GoodFuels

Alliance for Corn Stover Research

Three of the agribusiness companies that make up the Alliance for Abundant Food and Energy are teaming up to find ways to use corn field leftovers for feed and bioenergy.

Archer Daniels Midland, Deere & Company and Monsanto Company say they will work together to “identify environmentally and economically sustainable methods for the harvest, storage and transport of corn stover that can be used as feed for animals, as biomass to generate steam and electricity or as a cellulosic feedstock for biofuel production.” Deere has already been working with POET’s Project Liberty on perfecting corn cob harvesting.

Executives from each of the three companies use lots of big words and scientific terms to hail this collaboration in a joint press release, but it’s really pretty simple. There is an abundant resource of crop residue that is left in corn fields every year after harvest that can be used to serve several needs at the same time. Currently, it’s all going back into the soil, which is important for erosion control and soil quality. But, these folks believe they can leave enough of the stover on the ground for conservation purposes and still utilize the rest for feed and energy.