biomass ground leasing

Has anyone had any experience with this ground leasing program to grow this perennial grass? this is in southwest mo.

You need the 'market" for it. They are going make methanol with it cause the process is harder than ethanol corn will produce. In WW2 they needed stuff like that to make rope. On my place I have a small field that is all canary grass that would be perfect for bio mass, but there is no use around other than it makes great chopped bedding. Soaks up all that tinkle really well. Boy remember during WW2 they were paying land owners to grow HEMP! You couldn't get high on that stuff on a bet but still. Today they Have a couple of counties in Kentucky I think where they are trying out newer hybrids. Cops even seized their seeds when they were ready to plant. What a bunch of horeses rear ends.

If you are referring to switchgrass I doubt there will be much interest in leasing ground to grow it with oil at $35.00 per barrel and falling because ethanol from switchgrass is not economic when oil is below $110.00 per barrel. There was a lot of interest a few years ago and plants were built in various parts of the country, some of which never processed the first blade of grass. The only ethanol that will be produced in the forseeable future is the amount that has a captive market due to government quotas, corn will easily supply all of the ethanol required for the next several years and if biomass was marginally economic corn stover is the first choice. Cheap oil will be the norm for a long time, there will be temporary market interruptions and geo political events that cause spikes but in general shale oil in the US, China and South America will keep pressure on OPEC and oil will average 45-50 dollars for at least the next 20 years. Sometime in 2016, maybe early in the year the Saudis will reduce production and oil will spike, this will give banks and the strongest independents in the US a chance to clean up their balance sheets a little and when they come back the tables will be turned. There will be a completely new energy outlook by the end of 2017 and OPEC will be eliminated as the swing producers, this fact in itself will cause price/supply swings until the middle eastern OPEC countries work out their internal problems that will arise when the cradle to grave welfare is cut off and people have to go to work.

The reed canary grass makes great hay if baled at the right time. The cows just loved that hay.

There was a few who tried to make pellet fuel from switch grass. It burned very quickly and didn't make as much heat as wood pellets.
Loren

I can remember the heifers really liked chewing on it cause it was kinda like chewing gum. They would lay there and just chew. Most cudds are like twelve or fifteen chews? They would just chew and chew.

There has been some ground planted in miscanthus giganteus for biomass. There was some government program that helped pay for planting and an oil coop was working on it. Seems like you had to be in a certain area to be in it (something to do with railroad). They have sold the biomass division so I don't know how it went.