With a festive flavour, we look back at some of the bold steps which have advanced the Miscanthus bioeconomy this year. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank our growers, friends and Terravesta supporters for their continued enthusiasm and contribution to the future for this wonderful crop. Here’s to a rewarding 2018 and a prosperous 2019.
January: Miscanthus from seed moves a step closer to commercial reality
2018 marks the final year of the ground-breaking research project which will see Miscanthus grown from seed as well as rhizome, meaning crop area can be upscaled 200 times faster and more Miscanthus can be grown to meet the rising demand. It means that in the next few years, a selection of growers will be able to plant Miscanthus plugs from seed.
February: New 100% Natural Miscanthus fuels
This year we hit the ground running with our 100% Natural Miscanthus fuels by launching new pack sizes and revamping our fabulous range!
March: Farm walk success
With rising uncertainty regarding the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), farmers are looking at ways to seek more stable forms of income to ‘future-proof’ farm businesses in preparation for any hurdles ahead. As a result, interest in Miscanthus has been unprecedented this year, we ran six farm walks across the UK and 110 people came along to learn more. Watch this space, the list of 2019 events will be published in the New Year!
April: Harvest: From extreme weather to record bale deliveries
Miscanthus harvest 2018 was extreme in many ways, from unrelenting rainfall and a narrowed harvest window, to record breaking deliveries, where we moved just under 14,000 tonnes of Miscanthus in one month, amounting to a whopping 650 deliveries…
May: Record Miscanthus planting
In spring 2018, 286 tonnes of rhizome were delivered to growers and a total of 365 hectares of the crop was planted. We’re pleased with progress, but more is needed for 2019…
June: Waitrose stocks our Miscanthus fuels
Four cities in the UK launched our eco-friendly 100% Natural Miscanthus Briquettes and Firestarters in Waitrose this year. Southend, Cheltenham, Rushton and Salisbury saw fantastic sales over the sweltering summer as shoppers continue to strive for sustainable alternatives to traditional fuels…
July: Website re-launch
After a lot of hard work, our new website was launched this June. We’re super proud but rather than tell you about it, take a look…
August: Increased demand for Miscanthus growers
This year has shown strong growth in interest of energy generation from biomass, presenting good opportunities for growing Miscanthus on long-term contracts. That, coupled with increasing demand from whole bale power stations burning miscanthus, means more planting is needed.
September: Private investment boosts booming Miscanthus bio-economy
Former IG Group chief executive and current Scotgold chairman Nat le Roux bought a personal stake in Terravesta this September. Nat le Roux has invested £2 million in the business, reflecting the growing importance of clean energy and the positive prospects for the rapidly-developing Miscanthus bio-economy…
October: The seeds to grow a low carbon economy
The future scope for Miscanthus is enormous. The potential uses are endless and Terravesta is currently involved with ground-breaking projects which are trialling Miscanthus as a viable alternative to non-renewable natural resources.
Miscanthus could significantly replace the use of fossil fuels…
Miscanthus could significantly replace the use of fossil fuels…
November: Spreading the Miscanthus message
We’ve had some fantastic events this year, including the CLA breakfast in Lincoln, The Farm Business Innovation Show in Birmingham, and ‘The Natural Eye’ exhibition at the Mall Galleries in London, all aimed at spreading our message far and wide, whether it be to growers or key influencers. If you want to know more about upcoming events, check out our website…
December: Terravesta team grows
We’re only as good as our team and we’ve had to grow bigger this year as the market expands and the potential for Miscanthus grows. We’ve welcomed David Pattison our commercial development manager to Terravesta this summer, Nat le Roux, as non executive director, Christy Wilkinson, our trusty intern and recently, Simon Calder, our new production and business development manager. Check out our amazing team and the quirky facts about them…
