Iowa State University Extension and Outreach will host its 2018 Iowa miscanthus update on March 30 in Iowa City. The event will highlight new research into the crop while also discussing progress of the University of Iowa’s Biomass Fuel Project.

The event will take place at the ISU Extension and Outreach Johnson County office (3109 Old Highway 218 South, Iowa City) and will run from 8 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

The meeting will be hosted by Emily Heaton, associate professor of agronomy and extension biomass crop specialist at Iowa State.

“The University of Iowa is committed to increasing their use of Miscanthus in their power plant,” Heaton said. “An additional 400 acres of the crop are being planted for their use this year, increasing the total number of Miscanthus acres in the state to 1,200. By 2020, about 2,500 acres of Miscanthus will supply about 10 percent of the total heat and power load at the University of Iowa, making it a key part of their renewable energy portfolio while also having a positive impact on the quality of soil and water in Iowa.”

Ingrid Gronstal Anderson from the University of Iowa will open the meeting with an update on the UI’s progress in implementing Miscanthus into their power plant. Travis Hedrick of AGgrow Tech will follow with an update on Miscanthus production in Iowa and national market trends.

Research on soil temperature and miscanthus overwinter survival, growth responses to nitrogen fertilizer and the influence of nitrogen fertilizer and miscanthus stand age on soil and water quality will be shared by Iowa State researchers Nicholas Boersma, Mauricio Tejera and Jacob Studt.

A full agenda and free registration is available online.

The meeting is a collaborative effort of ISU Extension and Outreach, the University of Iowa and AGgrow Tech. The collaboration is supported in part by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, the United States Department of Agriculture-NIFA, United States Department of Energy and the Iowa Nutrient Research Center.