Non-Traditional Roles for Forage Crops.

Forage crops have had several traditional roles in agriculture. Besides providing a fiber, energy and protein source for ruminant animals, they have also been used as cost-effective tools for soil conservation. Recognition of the wide array of environmental services derived from forage crops has, in part, resulted in changes in management, often favoring a more extensive management. Abandoned or underutilized grasslands are generally only suited to extensive management, and can provide low-input, low-yield grass biomass. Coupled with technological advances in chemically modifying fibrous components of plants, this has led to a diverse set of non-traditional uses for forage crops. Non-traditional uses of forage crops can be grouped in three basic categories, one requiring feedstock consistency, one primarily interested in maximum yield, and a third intermediate category. Most uses requiring excessive processing require a very consistent feedstock from a single species. Processed products include cellulosic ethanol and other advanced biofuels, plastics, paper, and organic composite board. Uses that may only require densification treatment can generally tolerate less uniform feedstock from mixed species. Uses not requiring a very consistent feedstock include mushroom compost, pelleted animal bedding, pelleted soil mulch, and densified grass for absorption of toxics. Intermediate uses include hay or silage for biogas, bioheat, and biochar. Typically, non-traditional uses of forages rely on acquisition of inexpensive feedstocks. Most non-traditional uses of forages are not specific to forage crops, other forms of biomass can be substituted for the forage crop if the economics are favorable. These new roles for forage crops may or may not compete with traditional roles, and vary from supplying a supplemental farm income to becoming the primary source of farm revenue.