Bioenergy Crops Demonstration Site
Sunflowers from 2009 Crops Demo (D Ciolkosz)
Introduction
One of the biggest new opportunities for agriculture in recent years is the growth of the bioenergy industry. This is more than just a matter of midwest corn for ethanol - a wide variety of bioenergy crops and uses are developing. As a result, farmers now have the option to grow crops for this newly developing bioenergy market. However, very little is known about the agronomic potential or best practices for growing many of these relatively uncommon crops.
Penn State's Division of Farm Services, in conjunction with Cooperative Extension and the Biomass Energy Center, carries out annual crop tests of promising varieties of different bioenergy crops. This effort allows for field-scale evaluation of crops and cropping systems, as well as assessment of the potential for using these crops at the university as a bioenergy feedstock.
Visiting the Site
The crops demo site is located just northwest of campus, on Fox Hollow Road. Visitors are welcome, and an interpretive brochure is available at the site from June to September.
Google Maps Directions to the demo site
Crops being tested this year include: Spring Barley, Spring Canola, Winter canola, Brown Flax, Safflower, Forage Sorghum, Sweet Sorghum, Sugar Beet, Sunflower, and Camelina.
Additional Info:
These are a few photos from the 2009 Crops Display
This is a short, descriptive slide show about some of the oilseeds we have been testing
