Oklahoma Secures Land for Switchgrass Cultivation

The US state of Oklahoma has secured land, for what is being planned as one of the largest switchgrass fields in the world devoted to cellulosic ethanol production.

Acknowledging concerns over ethanol production impacting food prices, the State of Oklahoma seeks to advance switchgrass, which reportedly has higher energy output than corn and does not compete with human or animal food sources.

The Oklahoma Bioenergy Center, a state-sponsored initiative, has secured land to enable the planting of more than 1,100 acres of production-scale demonstration fields for cellulosic energy crops, such as switchgrass and sorghum to contribute to the US’s bioenergy effort.

The critical piece of this effort is reportedly 1,000 acres of switchgrass which will be planted near Guymon, Oklahoma. This field will reportedly be the first of its size anywhere in the world focused on biomass production. Additional acreage of sorghum and switchgrass will be planted near Chickasha and Maysville in central Oklahoma.