What to grow on 12 acres for heating fuel?

[Arcticdude]

Ye the seaweed is good, but its all about using what resources you have available.

As for the mini combine, I don't own one yet, but have a look at this:
Boaz mini combine

Thats a nice looking little machine. It's a little slow but it sounds like they have a larger one in the works. It'll have a diesel engine and can harvest 2/3 acre per hour. The one I was looking at cost $5000 and can harvest 1/6 of an acre per hour. You'd still need a stationary seed cleaner if your going to store or sell the grain. I dont like that its made in China though. There may not be any other option for a machine like this.

 

[Arcticdude]

It probably won’t work for acres as I believe the cost would be not worth it. Utilize your compost, chicken and cow manure. You’ll do well!

Every spring I use a pasture harrow to drag about 40 acres of pasture and meadows to spread out the manure. For the garden and orchard I dump the manure from the feed lot, and the shavings from the coop and till it in. When I plant the hay and grain fields I will need some commercial fertilizer for increased yields.

 

[Holly1]

Would bamboo work as a fire fuel? I know it grows quick and that may help if you need to harvest a lot. I hear it does get cold in some parts of China too and it may be quite hardy. I don't know if the wind would trouble it though.

 

[DrHenley]

It's hollow, so if it did, it woul require a much larger volume of fuel. I'll burn some and see how it goes. Need to dry it out first though.

 

[Buttoni]

Only thing about bamboo is it is so invasive. There are huge clumps of it growing wild along the highway we travel to our BOL and man, that stuff sends runners underground to beat the band as well as spread by seeds above ground. Jumps property lines and invades areas where you don't want it on your own property. They tell me it's nigh onto impossible to get rid of without chemicals, fire, digging and then having to do it again, and again. Anyone voluntarily planting bamboo for ANY purposes needs to be very aware of its invasive nature. Many members on my Natl. Gardening Forum rue the day they ever planted it. I personally wouldn't choose it as a fuel option.

 

[DrHenley]

My wife is out harvesting bamboo shoots right now.

 

[Buttoni]

Well, I momentarily forgot the young shoots are definitely a food source. Love me some good chinese stir-fry with bamboo shoots.

 

[DrHenley]

When you pick them fresh, you can boil them and then ice them down and dip them in Yum Yum sauce. (or just mix up some ketchup and mayo)

 

[Holly1]

I agree, Buttoni, it grows like wild fires. My nipper has a pet varmint that hops about and keeps ours trimmed I reckon if it dries out okay and burns, then maybe the OP can keep on top of it. I understand their problem with the lack of trees in some parts of Scotland and was just trying to spitball some ideas. It can certainly be a problem if it goes bananas out there. Dr Henley is quite right about the hollow nature meaning more volume. I'm not sure if this would work. I had an out of the box type pondering moment lol