Colorado Corn

by: Matthew J. Erickson and Wallace E. Tyner
Department of Agriculture Economics
Purdue University [1]

Biomass energy has received much attention in recent years.  We now use about one third of the U.S. corn crop for biofuels.  More recently, attention has focused on cellulosic resources – dedicated energy crops like switchgrass, miscanthus and corn stover.  Now the question has been raised concerning the economics of collecting just the corn cobs for energy instead of the stover.  This paper aims to provide information on the economics of corn cob harvest.  What are the associated, additional costs of harvesting cobs?  Will harvesting cobs generate extra revenue for the farming operation?  In this work we estimate the per ton payment farmers need to receive in order to take on the additional task of harvesting cobs during the corn harvest.

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