The hidden potential of prairie grass

Posted By By Jeff Helsdon

(originally posted in the Tillsonburg News )

A little bit of the past could be the unexpected panacea that could help the environment and sand plain farmers.

In the days prior to settlement, the Norfolk Sand Plain was a mix of forest interspersed with islands of tallgrass prairie. The deep roots of the prairie grasses helped hold together the light soil.

In the 1800s, much of the native vegetative cover was removed from the Norfolk Sand Plain to make way for the horse and plow. Pioneer farmers quickly found they had gone too far in their quest to eke a living from the earth. Wind whipped the light soil into sand storms, often damaging crops.

Two important developments brought change in the 20th century. First, was the establishment of the St. Williams Forestry Station – Canada’s first – in 1908.

It provided the stock to bring tree cover in Norfolk County from what was estimated at less than 10 per cent, to 26 per cent presently.

The second major change was the discovery that native tobacco would thrive in the sandy soil. Not only did tobacco provide a good income for farmers, it also provided enough revenue that farmers didn’t need to cut down every woodlot to make ends meet.

A movement to find an alternative crop to tobacco that started with shrinking crop sizes in the 1980s continues today.

Interestingly, a few factors came together that could utilize another natural resource and help the environment in multiple ways. Ontario Power Generation’s quest for green fuel for the Nanticoke Generating Station was the start of it.

“Here we have native plants that could be commercialized for the biomass market and that’s prairie grasses,” said Bryan Gilvesy, chairman of the Alternative Land Use Services Partnership Advisory Committee.

ALUS is a concept that recognizes the ecological value of services farmers provide and provides payments for this.

He has been promoting the value of prairie grass for biomass fuel for Nanticoke Generating Station. Gilvesy is promoting the concept of carbon sequestration through the prairie grasses as well as payments for ecological services through ALUS.

Not only would the prairie grass provide the biomass that could fire Nanticoke, but it would also improve water infiltration, provide wildlife habitat and build the soil. Tallgrass prairie can sequester up to two tons of carbon per acre and is actually the only plant being considered for biofuel that is carbon negative through carbon stored in the ground with its massive root systems.

“There’s never been a market value for ecological services,” Gilvesy said. “We are entering into a world where there is a market for one of these things (carbon sequestration). Once you have a value for one of these things, it’s easy to say there is value for other ecological services.

“The farmer could sell the biomass to OPG, sell the carbon credits, and ultimately we’ll be able to get money for the ecological services as well.”

Presently Norfolk is in the midst of a pilot to prove the theories of ALUS. Gilvesy is hopeful the cap and trade carbon credits – which will be launched in 2012 – will provide a market that could lead to ALUS being extended across the province.

Presently Ontario has a voluntary system where companies can be carbon neutral by purchasing carbon offsets. Picasso Fish , which was the web developer for the ALUS web site, purchased two Ontario Conservation Credits.

“They’ll be able to tell their customers they have invested in two acres of tallgrass prairie in Ontario that has almost four carbon credits attached to it and all the other ecological benefits,” Gilvesy said.

While Gilvesy was promoting the advantages of tallgrass prairie as biofuel in connection to ALUS, Tallgrass Ontario was going down a somewhat parallel path. Tallgrass Ontario program coordinator Kyle Breault explained the organization became interested when OPG asked for expressions of interest for biofuel production.

He touts research done in the United States that shows mixed tallgrass can outproduce a monoculture of switch grass for biomass capability.

Gilvesy pointed to the Show Me Energy Co-op in Missouri has proven the potential tallgrass prairie as a fuel.

Besides providing fuel, Breault’s aim is to reestablish more tallgrass prairie in Ontario.

When he learned ALUS was proposing something similar, discussions between the two started. Breault explained the idea was to replace some of the cash crops that don’t do as well on sandy soil with tallgrass that would grow better. He hoped the yields would be similar, with ALUS payments in addition to money for the biomass produced.

Breault’s estimate is 160,000 acres of tallgrass prairie would be needed to supply what Nanticoke needs. He expects it would be wanted in pellet form and could see pelletizing plant being built in the sand plain area.

Bob Osborne, director of public affairs for OPG fossil generation, explained the request for proposal is part of an effort to study the feasibility of converting a portion of the province’s existing coal-fired units into renewable fuels. Test firing has already taken place with wood pellets and waste from the wheat milling process.

“We did prove, yes can make electricity here (Nanticoke) without goal,” he said.

Asked specifically about prairie grass, Osborne said, “There’s certainly potential. We will be doing some testing in a laboratory.”