The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, in cooperation with industrial collaborators, will present “From Grow to Go” a Biomass Field Day event. The event will be held October 24 and 25 in Vonore, Tenn., and will feature on-farm demonstrations of energy crop production as well as an open house at Genera Energy’s Biomass Innovation Industrial Park.

The first day of this two-day event will take place Oct. 24 at the Color Wheel Farm in Vonore. Registration opens at 8 a.m.

Several presentation tents will feature concurrent sessions on a variety of topics ranging from technical presentations to farmer testimonials. Visitors may also see on-site field equipment demonstrations and exhibits. Of particular interest will be the discussions involving the production of switchgrass, sorghum, miscanthus and woody biomass as energy crops.

The Color Wheel Farm is owned and operated by Brad and Kim Black. The Blacks have participated in the university’s switchgrass production demonstrations since 2008.

The Oct. 25 event includes an open house at the Biomass Innovation Park. The event begins at 9 a.m. and is scheduled to run until 3 p.m. An industrial exhibit area will be open, and on-site tours will be conducted. The nation’s energy policy will be among the topics discussed.

There is no cost to attend either the on-farm tours or the open house, but participants are encouraged to pre-register at least two weeks early to reserve a lunch for Oct. 24. Lunches are free to visitors on Oct. 24. On Oct. 25 on-site vendors will be available for visitors to purchase food and refreshments.

To register, go online to http://biomassfieldday.com and click on the registration link. You may also register by emailing your name, affiliation (producer, business or agency name), and contact information (mailing address, phone, and email address) to Mark Alexander at [email protected] or by calling 865-946-1162 and providing that same information. You may register multiple individuals, but please provide the requested information for each person. Please indicate during registration whether special accommodations will be needed for persons with limited mobility.

Individuals or corporations interested in participating as event sponsors should also visit the website for sponsorship details or contact Alexander directly.

Support for these tours has been generously provided by a grant from the US Department of Energy.

The Biomass Field Day is a project of the UT Institute of Agriculture Center for Renewable Carbon. The UT Institute of Agriculture also provides instruction, research and public service through the UT College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, the UT College of Veterinary Medicine, UT AgResearch, including its system of 10 research and education centers, and UT Extension offices in every county in the state.