Farmington (ME) farmer sells his BTUs by the bushel (corn fuel)

[jpak]

http://kennebecjournal.mainetoday.com/news/local/2476205.shtml

FARMINGTON -- A local dairy farmer believes there is another future for corn other than cattle feed and corn on the cob.

"Agriculture can come to the rescue of the energy crisis," said L. Herbert "Bussie" York of Sandy River Farms who raises dairy cows, diversified crops and corn along the Sandy River.

York sees the potential of corn as an alternative to fuel oil and wood, and points out that his daughter and son-in-law are heating their new house with a stove fueled by Farmington-grown corn.

"I see this as a way to make local agriculture viable again and find new use for the land," he said.

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[JohnWxy]

1. This is going to have to be a "grass roots" effort - pardon the pun.

Interesting article. An excerpt worth notiing:

"A bushel of corn weighs 56 pounds and can replace 3.6 gallons of heating oil, York said. At the current price of $2.41 per bushel of corn and over $2 a gallon for heating oil, he calculates oil costs three times more than corn."


"This could be a really good profitable crop for farmers," he said. "There are a number of dairy farms in Central Maine that have gone out of business and those fields are still very productive for corn."

"If farmers can cut into this market, it could bring back productivity to land that is lying fallow or being developed into house lots," he said.

[eppur_se_muova]

2. How about burning just the cobs? People used to do this all the time.