By Andi Anderson
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach has introduced a new resource designed to help farmers better understand the costs and opportunities associated with producing biomass feedstocks for biorenewable products. As demand for bio-based products continues to grow, the publication provides valuable guidance for producers interested in participating in this developing market.
The new publication, titled “The Cost of Producing Herbaceous Feedstocks for Biomass and Biorenewable Products,” offers a detailed economic framework for evaluating the production, harvesting, and delivery of biomass materials. Alongside the publication, Iowa State University has also released a digital decision-support tool that allows producers to estimate costs based on their own farming operations.
The resource focuses on three key biomass feedstocks: corn stover, winter cereal rye harvested as ryelage, and prairie plantings. While corn stover has long been used for livestock bedding, emerging industries are increasingly using biomass for advanced applications such as renewable natural gas production through anaerobic digestion, bio-oil and biochar production through pyrolysis, and fermentation processes used to create sustainable aviation fuel.
According to Jim Jordahl, Regenerative Agriculture Project Analyst with the Bioeconomy Institute at Iowa State University, “Experts from agronomic, engineering and natural resources fields across the university collaborated to develop this tool. It provides a way for farmers, project developers and researchers to consider and compare the various elements of cost associated with herbaceous feedstocks. We assessed corn stover for which cost information is well established, and the more novel herbaceous biomass sources of cereal rye and prairie plantings.”
The accompanying spreadsheet tool enables users to calculate feedstock costs by entering their own farm data or using suggested values. The tool organizes expenses into two main categories. The first includes farm-level production costs, such as seed, fertilizer, and nutrient replacement costs. The second covers harvest and aggregation expenses, including mowing, baling, storage, and transportation to processing facilities.
Farmers can use the tool to determine the total cost per dry ton of biomass produced. It also provides estimates of energy content when feedstocks are processed through anaerobic digestion, allowing users to compare the potential energy value of different materials.
In addition to economic considerations, the publication highlights environmental benefits. Strategic placement of prairie plantings on low-yielding portions of fields can help reduce soil erosion, improve water quality by limiting nutrient runoff, and create valuable wildlife habitat.
By combining economic analysis with sustainability benefits, Iowa State University's new resource offers farmers practical information to evaluate biomass opportunities, improve land use decisions, and participate in the growing renewable energy and bio-based products sector.
Photo Credit: iowa-state-university
Categories: Iowa, Sustainable Agriculture