Corn Stover For Ethanol Production

The study finds that harvesting corn stover for ethanol feedstock threatens to increase soil erosion and greenhouse gas emissions, rendering current USDA/USDOE availability estimates unsustainable. While no-till farming can mitigate erosion, it is ineffective against soil carbon loss and GHG emissions; other best management practices (BMPs) like cover crops and precision nitrogen management are suggested. The report argues that current incentives are insufficient to encourage farmers to adopt these BMPs and recommends that biofuel policies, including the Renewable Fuel Standard and Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit, be revised to include performance-based environmental safeguards.

• 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 stover availability estimates provided in the USDA/USDOE report "Biomass as Feedstock for a Bioenergy and Bioproducts Industry: The Technical Feasibility of a Billion-Ton Annual Supply" are considered unsustainable because they rely on harvest levels that would substantially increase GHG emissions and erosion.
• While switching to no-till agricultural production can reduce erosion risks, it does not effectively manage the increased agricultural GHG emissions and soil carbon loss caused by harvesting corn residues. Other best management practices (BMPs), such as green manures, cover crops, and precision nitrogen management, may better address these impacts on soil, water, and air.
• Current incentive systems are inadequate to motivate 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.

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} }