Outline Background and introduction Grassland agriculture - PDF document

3/17/2014 Integrating Perennial Grasses for Sustainable Agricultural Systems to Maximize Farm Profitability D.K. Lee Assistant Professor Department of Crop Sciences University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign leedk@illinois.edu North Central Regional Center for Rural Development March 11, 2014 Outline • Background and introduction – Grassland agriculture – Multifuncational agriculture – Limitations in adapting perennial grasses • Agronomy of perennial grasses – Establishment – Management • On-farm application and economics 2 Growing Our Food, Feed, Fiber, and FUEL A Permanent Agriculture OUR GOAL is permanency in agriculture: an agriculture that is stable and secure for farm and farmer, consistent in prices and earning; an agriculture that can satisfy indefinitely all our needs of food, fiber, and shelter in keeping with the living standards we set . Everybody has a stake in a permanent agriculture. P.V. Cardon, 1948 3 Growing Our Food, Feed, Fiber, and FUEL 1

3/17/2014 Our Grassland – Tallgrass Prairie “ Grassland is a good way to farm and to live, the best way I know of to use and improve soil, the very thing on which our life and civilization rest .” Clinton P. Anderson (1948) 4 Growing Our Food, Feed, Fiber, and FUEL Problem Statement • Grasslands lost to row crops – 99% of tallgrass prairie lost – 3.1 million acres in South Dakota from 2001 to 2010 – Temperate grassland the most-altered biome globally, but the least protected • Lost of benefits – Ecological services: nutrient cycling, C storage, soil erosion, hydrologic cycle, biodiversity – Economic service: Livestock, recreation Grassland nesting birds declining faster than any other bird group in N. America (Peterjohn and Sauer 1999) 5 Growing Our Food, Feed, Fiber, and FUEL Source: EcoSun Prairie Farm, Cater Johnson Back to the Future in U.S. Agriculture • We, the people, need to care for the earth enrich our living environment; clean and plentiful water, fertile, vibrant, and productive soils, abundance and diversity of plants and animals, renewable energy, sustainable food and products • Our future management choice should promote these goals Historically managed our grassland agriculture can reduce/slowdown climate changes, desertification, soil erosion, flooding, and other ills 6 Growing Our Food, Feed, Fiber, and FUEL 2

3/17/2014 Multifunctional Agro-ecosystem The future agricultural system could include a perennial grass-based sustainable agriculture that would encourage: • Increased soil organic matter and microbial life • Decreased use of fossil fuels • Sustainable nonpolluting capture of energy • Reduced use of toxic products • More soil protected with living cover • Greater diversity of plants and animals • Maximize producer resources 7 Growing Our Food, Feed, Fiber, and FUEL Why Perennial Crops? 8 Growing Our Food, Feed, Fiber, and FUEL Biodiversity on the Landscape will Promote Productivity and Sustainability of Our Agriculture FOOD, FEED, FIBER, FUEL No Single Silver Bullet 9 Growing Our Food, Feed, Fiber, and FUEL 3

3/17/2014 Opportunities with Perennial Grasses Income Streams • Native grass hay • Native plant seed (upland and wetland) • Specialty meet (e.q., grass-fed beef) • Conservation payment • Carbon credit • Cellulosic biofuels • Recreation (ecotourism, fee hunting) 10 Growing Our Food, Feed, Fiber, and FUEL Limitations in Adapting Perennial Grasses  Selection of species and cultivars  Seed sources  Cropping system design  Establishment  Weed control  Fertilization  Harvest management  Market value/availability 11 Growing Our Food, Feed, Fiber, and FUEL Agronomy of Perennial Grasses Source: J.W. Voigt 12 Growing Our Food, Feed, Fiber, and FUEL 4

3/17/2014 Integrating Perennial grasses Cropping Landscape Design 13 Growing Our Food, Feed, Fiber, and FUEL Source: Sarah Taylor Lovell, Sun Prairie Farm, Carter Johnson Perennial Grasses from Our Tallgrass Prairie 14 Growing Our Food, Feed, Fiber, and FUEL Management Practices Species selection Urbana, IL 20 2010 Biomass yield (Mg ha -1 ) 2011 2012 15 10 5 0 Warrior Chief Goldmine Bonanza DK-IL Kanlow CIR IN/BB BB/IN/SW IN/SW/SO BB/IN/SO MxG Indiangrass Big Bluestem Switchgrass Native Mixtures Miscanthus 15 Growing Our Food, Feed, Fiber, and FUEL 5

3/17/2014 Management Practice Cultivar selection Urbana, IL Northern origin Southern origin IL origin 16 Growing Our Food, Feed, Fiber, and FUEL Lowland types Upland types Management Practices Establishment – three dominant species Indiangrass Planted in May, 2012 Switchgrass Big bluestem September 17, 2012 17 Growing Our Food, Feed, Fiber, and FUEL Management Practices Fast germination – Prairie cordgrass Prairie cordgrass seed Whole seed 100 Germination (%) 80 60 Caryopsis, PC17-109 Caryopsis, PCG-109 40 Caryopsis Whole seed, PC17-109 Whole seed, PCG-109 20 0 0 5 10 15 20 25 Time (Day) 18 Growing Our Food, Feed, Fiber, and FUEL 6

3/17/2014 Management Practices Weed control Without pre-emergent June 21, 2009 Aug. 3, 2009 Sep. 10 7, 2009 July 9, 2010 Planted May 25, 2009 7 inch spacing 10 lb/ac seeding rate With pre-emergent June 21, 2009 July 22, 2009 July 9, 2010 Sep. 10 7, 2009 Planted May 25, 2009 7 inch spacing 10 lb/ac seeding rate 19 Growing Our Food, Feed, Fiber, and FUEL Management Practices Fertility and Harvest – switchgrass All Locations 14 12 Biomass yield (Mg ha -1 ) 10 8 6 4 PSC, Summer-peak standing crop AKF, Fall-after a killing frost 2 OWN, Early spring following overwintering 0 0 50 100 150 200 250 N Rate (kg ha -1 ) 20 Growing Our Food, Feed, Fiber, and FUEL EcoSun Prairie Farms Inc. Goal to demonstrate economic viability of “commercial” grassland grown on croplands  640 acres of cropland and former CRP land converted to native grassland and restored wetlands  Started in 2008  Seed production:~70 acres  60 acres switchgrass  Prairie cordgrass, wedgegrass, sedge  Hay and pasture: ~260 acres  Warm season/forbs  Warm/cool/forbs/legumes  Croplands 21 Courtesy of Dr. Carter Johnson Growing Our Food, Feed, Fiber, and FUEL 7

3/17/2014 EcoSun Prairie Farms Inc. 22 Growing Our Food, Feed, Fiber, and FUEL EcoSun Prairie Farms Inc. Economic challenges  Achieving planned production and cost levels  Marketing to obtain premium prices  Marketing costs?  Transitioning to get through the establishment period  Cost-share sources on seed and seeding costs  Maintaining an income stream during transition years  Generating income as soon as possible on newly establishment (without jeopardizing stand) 23 Courtesy of Dr. Carter Johnson Growing Our Food, Feed, Fiber, and FUEL EcoSun Prairie Farms Inc. Products  Native grass hay  Native plant seed  Custom grazing  Grass-finished beef  Cellulosic biofuel feedstock  Recreation (ecotourism, fee hunting)  Ecosystem services 24 Courtesy of Dr. Carter Johnson Growing Our Food, Feed, Fiber, and FUEL 8

3/17/2014 EcoSun Prairie Farms Inc. Ecosystem services  Farm level economic decisions do not include the value of ecosystem services, which could make grasslands more attractive.  Ways that producers might be paid for ecosystem services?  Conservation payments  Environmental markets (e.g. carbon credits)  Branding (e.g. grass-fed beef)  Marketing environmental amenities (e.g. ecotourism, hunting) 25 Courtesy of Dr. Carter Johnson Growing Our Food, Feed, Fiber, and FUEL EcoSun Prairie Farms Inc. Income s 26 Courtesy of Dr. Carter Johnson Growing Our Food, Feed, Fiber, and FUEL Biodiversity within Agro-ecosyst em Promote Productivity and Sustainability of Our Agriculture FOOD, FEED, FIBER, FUEL 27 Source: cenusa bioenergy Growing Our Food, Feed, Fiber, and FUEL 9

3/17/2014 THANK YOU ! D.K.. Lee 217-333-7736 leedk@illinois.edu 28 Growing Our Food, Feed, Fiber, and FUEL 10