Switchgrass Production Program

• First plantings occurred in spring of 2008 under the University of Tennessee Biofuels Initiative (UTBI).

• (UTBI) is a farm-to-fuel business plan developed by State of Tennessee, UT Institute of Agriculture, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers. The University of Tennessee Biofuels Initiative (UTBI) is Tennessee’s answer to the global challenge of securing sustainable, renewable, affordable energy while advancing the local economy and protecting the environment.  

• This effort will serve as a model for commercialization for cellulosic biofuels and bioproducts.

• The UTBI works with local farmers to develop switchgrass production and provides one-on-one technical assistance through UT Extension and wide-ranging research related to all aspects of the feedstock supply chain.

• In spring 2008, 723 acres on 16 farms located in six East Tennessee counties were enrolled in the incentive program and were planted into switchgrass.  In 2009, an additional 1,901 acres on 34 farms were planted into switchgrass. The UT Biofuels Initiative has the largest planting of switchgrass on private farms in the United States has expanded that acreage to more than 6,000 acres in 2010.