Farmers plant the biggest obstacle in biofuels production

The toughest challenge to overcome before switchgrass and other biomass crops can provide cheap, renewable fuel is convincing farmers to grow the crops in the first place.Recent evidence shows that producing ethanol from switchgrass yields five times more energy than producing it from corn, though commercial production plants still need to be developed. But all these considerations are moot if farmers don’t want to plant the crop.

“It’s gotta be competitive with corn or soybean production, just like any crop” said John Hawkins, a spokesman for the Illinois Farm Bureau.

This would be difficult in the highly productive soils of Northern and Central Illinois, where crop yields are greater, Hawkins said, but he saw potential for switchgrass and other biomass crops in the more marginal farmland in Southern Illinois.

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