Polyculture Biofuel Production: Balancing Food Production, Biofuel, and Wildlife.

Concern over higher energy prices, air pollution, and global warming has fueled an explosion in the use and investment in alternative energy sources such as ethanol. To meet federal mandates, millions of acres of existing crop land will potentially be devoted to biofuel production. In addition, millions of acres that are currently in an existing stand of grass (i.e., enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program) have the potential to be converted to crop land. Crops on many of these acres will be produced on marginal soils. Research continues to drive cellulosic biofuel production towards becoming economically feasible and a greater number of producers are considering the cultivation of switchgrass and certain non-native grasses for this purpose.
However, research indicates that monoculture stands of native and non-native grasses provide little or no benefit for wildlife. Native grasses are an important component for many species of wildlife that typically use these fields for the desirable structure and cover these grasses provide. The food value of seeds produced by native forbs and legumes are far superior to that of seeds produced by native perennial grasses. Mixed stands of grasses, forbs, and legumes provide for a wider assortment of food and and cover needs for a variety of species. In addition, recent research from Minnesota has found that mixed stands of grasses and forbs produced greater biomass for use as biofuels than monocultures. A series of studies have been established at three locations in Missouri on a variety of soil types to provide agriculture producers interested in the economical production of biofuels with management alternatives that serve to enhance wildlife habitat and provide an alternative for livestock production. In addition, native legumes may provide sufficient nitrogen to the system to reduce or eliminate the need for commercial nitrogen fertilizer.