New York Farm Viability Institute Website Press Releases 

Date: July 13, 2007

Run Date: Aug. 1, 2007

Contact: Rebecca Schuelke, public relations specialist
(315) 453-3823 extension 103
(315) 427-2714

rschuelke@nyfvi.org  

Field Day Showcases Perennials Grown for Bio-Energy Feedstock

Growing grass, willow and other perennials for bio-energy feedstock may be a little easier for New Yorkers in the near future, thanks to research now being conducted on establishing cool and warm season plants, seeding techniques, herbicides, inter-seeding grasses with corn, and other factors.

A field day to showcase some of the research is planned for 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Aug. 1 at the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Services Plant Materials Center in Big Flats.

Farmers, university researchers and agri-business representatives who have experimented with growing grasses for bio-fuel will present at the field day.

Larry Walker, director of the Northeast Sun Grant Institute at Cornell University, will offer an update on cellulose ethanol. SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry will demonstrate their work in willow management, tree production methods and more.

Among the trial plots showcased at the field day will be those funded through a partnership of Cornell University and the nonprofit New York Farm Viability Institute. Cornell and the Farm Viability Institute have funded a multi-year initiative to explore the feedstock best suited to growing conditions in New York and conversion to bio-fuel.

``Producing feedstock for bio-fuel could be a profitable alternative enterprise for New York farmers, particularly where grasses and other feedstock can be grown on underutilized and/or marginal land,’’ said John Lincoln, chairperson of the Farm Viability Institute board of directors.

For more information or to make reservations, call (607) 562-8404 or email paul.salon@ny.usda.gov. Cost, including lunch, is $5 (exact amount required).

The New York Farm Viability Institute is a nonprofit organization that directs on-farm applied research to foster a vibrant, profitable and renewable agriculture system that includes New York’s diverse farm sectors, commodities, farm sizes, production practices and geographic regions. The Institute is funded through a legislative appropriation to the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. For more information, visit www.nyfarmviability.org