Miscanthus myth-busters

By Mark Coleman, Terravesta customer account manager

Miscanthus is seeing increased interest from farmers looking to grow profits from less productive or flood-prone land. It's a perennial crop offering a long-term income and has huge demand from renewable energy power stations, powering local homes. If you're considering planting it, we've got some commonly asked questions to bust the Miscanthus myths...

1)     Is Miscanthus good for the environment?

Yes, Miscanthus stores more carbon than it releases in its life cycle, and it helps to restore and stabilise damaged soils. It will take in carbon during its growth period and even after it has been cut, baled, driven to the power station, and burnt, it will only release the carbon it has taken in. The below-ground rhizomes will also store an additional 2.35 CO2 equivalent per hectare, per year. This makes the crop “carbon negative”, even if it is burnt to supply our renewable energy needs!

2)     Does it compete with food on UK farmland?

The food versus fuel debate is a common misconception about Miscanthus. The vast majority of Miscanthus crops in the UK are planted on marginal or less productive fields which would struggle to produce sufficient yielding food crops. The Committee on Climate Change identified 700,00 hectares of land in the U.K. suitable for biomass without affecting food production in its sixth carbon budget.

Miscanthus does not affect food production, but it does improve our energy security.

3)     Is Miscanthus difficult to get rid of?

Terravesta Athena Miscanthus is a sterile hybrid. The crop will not spread outside of the planted area, as the only way for it to do so, is to split the rhizome and then replant it elsewhere. With regards to the removal of the crop at the end of its use, Miscanthus is a grass and it can be removed leaving the land available to be reverted to other cropping.

In fact, the soil quality of the field will be greatly improved due to the no-till and organic matter built up over its 20-year lifespan.

4)     Is Miscanthus good for biodiversity and nature?

A little-known fact about Miscanthus is that once it’s established, it requires no additional weed control. The leaf litter that falls naturally from the stems, is left on the ground. This rots down and creates a thriving environment for crawling insects, earthworms, soil-based organisms and micro-organisms. Birds also appreciate the cover miscanthus provides.

5)     How profitable is Miscanthus?

Miscanthus has an economic lifespan of over 20 years as a financially viable crop, giving growers secure, long-term returns. It requires no nitrogen or fertiliser on establishment and no ongoing herbicides once established.

Demand for Miscanthus is very high and can provide you with a long-term, stable, retail index-linked income, that goes up each year. Considering this is on land that is typically more problematic for planting cereals, it is a solid income generator and fits well around other crops in the farming calendar.

Why not contact Terravesta and see what returns you can make?

7)     What are the markets for Miscanthus in the UK?

Now, more than ever, our self-sufficiency regarding our energy supply is vitally important.

Miscanthus is an ideal crop for biomass which is a key part of the solution, demand is very high and more supply is always needed. That’s not all, Miscanthus also has various other uses such as animal bedding, use in composite construction materials, agri-plastics, and chemicals for the bio-pharmaceutical market. This is the beginning of the exciting uses for this wonder crop.

For more information about Miscanthus, please call our Crop Inputs team on 01507 602396 opt. 1.