Biomass bale budgeting: Studying round vs. square switchgrass bale costs

摘要

The cost of harvesting and storing switchgrass in round vs. large square bales is being studied by University of Tennessee scientists as cellulosic facilities are being built in the state. Unsurprisingly, dry-matter losses "are significant on square bales when they're not covered," says Burt English, University of Tennessee economist, of preliminary findings. English, ag economist Jim Larson and soil scientist Don Tyler evaluated 5x4' bales from a John Deere round baler and 4x4x8' bales from a Massey Ferguson square baler. They observed quality, handling and storage costs of round bales on the ground and both types of bales on pallets and on gravel. Both bale types were tarped with plastic or untarped.