Corn Stover For Ethanol Production

This research paper by the World Resources Institute uses a national agro-environmental production model to analyze the environmental and economic consequences of creating a market for corn stover to support the ethanol industry. The study warns that harvesting agricultural residues for feedstock can increase soil erosion and greenhouse gas emissions, challenging the sustainability of harvest levels suggested in some government reports.

• Harvesting corn stover and other agricultural residues for ethanol feedstock, even at moderate levels, poses a significant risk of increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and soil erosion within the agricultural sector.
• The study concludes that harvest levels for stover availability estimated in the USDA/USDOE report "Biomass as Feedstock for a Bioenergy and Bioproducts Industry: The Technical Feasibility of a Billion-Ton Annual Supply" are unsustainable because they would lead to substantial increases in GHG emissions and erosion.
• While switching to no-till agricultural production can reduce erosion risks, it is relatively ineffective at preventing soil carbon loss and increased GHG emissions caused by corn residue harvest. Other best management practices (BMPs), such as precision nitrogen management, green manures, and cover crops, may better address impacts on soil, water, and air resources.
• Current incentives are insufficient to encourage farmers to voluntarily adopt BMPs like no-till production alongside corn stover harvest; farmers typically only switch to no-till if the price for stover is significantly higher than the conventional market price.
• The author recommends that biofuel policies, including the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit and the 2007 Renewable Fuel Standard, be revised to include performance-based safeguards for air, soil, and water quality rather than technology-specific requirements.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Corn Stover For Ethanol Production. https://www.wri.org/research/corn-stover-ethanol-production

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Corn Stover For Ethanol Production. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/corn-stover-ethanol-production.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Corn Stover For Ethanol Production |url=https://www.wri.org/research/corn-stover-ethanol-production |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendcorn, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Corn Stover For Ethanol Production}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/corn-stover-ethanol-production}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }