Uthe Field Site (Landscape Biomass Project)

The Uthe Research and Demonstration Farm is located in Boone County, Iowa and is part of the Landscape Biomass Project. The goal of the Landscape Biomass Project is to develop, refine, and implement a portfolio of sustainable bioenergy feedstock production systems that together contribute significantly to reducing dependence on foreign oil; have net positive social, environmental, and rural economic impacts; and are compatible with existing agricultural systems. To accomplish this goal, we are developing several alternative biomass cropping systems and comparing them to a conventional continuous corn system. Alternative cropping systems were chosen because of their potential to provide:

•Superior biomass yields (Triticale /Sorghum);
•Some biomass yield while mitigating some negative environmental impacts (Corn-Soy-Triticale/Soy and Corn-Switchgrass); or
•Some short-term biomass yield and superior long-term yield while strongly mitigating negative environmental impacts (Triticale/ Trees).
As crop performance is strongly tied to site factors, we are evaluating these biomass cropping systems across a series of landscape positions (Fig. 2). Our results will eventually allow for optimized bioenergy feedstock production across agricultural landscapes.

Landscape Biomass Project Website: http://www.nrem.iastate.edu/landscape/projects/ls_biomass/ls_biomass.htm