Envirocrops

Envirocrops offers growers a helping hand when it comes to choosing the most suitable biomass crops for planting in your unique land type and climate.

If you are looking to diversify your holding, you might want to get your head around the range of biomass crops (for example, miscanthus and short rotation coppice (SRC) willow) and see if they are suitable for your land to provide an alternative income stream.

If you want to get a quick answer, from an independent source, without spending any money, this is where the Envirocrops web app will come into its own.

The Envirocrops app is a collaborative development between the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI), Kevin Lindegaard of Crops for Energy, NFU Energy and digital solutions company Calvium.

Kevin says: “It’s a complicated process. These crops are perennials that stay in the ground for more than 20 years, so it’s important that you make the right decision. Various biomass crop options are suited to different land types and climates. Yields can vary considerably.

On top of this, there is the range of harvesting regimes to consider – miscanthus is harvested annually, SRC willow is harvested every three years, while short rotation forestry is harvested at least eight years after planting. The woody crops are harvested wet while miscanthus and other grasses are harvested dry. It does feel like you are comparing apples and pears!”

The UK’s biomass strategy, published in the spring of 2023, highlights the massive need for expansion in biomass crop land coverage to meet essential net zero commitments. To hit these targets, farmers will need to be agile in their decision-making processes.

The Envirocrops web app will enable this by acting as a digital consultant for miscanthus, SRC willow, poplar, reed canary grass, switchgrass, eucalyptus, hemp, and more. Enacted by providing an encyclopaedia of information on how to grow and manage the crops, help navigating the complex regulatory processes, price comparisons and forecasts for growing and selling biomass crops, a directory of all the key industrial players, and an online biomass trading platform with a local dimension.