Biomass crops show potential to meet growing demands for biobased products, but producers will not plant them without reliable markets, according to a new Agriculture Department report.
The report, produced by the agency as required by a 2022 Executive Order, anticipates growth in demand for biomass from crops, agricultural and food wastes, forests and livestock "for use in climate-smart and sustainable solutions to address society's needs." Biomass is already used in products like furniture, building materials, bioplastics, paper products and biofuels, and the development of new products "represents a golden opportunity" for the United States, the report says.
Limited data exists on future availability of some of the feedstocks needed for these products, however, and stable markets will be needed for producers to grow some of the most promising crops, like perennial grasses, shrub willow and hemp, which show promise in replacing "a wide array of petrochemical-derived products." Similarly, foresters need markets to invest in equipment for harvesting woody biomass from forests.
Another challenge facing biomass crop expansion is competition from other commodities for existing land, though producers could adopt some double-cropping systems with camelina, pennycress and carinata.
It’s easy to be “in the know” about what’s happening in Washington, D.C. Sign up for a FREE month of Agri-Pulse news! Simply click here.
The report calls for additional research on the availability of biomass crops and markets to support them, as well as on ways to expand the production of new oilseed crops and make transportation and processing of feedstocks more efficient. It also suggests using USDA's BioPreferred Program to expand federal procurement of biobased products and "maintaining stable and substantive support for biomass production over the long-term" to spur more farmers to plant biomass crops.
Insurance programs overseen by the Risk Management Agency could also be reassessed to "meet the changing needs of producers as new commodity markets develop," the report says.
For more news, go to www.agri-pulse.com.
