Power on the Prairie (biofuels, Conservation Reserve Program)

[jpak]

http://www.nola.com/sports/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-30/1177220884253990.xml&coll=1

Just when you think things can't get any worse for the future of the Conservation Reserve Program . . . they don't.

After months of concern by sportsmen that the nation's rush to corn-based ethanol production might punch a big hole in CRP, the crisis seems to be easing. In fact, there are growing hopes that biofuels may actually end up being a net gain for wildlife and humans.

CRP is a feature of the Farm Bill that pays farmers to forgo planting marginal acres, allowing them to revert to natural grasses and shrubs. It has become the single most successful fish and wildlife conservation measure in the nation's history, its 39 million acres responsible for a wide array of improvements from increased waterfowl production to cleaner aquifers and better fish habitat.

But President Bush's announcement last year of a drive to increase corn-based ethanol production as a way to reduce our dependence on imported energy supplies set off a chain reaction that wildlife advocates feared: The price of corn doubled, leading to record corn planting; the farm lobby began pushing for reduction in CRP so landowners could switch to more profitable corn; the administration announced it was considering allowing early release from the 10-year CRP contracts as well as freezing enrollments for the next two years.

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1. This prarie grass idea keeps coming up. There's one thing I don't understand.

If we are going to use prarie grass as a bio-fuel, this means harvesting it in some way. I assume this would be mowing.

Mowing and removing the grass has major effects on the habitat. It certainly would not fuction the same as a natural prarie.

I don't seem to be able to find any discussion of this. I'm not saying that the prarie grass idea can't work, but you never get something for nothing, and those who tout this idea appear to think they've just found a source of free energy.

Maybe they just mean that it would be less damaging than growning the other crops like corn and soybeans.

Anybody up on this topic?

[jpak]

2. The idea is to mow in the fall after the plants have flowered and set/dropped seed

The impact on prairie systems would be minimal...

http://www1.umn.edu/umnnews/Feature_Stories/Natural_prairie_holds_key_to_sustainable_fuels.html

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3. Here in the east, if you get three land-managers in one place,

you have yourself a day-long argument about what's the best time of year to mow a meadow for wildlife, and to promote certain grasses, etc. etc. etc. Usually these arguments don't come to blows.

But I guess if you focus soley on generating a crop, you simplify matters. And of course an eastern meadow isn't exactly a prarie.

Anyway, it's an interesting idea. Thanks for the info.