Denmark-based dairy farmer, Jacob Eskelund Nielsen, has planted a total of 16 hectares of elephant grass on less productive fields in a bold move to future-proof his farm for years to come.
“Elephant grass is a perennial crop that’s planted once, and after it’s established (two years post-planting), you can harvest it each year for potentially 20 years or more,” he says.
“It’s a carbon negative crop requiring no nitrogen fertiliser and little or no inputs post-establishment, and it has a growing number of exciting markets,” he says.
Jacob first planted 12 hectares of elephant grass in spring 2023 and a further 4 hectares in 2024, with crop specialist, Terravesta.
He farms 119 dairy cows on 118 hectares of land, and the business is in a ‘generation shift’ with his father managing the cows and him managing the land.
Jacob is thinking ahead by investing in elephant grass. “In 2030 we expect to have a government-enforced carbon tax for emissions on our farms, and elephant grass absorbs more carbon than it releases in its lifetime, even if it’s burned in renewable power stations, meaning it will reduce emissions and we will ultimately pay less tax.
“There are also growing markets for it, from animal bedding to fuelling renewable power stations, to sustainable construction materials,” he says.
According to Jacob, growers can receive single farm payments (Planting CAP tilskud) for elephant grass of 1.900 DKK per year and there is a long-term grasslands subsidy of a further 1.500 DKK per year applicable for elephant grass (Langtidsafgrøder/græsarealer – (Miljø og Klimavenligt græs)). In total, 267,82 UKP.
Environmental credentials
Florian Ilias, managing director of Terravesta says that elephant grass can add many sustainability benefits to your farm. “An independent, peer-reviewed study shows that Elephant Grass absorbs 2.35 tonnes of CO2 equivalent in the soil each year as it grows.
“It has no requirement for nitrogen, it also boosts soil health, stability and biodiversity as it does not need any tillage post-planting, so farmers bordering internal waters can use it as a buffer to stop nitrogen leeching,” he explains.
Markets
In Denmark, there are five big power plants which use agricultural straw as feedstocks and will take elephant grass.
“There are also two promising emerging markets: animal bedding and whole bale power plants,” explains Jacob.
“Fjernvarme Fyn power plant is trialling elephant grass bales for combustion, as they move away from coal. They are planning to use wood chips to fuel the plants for the next few years, which will be imported. Elephant Grass offers a home-grown solution that benefits farmers.
“Aj Energi og strø bedding manufacturer is also trialling it in spring 2025, after my first harvest to test its suitability for bedding, and certainly, it’s known to be a highly absorbent, sought after bedding material,” says Jacob.
Catch cropping alternative
Jacob explains that elephant grass could be an alternative solution to catch cropping. “Danish farmers must plant 44 hectares of catch crops per 100 hectares of wheat or barley, before 20th August each year and these catch crops have a limit of 75 kilos of nitrogen per hectare in total. However, if you plant elephant grass, it has no nitrogen requirement, effectively meaning that 0.8 hectares of elephant grass counts for 1ha of catch crops, and the nitrogen you don’t use, can be used in other fields.
“Because elephant grass is perennial, it means you could plant it and not have to worry about catch crops,” says Jacob.
Security for problem fields
Jacob works on behalf of Terravesta to supply elephant grass rhizomes to Danish farmers and says that they can be a fantastic solution to marginal fields. “Because the crop requires no inputs or maintenance post-establishment, it’s simply harvested each spring, it’s perfect for fields farm away from the farm, or for awkward corners of fields.
“It grows just about anywhere, even on flood-prone land, and Terravesta is developing long-term secure contracts to sell farmers the rhizomes and buy back the bales each year to supply power stations in Denmark,” adds Jacob.
To learn more visit https://terravesta.com/miscanthus-giganteus-dansk/.
