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There will be a joint field tour during the conference to the University of Minnesota Southern Research and Outreach Center in Waseca, Minnesota to see both agricultural and forestry research projects, with an emphasis on working landscapes, cultural practices commonalities, and opportunities for integration.
Pre Conference Developing Alternative Energy Crops and Systems Tour, Monday, August 18, 2008
Diversifying the suite of crops and cropping systems is a key to the economic and environmental sustainability of bioenergy feedstock production. This tour will highlight a number of the possibilities under study on farmland in Iowa. The first leg of the trip will focus on combining riparian and field border conservation practices with biomass production and wildlife habitat improvement. A driving tour will be taken along 9.7 kilometers of continuous riparian multi-species buffer strips using different designs in the Bear Creek National Restoration Demonstration Watershed. Buffers vary from 3-18 years of age. Plantings include poplar hybrids, silver maple, green ash, a variety of shrubs and native grasses, and a high yielding switch grass selection.
Lunch will be served at the Risdal Farm, the first planting site and official visitor site for the buffer. Here participants can take a guided or unguided tour of a number of buffer components. An information kiosk provides a one-stop overview of the project for those who want to do less walking.
The afternoon will include 3 stops near Ames and Iowa State University. The first will be an overview of extensive research on conventional and alternative agricultural energy crops and cropping systems. The second stop will be a preview of the New Century Farm being developed by the university. This complex will include facilities for both fermentation and thermochemical conversion research. The last research stop will be at a first-year coppice regrowth of hybrid aspens that is expected to produce some of the highest average annual biomass yields yet achieved with very low energy inputs. A stop will be made on the return trip for participants to eat dinner at their own expense while visiting about the experiences of the day.
Tour duration: Leave hotel at 8:00 am, arrive back to hotel at 9:00 pm.
Additional tour information
Post Conference Hybrid Poplar Field Tour, Friday, August 22, 2008
Hybrid poplar is grown commercially in central Minnesota to provide fiber for Verso Paper’s TMP pulp and coated paper mill in Sartell, Minnesota. Since 1995, approximately 23,157 acres have been established on highly productive farmland. Harvesting of these plantations began in the fall of 2007. The tour will include a comprehensive view of commercial plantation establishment and management in Minnesota as well as stops of ongoing genetic improvement research being done by the University of Minnesota on Verso lands. Tour stops will highlight nursery management and cutting production, commercial plantation establishment and maintenance techniques, as well as a practical perspective on implementing a large-scale fiber farm program. Research sites will include field testing of a large collection of new genotypes produced through the UM breeding program. These trials include over 900 genotypes at each site as well as yield tests of promising genotypes.
Tour date: August 22, 2008
Tour duration: Leave hotel at 8:00am, arrive back to hotel at 6:00pm
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