Assessment of Alternative Fuel Production from Switchgrass: An Example from Arkansas

Abstract

As the hunt for renewable energy sources from agriculture intensifies, many agricultural producers are contemplating what crops to grow in the foreseeable future. On the one hand, there are traditional food crops, such as soybean, corn, and wheat, which have recently enjoyed a spike in prices, primarily because of the seemingly ever-growing demands of the corn to ethanol industry. On the other hand, there are the lesser-known perennial energy crops, such as switchgrass. Although much information on various aspects of switchgrass production exists, this paper discusses the adaptation of existing production and processing information to Arkansas conditions as a potential alternative to crop production.