Growing Elephant Grass in Cornwall
Sarah Swadling meets a grower of miscanthus aka elephant grass in north Cornwall. James Mutton explains how he built an animal bedding business around the tall bamboo-like crop.
When James Mutton returned to his family's farm after college in 2002 he wanted to add an extra income to the traditional livestock and arable business. He chose Miscanthus, a crop which was then being tipped as the next big thing for UK farmers to grow as an energy crop for power stations. Those predictions didn't quite come to pass, and James decided to set up an enterprise making animal bedding from the Miscanthus. That business has gone from strength to strength. James tells Sarah how Miscanthus is grown and processed. They discuss the thorny question of using farmland to produce non-food crops, and how beef and sheep farming still underpins the business.
Produced and presented by Sarah Swadling. A 麻豆社 Audio Bristol production.
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- Today 06:35麻豆社 Radio 4