We can produce both food and fuel in this country

We have around 170 acres of fourth cut to clamp in a week or so, but that will be after the remainder of the maize is clamped, which will have started by the time you read this; all in all a very busy time of year.

The weather is still unpredictable, with some really nice days taking us by surprise, but its difficult to plan as rain arrives intermittently, and some of it quite heavy.

It is much colder at night again, and we pay for any clear sunny days when evening comes.

The amount of acorns on the oak this year is staggering (plenty for the jays to collect and store away), and crab apple and sloes are plentiful. We have made some sloe gin again, and have several vintage of both sloe gin and brandy in store; what will winter bring?

n There is a lot of confusion surrounding the price of wheat, why it’s risen, scare stories about shortages and the implication of bio-fuels.

There is no shortage of wheat, we have had over the past two years very good harvests, but this year the forest fires in Russia and one or two other problems have had an effect.

The main differences this time around, is that the grain held in store is held in China and other countries which are not likely to release it on to the world market. That gives rise to less flexibility, less trade, and an opportunity for speculators to invest.

With interest rates so low, there are billions looking for a home, where better returns are likely, and this activity creates huge volatility in the markets.

n Looking at the opportunities and technology in alternative energy, it really is a fascinating and dynamic area, however, it is important that we understand certain things.

For example, whilst growing crops for bio-diesel, or ethanol, the by-product of this venture is a high protein cattle feed.

When we consider that we export a great deal of feed-wheat from this country and import soya for inclusion in animal feed, it is not difficult to see how we can produce energy from crops and displace soya imports which are of concern to environmentalists.

We are very well placed in this country to produce food, animal feed and energy from farmland, but the polarization of government departments is of concern.

Kerosene, which is used in many homes for heating, could easily be ‘greener’ if it was blended with a ‘bio-oil’ for example.

Whilst on the topic of green homes, the first renewable house has now been built from ‘hemp-crete’ cast walls, with a breathable hemp-lime render.

With a heat-pump, triple glazing etc: the carbon footprint is extremely low, and the price is 75 per cent of a brick and mortar house. ‘Gasification’, where bio-mass is burnt in the absence of oxygen, and then put through a process of ‘methification’, with the end result being methane or natural gas.

Turbines being installed in the gas grid at import terminals, where a ‘joule thompson’ valve greatly reduces pressure, from typically 80 -100 bar, creating massive loss of heat in the process. ‘Bio-liquid’ engines, powered by bio-fuels could power electricity turbines with the heat generated from these engines being utilized to provide heat for the joules-thompson valves.

In this country it is estimated that we have the potential to produce thousands of tonnes of fuel, and have 800,000t of high protein animal feed which would displace a huge amount of say Brazilian soya.

The concern about land use is also unfounded, given that we can produce both feed and fuel, and that there are estimated to be 130,000 Ha of idle land in the UK; that is land which is currently unprofitable for food production. We grow maize for our bio-digester at Crouchlands on land that had not grown crops for many years.

Contracts to grow energy crops on such land, especially if there are valuable by-products as a direct result of such activity makes good sense.

The biggest advantage we have in the UK is that the farm assurance schemes with the ‘Red Tractor’ logo are light years ahead of Europe, never mind other countries in terms of standards and traceability.

If we are producing power on farm from AD plants, photo-voltaic panels and wind turbines; growing crops for bio-diesel, ethanol and bio-mass, we can play a significant role in the scheme of things.

The beauty of AD and bio-fuels of course is that it is all 24/7 and not when the wind blows or the sun shines. Proper contracts with scheduled maintenance can be agreed, with guaranteed power; constant, reliable power.

Given the decline of North Sea oil and gas, our increased dependence on other countries for power, the time it will take to plan and build nuclear plants, and the uncertainty of supply and increased volatility of power from Eastern Europe, it makes sense to look at our future requirements and how it might be met.

It seems to me that putting too much emphasis on waste when looking at potential power generation is not sensible for two reasons.

The first is that we should be greatly reducing waste, especially food waste which is a disgrace frankly, and it will take little time for the major food companies and retailers to device ways of wrapping food waste in ‘bio – packaging’ and selling it as fuel and not waste.

I haven’t touched on straw and the potential for house building, or energy production.

I can see that straw will have a value which will keep it at the higher end of the price-range we are used to paying for it as feed and animal bedding.

Will all this affect the availability and price of food? Not if it is well planned, and government has a national strategy.

Farm-gate prices need to rise in many commodities, but retail prices need not be affected necessarily, although as we seem to buy 120 per cent of what we need on average and waste 20 per cent of that, one could argue that if we bought 100 per cent of what we need and consumed it, it would cost less?

Gwyn Jones