Farmer Willingness to Grow Switchgrass for Energy Production

Increasing demand for the production of energy from renewable sources has fueled a search for alternatives to supplement those currently in production. One such alternative is switchgrass, a perennial grass native to North America that appears to have considerable potential as a biomass feedstock for energy production. While the properties of switchgrass as a biomass feedstock have been intensively studied, the potential market for switchgrass has received much less attention. A survey of Tennessee farmers was conducted to improve our understanding of those who might be willing to supply switchgrass to an emerging energy market. The results of this survey provide information on the willingness of Tennessee's agricultural producers to grow switchgrass as an energy crop and the acreage that these producers would be willing to convert to switchgrass production. The majority of respondents had not heard of growing switchgrass for energy production and roughly half were unsure as to whether they would be willing to grow switchgrass. For those with an opinion about whether they would grow switchgrass, a two limit Tobit model of acreage share was used to ascertain the effects of various farm and producer characteristics on the share of acreage they would be willing to convert to switchgrass.