Robert Pore's Ag Blog

AMES, Iowa -- A John Deere 9750 STS combine slowly made its way through an Iowa State University research field, all the while dumping a crop of corn kernels into the combine's hopper and blowing a crop of stalks, cobs and leaves into a trailing wagon.

That dual-stream, single-pass harvesting system was developed by Stuart Birrell, an Iowa State associate professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering, and graduate students Mark Dilts and Ben Schlesser. They're working to design, build and test machinery that will harvest corn stover -- the stalks, cobs and leaves -- when farmers bring in their grain. The stover could be the source of plant fiber that feeds the next generation of ethanol plants.

The researchers ran their latest version of a stover harvester through about 50 acres of corn near Ames this fall. Birrell recently showed some video of the tests on his office computer and explained how the system works.

The researchers are developing stover attachments that can be used on standard combines. The result would be an additional cost to farmers of about $10,000 to $15,000 instead of the six figures it would take for a separate combine to harvest stover. The attachments would also allow farmers to harvest grain and stover with one pass through a field.

The system the researchers have come up with includes a modified row crop header and corn reel attached to the front of the combine and a chopper and blower attached to the back.

The header and reel feed leaves and stalks into the combine so the biomass can be harvested before it touches the ground and is contaminated with soil. The chopper cuts stover into 2-inch pieces. And the blower throws the chopped stover into a wagon.

Although tests with the prototype machine have been successful, Birrell said there is more development work to do:

* Harvest capacity. The stover harvesting equipment is capable of speeds equal to a normal grain harvest when less than 50 percent of the stover is collected. When all of a field's stover is collected, harvest speeds are about half of a normal grain harvest. Birrell said that would be unacceptable to farmers. And so he's working to get the speed to at least 80 percent of a normal grain harvest -- no matter how much stover is collected. That would allow farmers to decide how much stover they want to harvest without significantly affecting the time it takes to harvest their fields.
* Transportation. Birrell said researchers need to figure out how to pack the harvested stover so it can be economically transported. He said stover comes off the combine at a density of about 3 to 4 pounds per cubic foot; it needs to be about 10 to 12 pounds per cubic foot for efficient trucking.
* Storage. Birrell said researchers need to figure out how huge quantities of biomass can be stored. He said the U.S. Department of Energy has estimated a biorefinery would need at least 2,000 tons of biomass per day. A year's supply would cover 100 acres with 25 feet of biomass.
* Fertility. Birrell said researchers need to determine how much stover can be removed from fields while still returning sufficient organic matter to the soil and protecting the soil from winter erosion.

Birrell's stover harvesting research has been supported by a three-year, $180,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Energy and a two-year, $50,000 grant from Deere & Company of Moline, Ill.

Birrell said development of a stover harvesting system has been constrained by a lack of research funding.

"Significant resources have been dedicated to the process of converting cellulose into ethanol," he said. "But very little has gone into answering how do you get a supply of stover from the field to the biorefinery. This will be critical to the success of the bioeconomy."

Sioux Falls, SD – The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), a national grassroots trade association for the ethanol industry, today praised the United States Congress for voting to stand behind domestic ethanol production and extend the secondary tariff on imported ethanol. The Omnibus Tax bill passed December 8 included a provision to extend the secondary tariff offset for ethanol through January 1, 2009.

“Congress has delivered a clear and powerful message that it is in the best interest of the United States to continue supporting the domestic ethanol industry,” said Brian Jennings, ACE Executive Vice President. “We are extraordinarily grateful for the bipartisan leadership which accomplished the extension of the tariff offset to January 1, 2009. This important action helps pave the way for continued growth and investment in rural communities and clean burning, homegrown, renewable fuel.”

A secondary tariff of 54 cents per gallon has been in place for ethanol imports, a policy designed to offset the 51 cent per gallon blender’s credit that is applied to ethanol no matter its country of origin. Removing the tariff offset or not renewing it when it was set to expire on October 1, 2007, as some had suggested, would have had dire consequences for the U.S. ethanol industry.

“Removing this tariff offset would have paved the way for U.S. dollars to be wired to Brazil, with American taxpayers subsidizing already-subsidized foreign ethanol,” Jennings added. “In addition, abandoning the tariff would indicate to lenders and investors that the U.S. is abandoning its commitment to a domestic ethanol industry. Such a move would have sharply curtailed the growth of an American renewable fuels industry that has the potential for enormous benefits to the nation’s economy, environment, and energy security.”

In addition to the tariff extension, the tax bill included a new incentive for ethanol plants which utilize cellulosic feedstocks. New cellulosic ethanol facilities placed into service prior to January 1, 2013 will receive a provision for a 50 percent accelerated depreciation allowance.

LINCOLN – Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) Director Greg Ibach today announced the appointment of Neil Moseman as the new NDA Assistant Director.

“I am pleased for the agricultural community that we had an opportunity to hire a man of Neil’s experience to serve as Assistant Director,” Governor Dave Heineman said. “Greg has given our Department of Agriculture the perspective of an active producer and an experienced leader, and Neil adds ag experience and Washington ties. Together, they will be a great team, working hard on behalf of Nebraska farmers and ranchers.”

Moseman most recently served as a partner with Moseman and Associates, a private consulting firm dealing with federal appropriations, legislative and regulatory initiatives.

“I am excited for Neil to join our dedicated staff at the Nebraska Department of Agriculture,” Ibach said. “His Capitol Hill experience on agriculture policy, energy and international trade issues will serve as a catalyst for Nebraska farmers and ranchers.”

Prior to his work with Moseman and Associates, Moseman worked for Science Applications International Corporation, and served as the Vice President at the United States Beet Sugar Association in Washington, DC. Moseman has an extensive background on Capitol Hill dealing with agriculture, including serving as Agriculture Director for U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel and in various positions for the Committee on Agriculture for the U.S. House of Representatives.

Moseman was raised on his family’s Burt County farm, where they raised corn, soybeans, alfalfa, hogs and cattle. He earned a bachelor’s of science degree in agriculture economics from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1983. Moseman is a fifth generation Nebraskan. He is also a United States Navy veteran. He and his wife, Maureen, have a son, Jack, and currently reside in Omaha.


Moseman said, “I look forward to serving Nebraska’s farmers and ranchers. Agriculture is the backbone of Nebraska’s economy, and I am committed to helping it prosper in all 93 counties.”