Sorghum is a drought tolerant plant is similar to both corn
and sugarcane and is our highlighted energy crop at Brookside Energy Farm in Willits and
the Energy Garden
in Sebastopol. Like sugar cane the stalk is
filled with sweet juice and can be pressed to make syrup. This crop is special
because it is capable of simultaneously producing both food and biofuel and
provides stacked functions
including:

1. Grain for human and animal food

2. Juice can be extracted and converted into a high calorie
syrup

3. Juice can be directly fermented and processed into
ethanol

4. Stalks can be shredded and used as a component in
livestock feed

5. Stalks can be pressed into briquettes and burned

6. Stalks can be used as a mulch

7. Stalks can be aerobically composted

Stacking functions is
a critical concept when we begin to think about energy crops or crops grown
primarily to be used as fuel. A crop with stacked functions including (sorghum,
sunflowers, Jerusalem Artichokes) offers the farmer not just one, but multiple
uses.

As many of you have noticed, energy crops are drawing a great deal of
attention because they have the potential to be renewable, and therefore a more
reliable form of energy. However, when growing energy crops we must be ready to make
a choice for food or fuel. While natural sugar and oil are useful (if not essential), we have to
ask whether or not burning these substances is the best use. We also need to
re-think the way that biofuels are made.

Many studies have shown that the net energy gain with biofuel
is very slim, and this is especially the case when inorganic fertilizer, pesticides,
and coal or natural gas is used for crop production and processing. When you
then add the cost of transportation of these fuels from the refinery to the
pump then the carbon neutrality and energy profit is slim to none.

In response, the Energy Farm Program is experimenting with
sorghum because it is unique and has the potential to provide both food and
fuel. Furthermore, we want to contrast local, organic biofuel against the
industrial model to see if we might achieve a net energy gain by using natural
methods for soil fertility, crop cultivation, and harvest. Once processed this
crop is intended to support further agricultural activities or to be used by locally,
reducing extraneous transport and lost energy.