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ARS Home » Plains Area » Mandan, North Dakota » Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #267208
Title: Bioenergy cropping systems for food, feed, fuel, and soil

Author
item Archer, David
item Schmer, Marty
item Liebig, Mark
item Nichols, Kristine
item Kronberg, Scott

Submitted to: ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/8/2011
Publication Date: 10/16/2011
Citation: Archer, D.W., Schmer, M.R., Liebig, M.A., Nichols, K.A., Kronberg, S.L. 2011. Bioenergy cropping systems for food, feed, fuel, and soil. ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts. 62-2.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Crop production can meet multiple needs including food, livestock feed, and bioenergy or biofuels. Cropping systems can be developed to focus on meeting any one of these needs, or they can be developed to simultaneously meet multiple needs. In any case, these systems must also protect the soil resource which drives current and future productivity. The question is how best to allocate crop production among food, feed, fuel, and soil uses? A study was initiated in 2009 to help answer this question. The study looks at options for intensifying crop production (growing more grain and biomass) combined with options for intensifying crop utilization (using more of the grain and biomass for food, feed, fuel). Crop production options include moving from a low-intensity wheat-dry pea rotation to a higher intensity wheat-pea-corn rotation or a wheat-pea/cover crop rotation. Crop utilization options include moving from a low-intensity option of grain harvest only to higher intensity options of: harvesting wheat straw, harvesting all crop residues, and grazing all crop residues. Results for 2010 showed a significant reduction in wheat yield for wheat after corn if residue was grazed compared to wheat after peas with no residue harvest. Treatments had no effect on pea or corn yields. Net returns were highest for the wheat-pea-corn rotation due to relatively high corn prices and exceptionally high corn yields.