Published by Farmers Guide, July 2008.

Bical Commercial Manager Mike Cooper.

Miscanthus grower seeks better land

THE biomass crop miscanthus should be grown on the best land and not left to marginal areas, the Commercial Manager of Bical, Mike Cooper, told Farmers Guide at Cereals 2008.
Mr Cooper said the crop benefited from better yields in good land and was capable of leaving a net margin of £300/ha after haulage, but before annual EU payments for growing energy crops.
With 15-20,000ha of miscanthus already being grown under contract in the UK, the Taunton-based company was at Cereals trying to add another 20,000ha to the area it grows for the Drax power station.
"The miscanthus is cubed and them taken to Drax where it is helping reduce carbon dioxide emissions," Mr Cooper said. "When the miscanthus is burnt, it will only release the carbon dioxide it took from the atmosphere when it was growing, so it is a carbon-neutral fuel."
Grown from rhizomes rather than seeds, Mr Cooper admitted that the crop was expensive to establish, but the long-term benefits outweighed the initial costs.
"Typically it will costs about £2,000/ha to establish the crop, with about £1,350 of that for preparing the land and planting the rhizomes," he said. "Fencing and pest control to protect the rhizomes in the first year or so help make up the remaining costs.
"Once established, however, miscanthus is a zero-input crop. You just leave it alone, other than and cutting it and baling it once a year."
It takes five years to get to full production from the crop, although a small harvest can be expected in year two, with 60% and 80% of the expected annual yield coming in years three and four respectively. After that, the crop just keeps on growing, with the oldest UK crops in the ground currently in their 20th year.
"The crop is cut and baled in the spring after the miscanthus biomass has died during the winter," Mr Cooper added. "There are no moisture issues as the crop is dead, although we do like the bales to be stored under cover until they are taken for processing."
Typical yields are 15t/ha, with Bical currently paying £40/t to give a gross output of £600/ha.
"The price is index-linked to give growers added piece of mind, so the price they get will increase by the Retail Price Index each year," Mr Cooper said, adding that the crop had a tremendous potential for the future.
"The United States Government has just switched the emphasis for producing biofuels from wheat to miscanthus because it can achieve the same fuel yield with just one quarter of the area of land."

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Gavin Lishman and a couple of smaller compost tea 'urns'.

Compost tea makes its Cereals debut

THE concept of Compost Tea was introduced to large-scale growers the Martin Lishman stand at Cereals 2008.
This novel process involves adding compost and a growing medium (catalyst) to water, and oxygenating the mixture for 24 hours. Natural microbes from the compost are multiplied in number and are retained in the water with other nutrients when the mix is filtered at the end of the procedure.
The 'tea' is then sprayed on crops at a rate of about 200 lit/ha. Additional applications are made at approximately two-weekly intervals.
While little is currently understood about the science of using compost tea, there is growing anecdotal evidence that its has both a foliar role, protecting against disease, and as a soil conditioner.
Gavin Lishman told Farmers Guide that the company had started several trials to collect solid data on what compost tea could achieve, but it was clear that those already using it were experiencing benefits.
"The foliar action is of particular interest to organic growers who have seen reduction in disease levels in crops," he said, "while there's also evidence it can help revive spent soils that have been worked too hard."
The largest compost tea system Martin Lishman sells produces 2,000 litres, enough to treat 10ha, although several batches can be made in a week. About 40-50 litres of compost - any garden centre compost, or even municipal compost as long as it has particles no bigger than 10-20mm - is required and the compost can also be put on the land after it has been used to make compost tea.
The resulting liquid can be applied through most sprayers using 05-08 nozzles and modified filters.