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Farming Today: 22/02/2022 - Growing maize for AD, young farmers and storm damage on farms

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22/02/2022 - Growing maize for AD, young farmers and storm damage on farms

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, 22/02/2022 - Growing maize for AD, young farmers and storm damage on farms

Does growing maize for anaerobic digesters make environmental sense?

Researchers say growing crops to feed anaerobic digesters to produce energy makes no environmental sense.

Growing crops to feed anaerobic digesters to produce energy makes "no environmental sense". Researchers at Bangor university say covering land currently growing maize for AD in solar panels, would be 4 to 23 times more effective at reducing green house gas emissions. Anaerobic digestion is like composting but in an oxygen free container. As the feedstock is broken down it produces gas, which is used to make energy, and digestate which is used as a fertiliser. In the UK farm feedstocks including manure, crop waste and crops grown for AD are used in about 400 plants, though the main feedstock is waste food.

As part of a week long focus on the future of farming, we meet two of the the National Farmers Union's young farmer ambassadors. 

And after three named storms, farmers across the UK are clearing up. Shed roofs have been blown off, trees uprooted and flooding has claimed many fields. Some are still without power or phone lines.

Presented by Charlotte Smith
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons

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