Prairie Seed Production and BioEnergy Project

Executive Summary
Prairie Seed Production and BioEnergy Project

The 2007 Minnesota Legislative Session appropriated the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) $125,000 “to support a technical advisory committee and for land management units that manage grass lands in order to develop plans to optimize native prairie seed harvest and replanting on state-owned lands” (Chapter 57, Article 1, Sec.4, Subd.8). Furthermore, the Legislature directed the MNDNR to establish a Technical Advisory Committee, and submit a report by December 15, 2007, on its outcomes, including criteria, guidelines, and recommendations for incentives. This directive led the MNDNR to create the Prairie Seed Production and BioEnergy Project (PSPB).

MNDNR (in cooperation with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and the Board of Water and Soil Resources) created the Technical Advisory Committee. The Technical Advisory Committee is comprised of non-government stakeholders and State agency personnel as mandated in statute. A Technical Team of plant ecologists and restoration practitioners representing MNDNR Divisions also aided in the PSPB project. The findings of the Technical Advisory Committee were presented to the NextGen Energy Board on November 29, 2007. This report marks the completion of Phase I of this project and meets the legislation’s requirement to submit a report on outcomes from the technical committee to the legislative finance chairs on environment and natural resources by December 15, 2007.

Phase II of the project will create plans that explore and apply results from the Phase I report. Phase II of the project will begin in January; all project work will be completed by June 30, 2008.

This appropriation represents one element in the growing interest to find synergy between the need for grassland habitat and Clean Energy. New Clean Energy initiatives supporting large-scale reconstructing of prairie with local ecotype seed will likely necessitate harvesting from remnant native prairies. The report focuses on guiding prairie harvesting and reconstruction practices to ensure survival of the native prairie remaining in Minnesota.

Project Products:

• A set of Criteria for identifying public and private lands that could produce local eco-type prairie seed, and for identifying lands that could be used to reconstruct prairie that could produce Clean Energy.
• A set of Guidelines for producing prairie seed and reconstructing prairie that safeguard ecological values.
• A list of Incentives that might encourage production of local eco-type prairie seed, and also reconstruct prairies that could serve Clean Energy needs.

The Technical Committee has learned:

• Protection of Native Prairie – All work related to prairie seed harvest and replanting must be in concert with the protection and survival of native prairie remaining in Minnesota. Broad spectrums of prairie management practices are being applied in the State; this effort should strive to increase the quality of such practices rather than lower expectations to a common denominator.
• Seed Production – Production of prairie seed from either native prairies or reconstructed prairies requires a unique set of criteria and guidelines. Remnant native prairie sites require stringent production guidelines to safeguard ecological values. Current seed production capacities and needs across the prairie regions of the State are not well defined. It is unlikely all of Minnesota’s reconstruction needs can be met with harvests from native prairies and first generation reconstructions. Seed supplies from second and third generation reconstructions may be needed in order to safeguard remnant native prairies from over harvesting seeds.
• Seed Market – MNDNR is an important but relatively small consumer of prairie seed for prairie reconstruction. Minnesota Department of Transportation is a larger consumer of private prairie seeds for its roadside reseeding projects, giving preference to source-identified seed. Federal Farm Bill programs may have substantial influence on demand for appropriate prairie seed.
• Seed Certification – It will be essential to develop and enforce seed certification standards for prairie seeds to meet the needs of consumers and producers, and safeguard ecological values.
• Mandates and Statutory requirements – State-owned lands are often subject to Federal requirements and State statutory mandates that impact those lands’ ability to provide seed to the private marketplace.
• Research needs – Seed consumers, in general, are uncertain about what defines local ecotype seed, and what limits should be placed on origin of seed. Little is understood about growing monoculture production plots, and any genetic implications. More research may provide answers to these questions.
• Clean Energy – More information is needed to effectively promote reconstruction of prairie for Clean Energy. So far, the Project has explored reconstruction of prairies with ecological values as the primary motivation. The Board of Water and Soil Resources led Clean Energy discussions may provide additional incentives for reconstructing prairies when energy values are the primary motivation.

Recommendations for Phase II:

• Testing and Improvements – Test the report’s criteria and guidelines using geographical information system (GIS) modeling; use these GIS models to analyze current seed production capacities on state-owned lands and the private market
• Seed Market – Outline long-term prairie reconstruction needs and clarify future demand for seed; develop a fair and equitable process for providing MNDNR local ecotype seed to the private market that integrates statutory limitations and protection of native prairie.
• Outreach – Summarize findings of this Project for distribution to prairie reconstruction practitioners.

Recommendations beyond Phase II:

• Seed Production – Partner with Minnesota Department of Agriculture to develop and possibly fund their Native Grasses and Wildflower Seed Production Incentive Loan Program.
• Seed Certification – Partner with the Minnesota Crop Improvement Association to further advance the Native Grass and Wildflower Certification Program, such as developing standards for monoculture seed production, and applying new technologies such as genetic profiling
• Research and Development – Support continued research into the implications of producing seed in monoculture stands and not using local origin seed; develop practical genetic profiling techniques.
• Clean Energy – Continue to work with other initiatives, such as those being led by the Board of Soil and Water Resources, linking findings of this report to prairie-based Clean Energy programs.