Farmers, landowners and scientists from as far afield as Leicestershire, Bedfordshire and Devon met at the Gloucester Old Spot pub, near Cheltenham to find out about the opportunity presented by miscanthus and see a mature crop in the ground ahead of harvest.
Visitors to the event heard about how Terravesta has invested in years of research and development to grow current and future markets for the crop. Current markets include whole bale power stations, commercial heat and power generation, and equine and poultry bedding. Emerging markets were showcased in the presentation, including: the potential to use miscanthus bales and prefabricated panels for building construction, and biorefinery.
According to Jacob Duce, sales and marketing manager for Terravesta, miscanthus can be grown on contaminated land, that cannot otherwise be productive, “and while these crops cannot be burned in a power station, they can be used in biorefinery to produce clean fuel,” he said.
The new domestic Winter and Summer fuel range was exclusively unveiled at the event, and this will be officially launched this Summer. The range is made from the dust from miscanthus bales, meaning waste materials are utilised. Even the ash from the briquettes can be re-used as garden compost, as it’s very fertile.
The new range will be officially launched at the Royal Three Counties Show from 16 – 18 June 2017, make sure you visit the stand to find out more.
And, thanks to the expansion in markets, Terravesta will soon be offering 14-year fixed price grower contracts, and any growers currently on the 10-year contracts will be able to extend it to 14 years if they so wish.
