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switcharoo
Posted By: Howard, on host 68.52.50.84
Date: Thursday, April 19, 2007, at 11:40:51

All of that talk about making fuel from plants is switching from corn to switchgrass. Without trying to understand all of the differeces between the two crops, I can see that switchgrass might be the better choice. For one thing, it's easier to raise. It's almost like a haycrop. You just plant it, wait a while, and harvest it. Corn grows in rows and requires tractors, plows, cornpickers, shellers. When using it for fuel, only the grain is used and that is only part of the plant.

Switchgrass can be raised with less equipment, you use the whole plant and it grows just about anywhere.

Tennessee is leading the switch to switchgrass. The Feds at Oak Ridge National Lab has been experimenting with switch grass and their budget has a mulit-million dollar provision to continue the research. The state budget includes over $60,000,000 to get a biomass fuel plant, using switchgrass, up and running. The Tennessee Farm Bureau says that switchgrass will grow practically anyplace in the state.

So look to Tennessee. It's where your fuel may be produced in the near future.
Howard

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