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Low cost willow production in the northern counties of the Lake States Region (Fig. 14) dominate the short rotation woody crop farmgate prices (Table 8) . These should be viewed with considerable caution as willow yield trials have only just been initiated in the region thus the yields assumed in ORECCL are purely educated conjecture.
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Switchgrass prices were uniformly in the range of $35 to $40 (Table 9). Prices were higher near the Red River Valley in Minnesota and adjacent to the cornbelt (the southern portions of the states). Not surprisingly, urban centers (Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Detroit) affected the pattern predicted by ORECCL. The switchgrass yields for this region are largely based on educated conjecture and should, therefore, be viewed with some caution.
The gross pattern reflected by ORECCL was mirrored by the ORIBAS analysis. Lands along the prairie/forest boundary were generally promising. The ORIBAS analysis predicted that an area around Swift County in the western portion of the state just north of the Minnesota River might be the best area with substantial acreages with prices around $30/dry ton. South of this region, the land is too valuable for corn and soybean production. The ORECCL database also picked up this region as especially promising. Minnesota displayed the greatest variation in delivered feedstock costs of the elevens state analyzed with ORIBAS.
At 110,000 dry ton/yr facility demand, ORIBAS identified 188 sites whose marginal delivered switchgrass feedstock price was $30.56 to $45.74/dry ton with the sites strongly skewed towards the higher end of the price range (Fig. 15). Low-cost sites were along the western boundary of the state and along the prairie/forest border which runs diagonally across the state from Minneapolis at the southeast to near Fargo, North Dakota, at the northwest. At a 700,000 dry ton/yr facility demand ORIBAS identified 28 sites whose marginal delivered switchgrass feedstock price ranged from $34.86 to $48.36 (Fig. 16).
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Table 8. Short Rotation Woody Crops - Lake States Region
| SRWC | Average yield (ton/acre/yr) | ORECCL Average farmgate price ($/ton) | Acreage of cropland suitable for SRWC (000) | ORECCL Acreage of land with farmgate price <$35 (000) | ORECCL Acreage of land with farmgate price <$40 (000) | ORECCL Acreage of land with farmgate price <$45 (000) | ORECCL Acreage of land with farmgate price <$50 (000) | ORECCL Average cash rent $/acre/yr) | Number of counties |
| Michigan | 5.03 | $49,80 | 7,339 | 71 | 796 | 926 | 3,589 | $46.39 | 81 |
| Minnesota | 4.74 | $58.01 | 20,115 | 0 | 684 | 747 | 908 | $66.22 | 87 |
| Wisconsin | 4.96 | $52.54 | 9,509 | 0 | 666 | 1,348 | 2,053 | $54.92 | 71 |
| $54.97 | 36,963 | 71 | 2,146 | 3,021 | 6,550 | $59.38 | 239 |
Table 9. Switchgrass - Lake States Region
| SWG | Average yield (ton/acre/yr) | ORECCL Average farmgate price ($/ton) | Acreage of cropland suitable for SWG (000) | ORECCL Acreage of land with farmgate price <$30 (000) | ORECCL Acreage of land with farmgate price <$35 (000) | ORECCL Acreage of land with farmgate price <$40 (000) | ORECCL Acreage of land with farmgate price <$45 (000) | ORECCL Average cash rent $/acre/yr) | Number of counties |
| Michigan | 5.04 | $39.18 | 7,339 | 0 | 371 | 5,120 | 6,937 | $46.39 | 81 |
| Minnesota | 5.41 | $42.41 | 20,115 | 0 | 67 | 7,230 | 15,770 | $66.22 | 87 |
| Wisconsin | 5.11 | $41.26 | 9,509 | 0 | 631 | 3,969 | 8,091 | $54.92 | 71 |
| $41.47 | 36,963 | 0 | 1,069 | 16,319 | 30,798 | $59.38 | 239 |
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