Education about the removal of corn stover from the fields, and how it affects those fields, is the MOST important part of Rural Energy Marketing, LLC's job. We need to let farmers know that removing a portion of their corn stover will not adversely affect their crops or organic matter. In fact, the roots of the corn plant have 1.4 times more carbon in them than the stalk.
There are many positives to removing corn stover from the field. First is that, after a long winter, removing the corn stover helps the ground warm up and dry out. This facilitates earlier plantings and a longer growing season. Second, removing corn stover allows for the use of no-till farming practices. No-till practices help reduce the cost of labor, maintenance and time spent disking or plowing fields. Third, removal of corn stover helps cure the algae problems in lakes and rivers. Snow removes soluble phosphorus from the corn stalks and when the snow melts it carries the soluble phosphorus to the nearest water source. Finally, we are developing a market for a product that currently has a very limited market. We are proposing to pay for corn stover as a feedstock to produce fuel, much as corn is used now.
Rural Energy Marketing is not advocating removing all stover from a given field. Some must be left to handle erosion and other issues. The USDA has said that, depending on the specific piece of ground, it is ok to remove between 45% and 80% of the corn stover from a field. This equates to around 2.5 to 3 tons of corn stover per acre.
For more information feel free to download the presentation in the About Us tab or contact us here at Rural Energy Marketing, LLC.