seeds that will germinate shortly after planting, the remainder of the seed is dormant or dead.

The actual seeding rate per variety was corrected for percent pure live seed and percent quick germination reported on the seed tag label by the companies from which seed was obtained .

The approximate number of pure live seeds per monoculture plot ranged from 274 for eastern gamagrass to 19,493 for ‘Pathfinder’ switchgrass. This range is due to variation in seed size and percent quick germination among the seed lots. After correcting the seeding rate for the percent quick germination rate, the actual seeding rate ranged from 9 to 63 lbs/A.

Thus for research purposes, the number of seeds per plot was standardized across all seed lots. For this short term research project, it was necessary to have the same number of germinable seeds planted per plot to collect adequate data on stand counts. Producers would not normally correct for percent quick germination because some of the dormant seed should germinate.

Since seed of warm-season grasses is expensive, it is important for producers to try to purchase seed lots with high percent pure live seed and high percent quick germ to keep input seed costs as low as possible. This is an area that needs further research in order to determine and make recommendations for the most appropriate seeding rate for planting.

During the seeding year, data were collected on percent stand established and canopy height. Plant disease incidence and severity, weed pressure, and seedling vigor were also recorded.

Because it takes three years to establish a mature stand of the warm season grasses selected for the trial, yield and cell wall composition of the trial entries and quality characteristics important for conversion to biofuels will begin to be evaluated in 2008.

Weeds were cut once during the growing season in July with a string trimmer. After planting, fertilizer or pesticides were not applied in order to minimize total input costs.

Results:
Researchers have reported that a grassstand of approximately 40% in the establishment year was a good indication of a successful planting. By this criterion, all of the grass species/varieties had acceptable establishment except for ‘Niagara’ big bluestem and ‘Pete’ eastern gamagrass.

The average percent stand of all grass entries planted in Jefferson County in 2007 was 62 %.

The switchgrass varieties ‘Blackwell’, ‘Carthage’, ‘Shelter’, ‘Forestburg’, and ‘Cave-in-rock’ had the highest 1st year stands.

These data are consistent with stand establishment data from other warm season grass trials planted at various locations in New York State in 2007.

Big bluestem cultivars ‘Goldmine’ and Niagara and other warm season grass species did not establish as well as the majority of switchgrass cultivars. The seed for the switchgrass cultivar Pathfinder was heavily contaminated with foxtail weed seeds and thus we were unable to collect data on stand establishment.

In terms of overall growth measured by canopy height, the switchgrass cultivars Blackwell, Carthage and Cave-in-rock performed well. Significant weed pressure was observed in the plots; however, the warm season grass plants were still able to receive adequate sunlight and moisture and were not smothered by the weeds. The most common broadleaf weeds observed in the plots were pigweed, lamb’s quarter, and ragweed. Other weeds present were foxtail, and nutsedge. Leaf spot disease symptoms were observed on most varieties but did not exceed more than 10 % in any individual grass plot.

Conclusions/Outcomes/Impacts:
Producers should correct seeding rates for percent pure live seed, as each seed lot will vary in the amount of inert material in the seed bag.

Establishment of the warm season perennial grasses without the use of post-emergent herbicide applications resulted in plots with heavy weed pressure, yet good stands of the grasses were obtained in most cases when good quality seed was planted.

All of the plots in each replicate had at least 40% weed infestation. Competition with annual and perennial weeds is a common problem that has been reported in the literature in establishment years for warm season perennial grass field trials.

Data collected in 2008 will provide more information on stand, weed pressure, cultivar biomass yields and bioenergy quality characteristics.

Outreach:
Information regarding the trial was reported at field days held in Tompkins County, at the USDA/NRCS Plant Materials Center in Big Flats, and in Dutchess County. Information and data from this research trial was reported to extension educators at the Agriculture-Food-In-Service meeting in Ithaca, NY, held during the second week of November 2007. Several field day meetings will be held during the 2008 field season.

Next steps:
Yield data of the various perennial grasses harvested from the plot trials and characteristics associated with energy conversion will be evaluated in 2008. An additional small plot trial identical to the experiment in Jefferson County will be established at the W.H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute in 2008.

Acknowledgments:
This project was funded by the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program and the Cornell University Agriculture Experiment Station. Salaries for summer technicians working on the Jefferson County trial were also funded in-part by a grant from the New York Farm Viability Institute.

For More Information:
Cornell UniversityDepartment of Plant Breeding and Genetics
523 Bradfield Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853-1902
607-255-5043

 

 

 

May 30, 2007

Belleville, NY – How good is grass as a bioenergy crop? Cornell University researchers, FFA students and Northern New York farmers expect to answer that question with the results of grass trials recently planted at Belleville-Henderson Central School.

Over the next two years, 24 plots of switchgrass, indiangrass, big bluestem, and Eastern gamagrass and species mixes will be evaluated as bioenergy crops grown under local conditions.

The plantings join existing and new trials in St. Lawrence County; new trials are planned for Eastern Northern New York in 2008.

The research into the value of the warm season grasses is funded by the farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP) specific to Jefferson, Lewis, St. Lawrence, Franklin, Clinton and Essex counties; the New York Farm Viability Institute; and Cornell University’s NYS Agricultural Experiment Station.

NNYADP board member and beef farmer Don Holman says, “The opportunities for grass-based agriculture in Northern New York are exploding – from grass-fed livestock production to growing grasses to power our equipment and farms, heat our homes, and sell. Testing under our local climate and growing conditions provides valuable data for farmers to factor into our decision-making.”

Dr. Donald R. Viands, a plant breeder, and Plant Breeding and Genetics Research Associate Julie L. Hansen, both of Cornell University, and Cornell Cooperative Extension Associate Hilary Mayton are project leaders.

A plant pathologist, entomologist, weed scientist, crop and nutrient management specialists, and staff at the USDA Big Flats Plant Materials Center in Corning, NY, will assess the entire feedstock production system for the grasses. An economist will analyze 2008 field samples data for the grasses’ income potential.

The Belleville-Henderson grass plots, planted next to a willow biomass project, will be evaluated for seedling stand and vigor in four to six weeks.

The plots will be clipped to reduce weed pressure since the most effective herbicide for the grasses is not approved for use in New York State.

Hansen says, “This year we want to see these warm weather grasses establish themselves. Then they have to survive the Northern New York winter. These varieties have a high yield potential but we do not know how they will weather the cold northern climate. Next year we will let the grasses grow and evaluate them for yield, BTUs per acre and the potential to produce ethanol per acre.”

Viands says, “Grass and legume crops potentially provide more economical and environmentally sustainable feedstocks than corn for ethanol production. Their perennial growth eliminates the costs associated with an annual crop and they are environmentally more sustainable because of their lower nutrient inputs and because their root system holds the soil against erosion and they require less land disturbance as they grow.”

Belleville-Henderson Central School sits amidst a largely agricultural land base in Southern Jefferson County. Cornell Cooperative Extension Field Crops Educator Michael E. Hunter says the school campus is an ideal location for the grasses trial. Not only did the school students clear the field plots of rocks prior to planting, they are an ideal audience for this type of project.

“Bioenergy is an issue that we need to put in front of our school-age children. What better way than to bring the issue to the attention of students than to have the rare opportunity to place a field trial at a school with an active FFA group and agriculture teacher,” Hunter says, “and having the grass trial next to the willow biomass – another up and coming biomass crop – at the school offers a nice side-by-side comparison of two really different crops.”

Belleville-Henderson agriculture teacher and FFA Advisor Stephen Jones says, “Having the grass research trials at our high school is a unique opportunity for our agriculture science students. Students can have first-hand knowledge and experience in future potential energy sources. This also gives us the opportunity to work with research scientists from top notch universities and to see, in-person, the procedures they use in plant science research.”

Research Puts NNY Farmers Ahead of Energy Curve
Hunter says grass crops first found favor with conservationists looking to provide cover for birds and other wildlife. Interest in the grasses to produce heat and farm income is more recent and gaining interest throughout Northern New York.

Hunter says that, as markets build for cellulosic fuel sources, trials such as those at the Belleville-Henderson school, earlier and new-in-2007 grass trials at the Cornell Cooperative Extension Learning Farm in Canton in St. Lawrence County, and plantings to follow in Eastern New York in 2008 provide educators with answers to the questions that will come as farmers look at alternative crops.

“This research puts us a step ahead for when the phone calls start and farmers want to know which biofuel crops will produce the best under our Northern New York growing conditions. With these trials we can give those farmers a head start,” Hunter says.

New York State Forage Specialist and Cornell Crop and Soil Sciences Professor Dr. Jerry H. Cherney, who is evaluating the pelletizing of grass crops for fuel production, says, “Grass biofuel for combustion should eventually surface as one of the alternative solid biomass winners.”

Hunter notes that Sundance Pool and Leisure of Watertown successfully burned switchgrass pellets in a biomass stove at the 2007 Spring Home Show at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds and that a Pennsylvania company is about to debut a tractor-driven hay pelletizer that could encourage additional interest in on-farm development of the grass crops. At an expected cost of up to $80,000 for the new machine, the potential may exist for a custom service that would go from farm to farm to pelletize the grasses.

The Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is a farmer-driven research, education and outreach program funding projects that take place on regional farms, at the research farms in Northern New York.

Northern NY Agricultural Development Program 2006 Project Report

Project Leader(s):
Brian Chabot, Professor, Cornell University, 102 Little Rice, Ithaca, NY 14853; (607) 254-4234, bfc1@cornell.edu

Michael Farrell, Director, Uihlein Forest, 157 Bear Cub Lane, Lake Placid, NY 12496; (518) 523-9337, mlf36@cornell.edu

Collaborator(s):
Peter J. Smallidge, NY State Extension Forester, Cornell University, Fernow Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853

Stephen Childs, NY State Maple Specialist, Cornell University, 110 Fernow Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853

Farmer participants:

• Burnham Family (Jefferson County)
• Jason and Barbara Zehr (Lewis County)
• Jim and Christine Mueller (Franklin County)
• Joeseph and Irene Schork (Franklin County)
• Tony Corwin (Essex County)
• Kim LaDuke (Essex County)
• Art Person (Essex County)
• Parker Family Maple (Clinton County)
• Mike Hill (Warren County)

Background:
The two objectives of this project are 1) to evaluate ways to improve the growth of maple trees in order to increase yield of sap sugar, and 2) to improve sugarbush/forest management practices in NNY. Maple sugar is a high value crop in all counties in NNY and is a sustainable use of the natural resource base for this area.

Even though fast growing trees are known to produce more sugar, recommendations on how to manage trees for fast growth in the NNY environments are poorly developed. Also, the relation between sugar yield per tree and sugar yield per acre under different tree stocking densities has not been established anywhere. Developing this relationship is essential in being able to recommend forestry practices that maximize syrup production per acre.

The success of any maple operation begins with the ability of trees to produce sap, remain healthy, and sustain production over a long period of time. We intend for this research to lead to better recommendations about how manage the NNY maple resource to maximize sugar yield and net income to the producer. We also will seek ways to improve tree health and sustainable sap yields.

Methods:
Research on the effects of thinning on maple growth and sap sweetness is underway at the Uihlein Forest and 9 producer locations throughout Northern NY. Many other locations were visited and rejected either because of forest condition or because there was not enough uniformity to have replicated plots. We are still searching for one or more acceptable sites in St. Lawrence County and will be establishing additional plots on the Uihlein Foundation property in Lake Placid. Three plots were established at each location representing two levels of thinning and one control. The thinning produced two levels of residual basal area, one representing a light thinning and the other a heavier cut. The forests are reasonably close in age and structure. Prior to undertaking thinning, the project leaders were trained in chain saw safety and use in directional felling through the Game of Logging program. The benefits of directional felling techniques became evident to the cooperating maple producers and we will be sponsoring offerings of the Game of Logging in 2007 for interested producers.

Results:
We learned there is a wide range of forest management practices from those undertaking regular thinning to many who are not doing any regular forest management. Most NY sugarbushes are over stocked with too many trees having minimal growth. Thinning in most forests should have happened years before we arrived. Many trees below the 10 inch dbh limit are being tapped and many trees are being over-tapped. Density management works best if started when trees are less than 10 inches. We also have made progress on improving our understanding of the theory behind optimizing tree density. A draft of a paper on this has been developed.

Outreach:
The immediate impact this year has been with the maple producers involved in the project where they were able to learn proper management techniques in their own woods. At each location we educated the producers about techniques of forest inventory, tree measurement, selecting trees for removal, and using the thinning tables to reach target residual basal area.

What we learned from these activities has been incorporated into presentations for larger audiences in winter maple schools. Forest management presentations were made in January 2006 at three NNY workshops in Lewis, St. Lawrence and Warren Counties, for maple producers.

Information on forest management was made available to maple producers through three newsletters (Short and Sweet) distributed in NNY in 2006 and two state-wide publications:

• Smallidge, P.J. and Farrell, M.L. 2006. Thinning in Your Sugarbush. Pipeline
• Heiligmann, R.B., Koelling, M.R. and Perkins, T.D. (Eds) 2006. North American Maple Syrup Producers Manual. Ohio State University Extension Bulletin 856. (Chapter 5)

Next steps if results suggest continued work is needed in the areas of research, demonstration and/or education.
This is a multiyear project. We will add at least one more site in St. Lawrence County. During 2007, we will be monitoring tree response to thinning treatments along with sap sugar and volume. This will be done using the producer cooperators so as to give them additional experience with research techniques.

Workshops on forest management will occur in 2007 at the January Maple Schools. We are planning three forest management workshop at producer cooperator locations. One thinning workshop is scheduled for September 8, 2007 in Franklin County and we anticipate hosting two others in NNY during Fall 2007. Direct engagement in the woods is the most useful learning technique, so we hope to reach over 50 producers through these hands-on workshops.

Funding Acknowledgments:
Northern NY Agricultural Development Program
McIntire-Stennis Program of the USDA
Cornell Maple Program