Working Toward Energy Independence
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| Brandi Powell |
| 7/6/2007 |
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| North Dakota may have a lot of energy potential, but harnessing it isn`t always cost-effective. Senator Kent Conrad says he discussed the problem with scientists at the Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory in Mandan today. Conrad is working to write the next farm bill. He says a big part of that is the energy title. Conrad believes we can grow our way out of the energy crisis by figuring out a crop rotation using both annual and perennial crops. But the trick is to figure out how our state`s farmers can do this and still stay in business. In order to gain energy independence, North Dakota farmers may need to change their crop rotation. But Conrad and scientists say that could be a challenge Scientists say they`re figuring out what doesn`t work through their research. But they`re working hard to figure out what will. "What is going to work not only in the larger economy, but what`s going to work for the farmer," says Conrad. "Because if it doesn`t work for the farmer, it`s not going to get produced." Putting switchgrass in a crop rotation is one way, besides corn, to boost ethanol production. But it could cause problems for farmers when it comes to balancing their crop cycles. Scientists are comparing wheat, an annual, to switchgrass, a perennial. With switchgrass, 80% to 90%of its biomass is below ground. Scientists say this makes it better at capturing the carbon. But there are still some challenges for North Dakota farmers. "Where do we go with this bio-energy development?" asks Dave Archer, USDA scientist. "With the carbon storage of course, we see some benefits in the perennial crops for bio-energy. But we don`t know how those compete economically with the annual cropping system." To figure it out, they`re tossing around ideas about what`s the best way to make ethanol to reduce our dependence on overseas oil. Taking advantage of switchgrass is at the top of many lists. "There`s less of a chance it`s going to be released back to carbon dioxide and that means we may have a more permanent type of sequestration with time over time," says soil scientist Mark Leibig. In the meantime, the Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory will study the productivity of the prairie grasses to find viable way to grow switchgrass. Conrad says he`s looking at how various incentives will play a role in getting farmers involved in the process. |
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