Trial producers and partners meet to discuss the trial protocol.

RRFDC Continues to Pursue
Opportunities in BIO-ENERGY . . .
Agricultural Bio-Fuel Three Year Trial

(Click here for the article
in the RRFDC's Spring Newsletter)

The Rainy River Future Development Corporation (RRFDC) continues to pursue alternative energy opportunities with local partners including a three year trial to collect data on two types of grasses that could be grown, harvested and mixed in with wood waste to fuel the new Abitibibowater (AB) biomass boiler in Fort Frances.

Partnering with AB, the Emo Agriculture Research Station, Rainy River Soil & Crop Improvement Association and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and District producers, the RRFDC will try to determine whether reed canary and switch grass can be economically grown by agriculture producers to provide sustainable yields over the period of the trial project.

Representatives from AB view the reed canary and switch grass plots with the EARS manager.

This three year trial project currently has seven District producers involved in providing 100 acres of each variety of grass. The seed, fertilizer, and funding support for loss of land production for the trial is being provided by AB and the RRFDC rural agriculture initiative.

The RRFDC believes that large tracts of land devoted to growing reed canary and switch grass could produce new opportunities for agriculture production and generate a needed alternative for revenue growth in the local farming community across the District without displacing current crop production.

Trial site visit at the Krahn farm in July of 2008.

The first year of the trial began with a challenge. The heavy amount of rainfall experienced in the District during the spring and summer of 2008 made it difficult for the participating producers to get on their fields to plant the seed.

Trial site visit at the Brielmann farm which is certified organic.

Given these circumstances the producers were told by the committee to get the seed in when they could. Therefore, a unique opportunity was had to view how the seed grows when sewn at different intervals during the growing season. They were able to see how different methods of planting helped or hindered the young seed. Given the lack of crop heat units that the District experienced in 2008, the growth the trial plots have seen was encouraging.