A workshop and plot tour on July 8 in Decatur will provide
an opportunity to learn from the experts about growing native warm season
grasses for forage or bioenergy and also for environmental benefits including
wildlife habitat, clean water, and soil conservation. The workshop will start
at noon and conclude at 5 p.m.; the plot tour will start at 6 p.m. and end at 8
p.m. Attendees are welcome to come to
the workshop, the plot tour, or both.
Workshop speakers include Ed Ballard, retired University of
Illinois (U of I) Extension Animal Systems Educator, discussing warm season
forages; D. K. Lee, U of I Assistant Professor of Crop Sciences, on research to
improve bioenergy grasses; and Cristina Negri, Argonne National Laboratory, on
sustainable bioenergy landscapes. Carol Williams, University of Wisconsin, will
discuss the newly-formed Midwest Conservation Biomass Alliance. The workshop
will also include project updates, additional talks on production and use of
biomass crops, and a panel of producers discussing their experience with
prairie plants grown for forage.
The tour of the Prairie for Bioenergy demonstration plots
will allow participants to see a variety of warm season grasses and talk to
producers, scientists, and educators about use of prairie plants for forage,
bioenergy, and conservation. A soil pit will provide a look at the root system
of the plants that helped form the fertile prairie soils of Illinois. The
Agricultural Watershed Institute (AWI) established these plots on land owned by
Caterpillar Inc. and managed by Soy Capital Ag Services.
The workshop will be held in the National Sequestration
Education Center on the campus of Richland Community College. Sign-in and
networking will start at 11:30 a.m. Lunch will be provided.
The starting point for the plot tour is a designated area in
Caterpillar’s D Parking Lot, which should be entered through the gate on the
south side of Hubbard Avenue just east of 27th Street. Caterpillar will provide shuttle service to
the tour stops. This event is sponsored
by AWI, U of I Extension, and the Illinois Biomass Working Group.
Both the workshop and the plot tour are free and open to the
public. Advance registration for the workshop is required to ensure
availability of food and printed materials. To register or for further
information, call or e-mail Tim McMahon at AWI by July 3 at 217-877-5640 or email
tmcmahon@agwatershed.org.
