Biomass producers and researchers gathered March 19, 2024 for the Ontario Biomass Producers Co-op (OBPC) Annual General Meeting at Country Heritage Park in Milton. Attendees learned about research projects covering topics of carbon sequestration by biomass crops, biomass buffers and silt socks, building organic matter with biomass crops, an update on Switchgrass Midge in Ontario, and scaling up improved switchgrass varieties for the seed market in Ontario.
Dr. Naresh Thevathasan was recognized for his tremendous contributions to the biomass industry in Ontario through his research and teaching, as well as for his longstanding support of OBPC.
Producers looking for more reasons to put switchgrass in the ground were excited to hear about the funding available from the RALP program administered by Ontario Soil & Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA). Another interesting opportunity for potential biomass collaborations was shown in the presentation about the Canadian Alliance for Net-Zero Agri-food (CANZA).
The meeting finished with an update on the market opportunities currently available to growers of switchgrass and miscanthus. It’s an exciting time to be involved in the biomass industry.
Presentations and Recordings
Verifying soil organic carbon sequestration by C4 perennial biomass crops using 13C natural abundance technique in Southern Ontario, Canada presented by Dr. Naresh Thevathasan
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Biomass buffers and silt socks presented by Dr. Emily Yi Wai Chiang
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Organic matter building with biomass crops: launching a new project across Ontario and Quebec presented by Dr. Adam Gillespie
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Switchgrass Midge in Ontario: 2022 and 2023 update presented by Dr. Angela Gradish
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Scaling up improved switchgrass to develop the seed market in Ontario presented by Don Nott
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Canadian Alliance for Net-Zero Agri-food (CANZA) presented by Nick Betts
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