Harvest and densification of corn stover biomass

Harvest and transportation systems are a major portion in the development of a fuel and chemical industry based on the collection of agricultural residues. Predictions for the use of these renewable biomasses expect yearly demand to exceed 450 million dry Mg by the year 2020. However, to meet these goals new harvest and transportation systems are needed. An economic model was constructed to predict the influence on producer net profit for different harvest systems. The model shows that the best performing harvest system could harvest and transport corn stover for distances less than 35 km and still provide a net profit higher than harvesting corn grain alone. However, as shipping distance increases all the harvest systems in the model yield a net loss. Densification provides a potential means to reduce the shipping costs. The effect of applied load on density was measured using a Sintech test machine and the raw data points were used to determine the effect of the different treatments on the density and develop a model. Test treatments include the presence or absence of ear corn, high or low moisture level, and five cut lengths (12.7, 25.4, 50.8, 101.6, and 152.4 mm). The data was best fit to a power function and was analyzed to determine the statistical significance of the different model parameters. The analysis indicated that the moisture level, presence of ear corn and cut length all influence the model results

Limits and Consequences of Agriculture and Food Production: A General Methodology for the Case Studies

This paper is one of a series in which the limits and consequences of agricultural production over a long time horizon are explored. A paper by Jaroslav Hirs (forthcoming) provides a general overview of the relationships between agricultural production technologies, resource use, and the environment. Whether the food and agriculture system will be able to meet current and future world agricultural demands is identified as the central question which motivates our examination of these relationships. In other words, what are the important relationships between these areas which will affect the stability and sustainability of the food and agricultural system in the long run. The paper also argues that the analysis must be performed on a national or regional level in the form of case studies because of the location specific nature of some of the key inputs. The purpose of the present paper is to formulate a general methodology to ensure that the case studies are comparable with one another. Comparability is understood to have elements of both similarity and dissimilarity. To be comparable, the various case studies must be similar in their general outline. That is they must view the problem from the same perspective, and address a similar set of questions. Use of a common modeling approach may further facilitate comparisons. At the same time it is both possible and expected that differences in detail and emphasis will be present within each particular study. Nonetheless, while it is recognized that each region or nation that will make up an individual case study has some unique features, we believe that all share sufficient common aspects to profit from following a common general methodology. In order to facilitate the outlining of a general methodology, this paper will be divided into three main sections. A definition and classification section, a section on questions to be addressed, and a section dealing with the proposed recursive dynamic model. The definition and classification section is designed to give a working definition of the region modeled, linkage with the rest of the economy and each of the three aspects of the agricultural system on which the case studies will focus. The questions section lists, by each aspect, various questions, in general and in particular, that the case studies are expected to answer. The modeling section outlines in block form the proposed model

National and Regional Implications of Conservation Compliance

Soil erosion as an on-site problem received much attention in the 1985 Food Security Act (FSA), which established programs for the Conservation Reserve and conservation compliance. The 1985 FSA explicitly linked farmers\u27 resource use and conservation activities to benefits received from commodity programs. Much debate has ensued on erosion standards for compliance and farm income trade-offs. Farm-level uncertainties about meeting conservation compliance standards and about the trade-offs between limiting soil loss and maintaining farm income are evident. The objective of the analysis described herein was to provide information on national and regional implications of conservation compliance

Trade-Offs Between Agricultural and Chemical Policy

In modern U.S. agriculture there are numerous tradeoffs between agricultural and chemical policies. Chemicals are major inputs in agricultural production processes (for both crops and livestock). Agricultural chemicals, however, have negative environmental side effects that are not always considered by users (Benbrook 1988). Agricultural policies primarily are designed to stabilize commodity prices and enhance farm income, which in turn changes production levels, provides incentives for different intensities of factor use, and influences the loading of chemicals. In turn, chemical policies involving taxes, use restrictions, and registration requirements change the availability and prices of chemical inputs, alter agricultural production and cost levels, and affect agricultural income