Interesting story on switch grass in today’s Chicago Tribune - A grass worth getting high on; Prairie plant seen as promising fuel option.
Switch grass, once a dominant component of the ocean of prairie that covered the Plain States in tall tangles, is being being touted by a Canadian researcher as a “living solar battery.” switchgrs.jpeg

Ethanol giant Archers Daniels Midland Co. is ramping up switch grass as another biofuel source. The U.S. Agriculture Department says it may be the most valuable native grass.

While corn is the current ethanol darling, the story says a prominent researcher contends it takes more fossil fuel to grow and turn corn starch into energy that it yields.

Switch grass takes little care once it is established. It is widely adaptable to climate. It needs no herbicides or fertilizer. It can grow on poor soil, it fights erosion and it’s a perennial that doesn’t need annual planting, like corn.

The story rightly points out that there is a downside to switch grass. While switch grass is native, its ability to adapt and resistance to insects and disease sounds a lot like the traits of invasive alien species. A little switch grass is good; a lot of switch grass could create just another monoculture crop.

I hope researchers begin looking for energy-landen prairie plants that compliment switch grass plantings to create diverse fields that can be both an energy source and great habitat for wildlife.