Farmers across the south west are being urged to consider growing miscanthus.

Miscanthus (Elephant Grass) is a sustainable, nature-based, raw material crop for construction, packaging, bedding, energy and textile manufacture.

The crop presents a real opportunity for farmers and landowners to produce a high output, low input, carbon rich crop.

It can be grown on all soil types in the UK, including marginal ground and can benefit from very wet or flooding land.

It requires only establishment weed control and does not need artificial fertiliser, encouraging biodiversity and soil health.

It is harvested annually, using current available agricultural equipment.

The government has now recognised this most important of environmental and sustainable crop in facilitating the long-term sequestration (carbon capture) and storage of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) to mitigate or defer climate change.

Future Environmental Land Management payments are to be based on environmental and sustainable farming which will be calculated for the benefit of public good.

For those looking to be carbon neutral, it takes circa one hectare of miscanthus established once to negate the net carbon emissions on a 25-hectare average mixed farm (subject to Carbon Audit) for the next 20 years.

For more information about growing and profiting from miscanthus, the UK’s most multifarious and efficient biocarbon crop, visit miscanthusnursery.co.uk.