Wednesday July 7 Ag News

GRAZING SUMMER ANNUAL FORAGES
– Jerry Volesky, NE Extension

Summer annual forages such as sudangrass, sorghum-sudan hybrids and pearl millet planted this spring soon could be ready to graze.  There are some grazing guidelines to help avoid potential hazards.

The first guideline is too never turn hungry animals into sudangrass or sorghum-type pastures.  The reason why is because they may eat so rapidly that they could get a quick overdose of prussic acid and die.  All sudangrass and sorghum-type hybrids can produce a compound called prussic acid that is potentially poisonous.  Prussic acid, which also is called cyanide, is nothing to fear, though, as long as you use a few precautions to avoid problems.

The highest concentration of prussic acid is in new young shoots, so let your grass get a little growth on it before grazing to help dilute out the prussic acid.  Let sudangrass get 15 to 18 inches in height before grazing.  Sorghum-sudan hybrids usually have a little more prussic acid risk, so wait until they are 18 to 24 inches tall.

Pearl millet does not contain prussic acid so if you planted millet these grazing precautions aren’t needed.  Pearl millet can be grazed when it reaches 12 to 15 inches tall.

Nitrates also can accumulate in these grasses, particularly when there may be droughty conditions and/or excess nitrogen fertilization.  However, as long as you avoid grazing too short, nitrates should not be a problem.

Summer annual grasses respond best to a simple, rotational grazing system.  Divide fields into three or more smaller paddocks of a size that your animals can graze down to about eight or so inches of leafy stubble within 7 to 10 days.  Repeat this procedure with all paddocks.  If grass in some paddocks gets too tall, it could be cut for hay.

A well-planned start, a good rotation, and a little rain can give you good pasture from these grasses all the rest of the summer.   



FREE, Nebraska Pork Expo Wednesday, July 21

Area farmers considering expanding or diversifying their operations are invited to the Nebraska Pork Expo on July 21 in York, Nebraska.

The program will begin with registration at 8 a.m. and run until 5 p.m. at the Holthus Convention Center in York, Nebraska. Admission is free and breakfast, lunch, and Hors d'oeuvre will be provided.

Whether large, small, contract, independent or just learning about the industry, attendees will hear valuable sessions throughout the day. From financing and building, marketing pork in the private sector, and transition planning to sustainability and carbon markets. With nearly 50 vendors and an amazing lineup of speakers, this is a day you will not want to miss!

The event is sponsored by the Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska (AFAN), the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, the Nebraska Pork Producers Association, and the York County Development Corporation.  

“The pork industry in Nebraska continues to grow and there are many great options for farmers depending on your operation and goals. There are opportunities in direct-to-consumer sales, working as an independent producer for a niche market as well as several types of integrated models. Adding a pork component to a farming operation increases cash flow, builds equity, and provides valuable nutrients that can offset commercial fertilizer costs.” Said Steve Martin, Executive Director of AFAN.   

Registration is strongly encouraged to ensure an accurate meal count. To register visit becomeafan.org, email info@a-fan.org, or call 402.421.4472. Walk-ins are welcome.

For more information, click here... https://becomeafan.org/?page_id=3956.  



Frontier Cooperative Explores J1 Visa Exchange Program

One of Frontier Coop’s core values is to “create opportunities.” By recently learning about and committing to an international foreign student exchange program for the next year, that’s definitely in line with what the ag retailer considers a new opportunity.
 
In mid-June, seven Ukrainian students joined the Frontier Family. They will be working for Frontier Coop for the next 12 months as they are exposed to new techniques, methodologies, and expertise, while enhancing their knowledge of American culture and society.
 
Members of Frontier Coop leadership collaborated with the Foundation for Worldwide International Student Exchange (WISE), which is a non-profit cultural exchange program offering programs across the globe. As the sponsoring organization, the WISE Foundation helped facilitate the process of matching the Ukraine students with Frontier Coop, handling the recruiting, interviewing, and pre-screening requirements, visa logistics, travel arrangements, and other support as needed.
 
Many people are familiar with the H-2A visa program that allows U.S. employers to bring in foreign nationals to work in temporary agricultural jobs. However, the J1 visa program is considered more an educational program focused around culture and experience, and Frontier Coop is all about creating experiences.
 
“The J1 Visa program is a training program,” said Craig Schmuck, program manager for the WISE Foundation. “It shouldn’t be looked at as a source of labor but more as an educational program where you’ll get an exchange of ideas.”
 
Another key difference is that the exchange students are required to have a specific level of education, or experience, in their field. The students, ages 21 to 28 years old, are from all parts of Ukraine, and a majority of them grew up on a farm. They are either currently enrolled at a university in their home country or have recently graduated with a master’s degree in an agriculture-related field. The intent is that they arrive with a higher-than-average knowledge and experience, in hopes of gaining additional training to take back to share with their home country and communities.
 
For Frontier, the hope is to help broaden the perspectives of their employees and teach them to think outside the box to find ways to work with different cultures. Along the journey, they want to be able to give their new foreign friends a great experience.
 
“I strongly believe this program will be a great experience for our employees as they take the lead to participate and provide educational opportunities for the students, while learning about the Ukrainian culture, their customs, and how agriculture is practiced in Ukraine,” says Mike Carroll, VP of People Engagement & Safety, Frontier Coop. “We are very excited to welcome these students.”
 
The students will be based out of the David City-Yanka and Syracuse branches of Frontier Coop and will be living and working in those communities and surrounding areas. In their first few weeks with Frontier Coop, the Ukrainian students will attend orientation, go through extensive safety training, and obtain driver’s licenses, documentation, and certifications needed to complete their new roles with Frontier. They will also attend a driving program to acquire their CDLs (commercial driver’s licenses).
 
To help with the transition and new surroundings, Frontier Coop is turning to its personnel and seeking employees and their families to volunteer as guest families to act as a key source of guidance for the international students and help them get comfortable with their surroundings.
 
Frontier also plans to reach out to community groups, chambers, and other local resources for assistance in getting the word out about the student visitors and helping find ways to get them more accustomed to their new environments.



Virtual town hall to feature discussion on new legislation for local food systems

Three Nebraska farmers will join the Center for Rural Affairs on Wednesday, July 21, for a virtual town hall discussion on recent state and federal policy developments for local food systems and what strengthens the connection between farmers and consumers.

“New Opportunities, Future Challenges: A Discussion on Local Food Systems,” will begin at 7 p.m., CT. Featured speakers will be Paula Sandberg of Heritage Acres in Stratton, Gary Fehr of Green School Farms in Lincoln, and Robert Bernt of Clear Creek Organic Farms in Spalding.

“There’s a lot of work being done in our state to make local food more accessible to the communities where it’s produced,” said Kalee Olson, policy associate for the Center. “This event provides a platform for farmers to talk about that work and inspire others to think creatively about the exchange of food on a local level.”

Among the discussion items will be two new bills passed by the Nebraska Legislature— Legislative Bill (LB) 324, which created a grant program to provide funding for small meat processing facilities and broadened the ability of consumers to purchase directly from producers, and LB 396, which expands the state’s Farm to School program, a partnership that brings locally produced, nutritious food to public schools.

“These programs will play a vital role in how efficiently our food systems work, and we’re excited to discuss how the legislation will influence local producers in the years to come,” Olson said.

Attendees are encouraged to come with questions for the panel. For more information and to register for this online event, visit cfra.org/events. Questions can be directed to Olson at kaleeo@cfra.org or 402-687-2100 ext. 1022.



JULY 15 IS DEADLINE TO ENTER NDA’S ANNUAL POULTRY PHOTO CONTEST

If you’re in 4-H or FFA, have a passion for poultry and like to take photos, the Nebraska Department of Agriculture’s (NDA) annual Poultry Photo Contest is for you! This year’s contest will be even easier to enter as NDA is accepting photo entries online. Official contest rules and entry forms are available at nda.nebraska.gov. The deadline to submit photos is July 15, 2021.

“4-H and FFA members work hard every day caring for their poultry and show birds,” said NDA Director Steve Wellman. “NDA’s annual Poultry Photo Contest gives them another opportunity to showcase their birds and take pride in their work. We look forward to seeing this year’s creative photos and hope that the new online entry process will make it even easier for people to submit photos.”

Winners of NDA’s Poultry Photo Contest will be announced this fall. NDA will feature
winning photos throughout the year in promotional materials, an online calendar, and on social
media. NDA teammates will judge photo contest entries based on originality, composition
and photographic skills. Submit entries online at https://tinyurl.com/NDAPhotoContest.

The contest also gives NDA the opportunity to share information on biosecurity measures that
poultry owners can use to keep their flocks healthy and prevent the spread of diseases. Bird
owners in Nebraska should always practice sound biosecurity measures to help prevent diseases
like Virulent or Exotic Newcastle Disease and avian influenza. If a disease outbreak is suspected,
poultry owners can call their local veterinarian or NDA at 800-831-0550.



MaxYield Cooperative’s Members Approve Merger with NEW Cooperative, Inc.

The members of MaxYield Cooperative, headquartered in West Bend, Iowa, have approved the merger proposal with Fort Dodge, Iowa-based NEW Cooperative, Inc. The merger will become effective August 1, 2021.

“We are pleased to report the MaxYield membership has voted in favor of this merger,” stated MaxYield board chairman Howard Haas. “Thank you to our members for taking time to attend meetings, looking over materials and evaluating the merger proposal. We look forward to being a part of NEW Cooperative and look forward to the opportunities that will bring our members, clients and team members.”

“We welcome the members and employees of MaxYield to NEW Cooperative,” stated Dan Dix, General Manager of NEW Cooperative, who resides near Humboldt. “We thank the MaxYield membership for the support and confidence placed in NEW Cooperative by voting in favor of this merger and we also thank the staff of MaxYield for all of the work done during the merger study. I look forward to leveraging the value that this merger brings to the combined memberships and employees of both organizations.”

MaxYield’s membership vote met Iowa’s state voting requirement for a successful cooperative merger. To approve a merger, Iowa law requires at least 50 percent (plus one) of MaxYield’s Class A membership to vote, with at least two-thirds of those casting ballots voting in favor of the merger. The ballot counting committee consisted of two MaxYield board members, two MaxYield Class A voting members and two representatives of the auditing firm Meriwether Wilson & Co PLLC.

“It’s exciting for me to see the members of MaxYield approve this merger in an effort to continue evolving, positioning for and maintaining a strong cooperative presence across the current MaxYield trade area,” said MaxYield CEO Keith Heim. “I too thank MaxYield’s members for evaluating this merger proposal and casting their vote on this important cooperative decision.”

Heim also went on to say that, “I appreciate and thank all MaxYield team members for their efforts and their willingness to be open-minded throughout this merger process. The transition process to an effective August 1st merger date is well underway and will continue throughout July and beyond.”

“The board would also like to thank MaxYield’s team members for their patience and support the last six months as we evaluated this merger. We also appreciate the efforts of CEO Keith Heim and MaxYield’s leadership team during this process,” Haas said. “I am also pleased to report that Keith [Heim] will stay on as MaxYield’s CEO during the month of July as we complete our fiscal year and to help with what we expect to be a seamless transition to NEW Cooperative.”

NEW’s board of directors will expand to a total of 15, with the addition of three directors to be appointed by the MaxYield board of directors.

More information about both cooperatives can be found at www.maxyieldcoop.com and www.newcoop.com.



NIFA Invests $14M in Animal Health and Disease Research

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced today an investment of $14 million in research to protect agricultural animals from disease. The grants are part of NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative’s Diseases of Agricultural Animals program area priority.

“Animal health is critically important to farmers and ranchers,” said NIFA director Dr. Carrie Castille. “This research will help better understand, diagnose, control and prevent diseases in agricultural animals and aquaculture.”

Funded projects will focus on developing new and improved vaccines, diagnostics and antimicrobial alternatives; breeding disease resistant animals; and understanding better ways to manage animals to minimize disease outbreaks.

Examples of the 31 recently awarded Diseases of Agricultural Animals Program grants include:
    Iowa State University’s project will introduce a new approach to Vitamin A and Zinc supplements to help protect cattle against stress and respiratory disease ($500,000).
    University of Maine, Orono’s project will develop a new, safe aquaculture vaccine to help improve disease immunity in Atlantic salmon in an environmentally friendly and cost-effective way (495,000).
    University of Florida’s project will examine ways to improve immunity in pigs that can protect them from lung disease and influenza virus infections ($500,000).

NIFA invests in and advances agricultural research, education, and Extension across the nation to make transformative discoveries that solve societal challenges. NIFA supports initiatives that ensure the long-term viability of agriculture and applies an integrated approach to ensure that groundbreaking discoveries in agriculture-related sciences and technologies reach the people who can put them into practice. In FY2020, NIFA’s total investment was $1.95 billion.



Structural Barriers Make Extended Crop Rotations Difficult to Adopt

The practice of adding small grains or forage crops to corn and soybean rotations has great potential to balance production and environmental goals, but adoption of these practices in Iowa and across the Midwest is low.

A recent research article published in the "Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Letters" by members of Iowa State University’s departments of sociology and agronomy examined farmer perspectives on the potential benefits and barriers related to extended rotations.

“Before the widespread use of internal combustion engine tractors and synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, extended rotations were key to soil fertility and pest control,” said J. Arbuckle, professor of rural sociology and extension sociologist at Iowa State. “While the shift to a fossil-fuel based system of cultivation, fertility and pest control reduced labor needs, over time it has also resulted in unintended consequences such as contaminated water bodies, pesticide resistance, greenhouse gas emissions and degraded soils. Use of extended rotations could help to reverse some of those harms.”

Farmer perspectives
The survey was conducted because little is known about farmers’ perspectives on extended rotations. Lead author David Weisberger, now a Ph.D. student in weed science at the University of Georgia, explained, “My master's thesis research in agronomy at Iowa State University explored farmers’ views on the benefits of and barriers to use of extended rotations. I conducted interviews and focus groups with Iowa farmers who were using small grains in extended rotations. Insights from those interactions informed the design of survey questions for the statewide Farm Poll.”

The use of extended rotations, especially those that incorporate small grains and forages, can have major positive agronomic and environmental impacts.

“On the agronomic side, they lead to increased soil organic matter, healthier microbial communities, greater water holding capacity, and promote other indicators of soil health, and, ultimately, crop yields, while also reducing weed, pest, and disease prevalence,” said co-author Marshal McDaniel, assistant professor of agronomy at Iowa State. “The environmental benefits are also important; for example, extended rotations can improve water quality by reducing nutrient loss to waterways.”

Barriers to use
The results of the survey showed that farmers are well aware of the many potential benefits of extended rotations, but they see major barriers to widespread use.

“Almost all farmers surveyed understand that extended rotations can improve soil health while reducing the need for inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides,” noted co-author Matt Liebman, professor of agronomy at Iowa State. “That said, they also recognize that there are major barriers to their use, such as lack of markets, lagging research on small grains and forages breeding, and a shortage of technical know-how among agricultural retailers and other crop advisers.”

The authors explained that barriers such as lack of markets and small grain handling infrastructure are considered to be structural barriers that cannot be easily addressed by individual farmers.

“Some of the big challenges that we face in agriculture – soil and water degradation and pesticide resistance, for example – can be addressed through resilience-enhancing extended rotations,” related Arbuckle. “However, efforts to promote extended rotations with small grains and forages will likely require supportive changes in agri-food policies, programs and ultimately markets.”



2021 Sorghum PAC Series Breaks Fundraising Record

The National Sorghum Producers’ (NSP) 2021 Sorghum PAC Series generated a record-breaking $133,000 for the Sorghum PAC. Sorghum Partners was the premiere event sponsor, and the series included three rounds of fundraisers that took place throughout the spring, including two online auctions and an inaugural golf tournament.

“We are thrilled by the success of the 2021 Sorghum PAC Series,” NSP Industry Relations Director Jamaca Battin said. “In such an uncertain year, we are especially grateful for our members and sponsors who generously contributed their time and financial support to make these events and the success we had possible.”

The keystone event was the inaugural Sorghum PAC Golf Tournament, which took place at the Wellington Golf Club in Wellington, Kansas.

NSP is pleased to announce the winners of the tournament. Prizes were awarded to teams first through third in three flights. In the Champion Flight, the first place team included David Meyers, Corey Swindler, Eric Fahnstock and Denver Harris, and the second place team was Ben Heasty, Jeremy Zehr, Tyler Norris and Toby Ruder. In the A Flight, the first place team was Mark Johnson, Cole Miller, Michael Fullmer and Troy Scarlett, and the second place team included Clint Lawrence, Brady Lawrence, Steve Anderson and Richard Clift. In the B Flight, the first place team included Greg Turek, Dylin Volavka, Hunter Stuewe and Alec Webster, and the second place team was Jared Brown, Alan Campbell, Joel Leftwich and Bob Leftwich. Photos of the winning teams and other photos from the event can be found at SorghumGrowers.com.

“I am really pleased at the success of our golf tournament,” NSP Vice Chairman Craig Meeker said. “Not only did we raise significant financial resources for NSP to continue to provide the highest-quality advocacy on behalf of sorghum farmers and our industry, but we were also able to bring together farmers, industry partners, state affiliates and staff for competitive fun and fellowship in the name of sorghum. I look forward to continuing this new tradition and building on the tremendous success we saw this year.”

The series also included two online auctions, one hosted through BigIron Auctions, and an additional online event that included exclusive commentary from sorghum representative and Combest Sell & Associates principal Tom Sell, former House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson and NSP CEO Tim Lust.

“It is exciting to see the continual growth of the Sorghum PAC,” Sorghum PAC Chairman Shane Ohlde said. “Through innovative and adaptive new events, generous donations from farmers and the new and continued support of our industry partners and sponsors, we are growing the Sorghum PAC and NSP’s ability to promote sound farm policy on Capitol Hill.”

The Sorghum PAC promotes worthy legislators who understand and advocate on behalf of sorghum priorities, and it serves as an influential alliance of NSP members and sorghum associations working to uphold and protect the interest of growers across the country. More information about the Sorghum PAC can be found at SorghumGrowers.com/sorghum-pac/.



New innovations offer powerful results for the bioenergy industry

After a challenging time during the pandemic, for the first time in over a year the ethanol industry will gather at large in Iowa, hoping also to welcome innovations that provide a substantial boost in efficiency and counteract other production challenges. At the Fuel Ethanol Workshop (FEW), the world’s largest ethanol event, Novozymes will be introducing two advanced technologies, in yeast and fiber, that have significant potential to achieve this and more.

“By continuing to combine the biological synergies and sustainability of our enzymes, yeast, and technical service platforms, Novozymes is establishing new performance expectations for ethanol production,” says Brian Brazeau, Novozymes’ President for North America and Vice President, Agricultural & Industrial Biosolutions, Americas. “We love taking on tough challenges to create something meaningful and sustainable for our customers and the world – and we cannot wait to bring these two new innovations to FEW this year after such an extraordinary time for the industry.”

A new “power yeast”
Innova Element is the latest addition to Novozymes’ ambitious Innova yeast platform that was launched less than three years ago and has met a clear need for better performance and reliability. Element specifically targets ethanol plants seeking the highest level of starch and glucose conversion.

“Innova Element seeks to lead the industry in ethanol yield without sacrificing robust performance – delivering the most trusted performance in starch accessibility and conversion,” says Brazeau. “Through yeast engineered for today’s ethanol production needs, Element really takes advantage of its environment to maximize producer opportunity.”

Delivering Innova’s industry-leading robustness, Element is tolerant of high ethanol concentrations, powers through high organic acid and fermentation temperature excursions – delivering the lowest residual starch. This allows producers to push for new ethanol yield targets while minimizing losses to common stressors such as high temperature and organic acids.

Starch and glucose are fully consumed for on-time, clean, reliable fermentations. And, Element enables plants to improve throughput by raising solids and improving plant efficiency – or finish fermentations as needed because of its flexibility in speed.

Advanced fiber-degrading technology
In addition to the new yeast, and just a few months after establishing a brand-new fiber platform, Novozymes will also introduce Fiberex F2.5 – continuing to advance its fiber-degrading technology based on full-scale plant trial results and fiber analysis. For plants seeking to access lower carbon fuel markets for diversification, Fiberex F2.5 unlocks next-generation biofuel production while expanding plant profitability.

“In fiber conversion, we are continuing to respond to customers’ needs for diversification and business sustainability,” adds Brian Brazeau. “By combining the synergistic power of hemi-cellulase and cellulase enzymes, with Fiberex F2.5 the fiber matrix is more efficiently and completely broken down into its value-add components, including cellulosic ethanol and corn oil, which can generate up to $2.5 million dollars in additional revenue at a 100 million gallons-per-year facility.”

Novozymes has been the market leader in corn fiber conversion – with technologies that customers trust to support their goals. As a testament to its technology and collaborative approach, the company supports over 80% of the corn fiber-to-ethanol production in North America using in-process, drop-in enzymatic solutions.

Moreover, Novozymes goes beyond biology and collaborates with analytics and engineering partners to seamlessly bring fiber conversion technology to customers.

Better together: Taking a holistic approach
By leveraging the biological synergies and sustainability of Novozymes’ enzymes, yeast, and technical service platforms all together, ethanol producers can truly unlock more of their inputs to generate the highest levels of ethanol, expand diversification, lower their input costs, and achieve significant process efficiency gains. Together, these offerings realize significant, additional value when enabling their strengths to maximize production.

“By adopting a holistic approach in developing technology platforms, broad biotechnology toolsets, and consistently launching breakthrough solutions, we aim to maximize opportunities for bioenergy producers,” finishes Brian Brazeau. “The launches of Innova Element advanced yeast, Fortiva Hemi, our newest liquefaction solution, and Fiberex F2.5 for fiber-to-low-carbon ethanol production, together deliver the most holistic, sustainable, and advanced approach to ethanol production – all based on customer needs and our commitment to a better tomorrow.”



Nufarm introduces Precinct™ Seed Treatment

Nufarm Americas Inc. is pleased to announce the EPA registration of Precinct™ Seed Treatment, for control of downy mildew, Pythium spp., and Phytopthora spp on more than 50 labeled crops, including corn, cotton, and soybeans.

Precinct moves systemically into plants, leading to uniform distribution within the plant and less leaching or loss due to soil binding. Plus, it is stable under varying conditions, offers lower use rates than other mefenoxam products, and can be used alone or in combination with other seed treatment products for optimum flexibility.

“Precinct’s AI concentration, stability, and broad labeled crops list make it an integral component of our strategy and portfolio quality. We expect Precinct to be a leading choice for both custom blend organization and end users looking to free up slurry space while maintaining seed protection,” says Michael Burbach, Customer & Brand Marketing Manager for Nufarm.

Nufarm has a detailed state registration strategy for Precinct. Contact your local Nufarm representative for more information on state registrations.



Energycane Produces More Biodiesel Than Soy at Lower Cost

Bioenergy from crops is a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. New crops such as energycane can produce several times more fuel per acre than soybeans. Yet, challenges remain in processing the crops to extract fuel efficiently.

Four new studies from the University of Illinois explore chemical-free pretreatment methods, development of high-throughput phenotyping methods, and commercial-scale techno-economic feasibility of producing fuel from energycane in various scenarios.

The studies are part of the ROGUE (Renewable Oil Generated with Ultra-productive Energycane) project at U of I. ROGUE focuses on bioengineering accumulation of triacylglycerides (TAGs) in the leaves and stems of energycane, enabling the production of much more industrial vegetable oil per acre than previously possible.

"The productivity of these non-food crops is very high per unit of land. Soybean is the traditional crop used for biodiesel, but we can get higher yield, more oil, and subsequently more biofuel from lipid-producing energycane," says Vijay Singh, Founder professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ABE) at U of I and co-author on all four papers.

Biofuel production from crops involves breaking down the cellulosic material and extracting the oil in a series of steps, explains study co-author Deepak Kumar, assistant professor in the Chemical Engineering Department at State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF) and adjunct research scientist at the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology at U of I.

"The first step is to extract the juice. That leaves bagasse, a lignocellulosic material you can process to produce sugars and subsequently ferment to bioethanol," Kumar says.

"One of the critical things in processing any lignocellulosic biomass is a pretreatment step. You need to break the recalcitrant structure of the material, so enzymes can access the cellulose," he adds. "Because energycane is a relatively new crop, there are very few studies on the pretreatment and breakdown of this bagasse to produce sugars, and to convert those sugars into biofuels."

The pretreatment process also yields some unwanted compounds, which inhibit enzymes that convert the sugar into biofuels. The U of I researchers investigated the best pretreatment methods to maximize the breakdown while minimizing the production of inhibitors. Typically, the pretreatment process uses chemicals such as sulfuric acid to break down the biomass at high temperature and pressure.

"We use a chemical-free method, which makes it more environmentally friendly," Kumar explains. "Furthermore, harsh chemicals may alter the oil structure or quality in the biomass."

The researchers tested their method using nine different combinations of temperature and time intervals. They were able to achieve more than 90% cellulose conversion at the optimal conditions, which is equivalent to results from chemical pretreatment methods.

The second study built on those results to further investigate the relationship between temperature, inhibitor production, and sugar recovery.

"We pretreated the lignocellulosic biomass over a range of different temperatures to optimize the condition for minimal inhibitor generation without affecting the sugar recovery. Then we added cryogenic grinding to the process," says Shraddha Maitra, postdoctoral research associate in ABE and lead author on the study.

"In cryogenic grinding, you treat the bagasse with liquid nitrogen, which makes it very brittle, so upon grinding the biomass fractures easily to release the sugars. This further increased sugar recovery, mainly xylose, by about 10% compared to other refining processes," Maitra explains.

Other industries use similar methods, for example for spices and essential oils, where it is important to preserve the qualities of the product. But applying them to biofuel production is new.

In a third study, Maitra and her co-authors investigated time-domain nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technology to determine the stability and recovery of lipids by monitoring changes in total, bound, and free lipids after various physical and chemical feedstock preprocessing procedures.

The research team's fourth study investigated the commercial-scale techno-economic feasibility of engineered energycane-based biorefinery. They used computer modeling to simulate the production process under two different scenarios to determine capital investment, production costs, and output compared with soybean-based biodiesel.

"Although the capital investment is higher compared to soybean biodiesel, production costs are lower (66 to 90 cents per liter) than for soybean (91 cents per liter). For the first scenario, processing energycane had overall slightly lower profitability than soybean biodiesel, but yields five times as much biodiesel per unit of land," says Kumar, the lead author on the study.

"Energycane is attractive in its ability to grow across a much wider geography of the U.S. south east than sugarcane. This is a region with much underutilized land, yet capable of rain-fed agriculture," says ROGUE Director Steve Long, Ikenberry Endowed Chair of Plant Biology and Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois.

"As a perennial, energycane is suitable for land that might be damaged by annual crop cultivation. Our research shows the potential to produce a remarkable 7.5 barrels of diesel per acre of land annually. Together with co-products, this would be considerably more profitable than most current land use, while having the potential to contribute greatly to the national U.S. goal of achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. This proves how valuable it is to build on the successes already achieved in bioengineering energycane to accumulate oils that are easily converted into biodiesel and biojet," Long states.