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This region (Fig. 17) has some of the lowest short rotation woody crop farmgate prices due to low cost willow production1 and low cash rents. The willow yields (6to 6.5 tons/yr) are based on work in central New York and may be optimistic for other areas (Table 10). Willow yields in southern Quebec and Ontario were 3 to 5 tons/acre (Samson et al. 1997). Nonetheless, New York would appear promising for either herbaceous or woody crops. The state has significant cropland acreage at low cash rents. The western portion of Pennsylvania and central Massachusetts might also be good sites for small bioenergy facilities.
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Any conclusions with regards to promising locations for switchgrass crops in the Northeast must be viewed with great caution. The yield assumptions for switchgrass are based on observed hay yields and educated conjecture (Table 11). No switchgrass yield data are available for this region. Some switchgrass yield data from southern Quebec and from Ontario, Canada, do, however, support these values of 4 to 5 tons/acre/yr (Samson et al. 1997). Samson also estimated a farmgate price of ~35 to $ 46 dry ton for southern Ontario. Switchgrass yields trials are being initiated in the northeast region, so more solid information will soon be available.
Table 10. Short Rotation Woody Crops - Northeast 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 |
| Connecticut | 6.09 | $36.77 | 146 | 24 | 130 | 141 | 141 | $50.30 | 8 |
| Delaware | 4.50 | $58.81 | 446 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | $58.06 | 3 |
| Maine | 4.13 | $49.69 | 469 | 0 | 66 | 123 | 148 | $40.48 | 16 |
| Maryland | 4.49 | $58.11 | 1,453 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | $55.22 | 23 |
| Massachusetts | 5.43 | $39.29 | 164 | 65 | 107 | 110 | 142 | $36.75 | 11 |
| New Hampshire | 5.37 | $39.51 | 101 | 0 | 73 | 88 | 101 | $41.57 | 10 |
| New Jersey | 4.76 | $53.84 | 477 | 31 | 83 | 83 | 146 | $51.81 | 20 |
| New York | 6.03 | $34.81 | 3,916 | 3,160 | 3,404 | 3,531 | 3,577 | $34.77 | 56 |
| Pennsylvania | 4.73 | $52.73 | 4,180 | 879 | 941 | 941 | 1,018 | $47.95 | 65 |
| Rhode Island | 6.00 | $37.91 | 18 | 0 | 12 | 17 | 18 | $54.19 | 5 |
| Vermont | 5.05 | $42.23 | 493 | 115 | 310 | 335 | 335 | $37.76 | 14 |
| $46.67 | 11,862 | 4,274 | 5,126 | 5,369 | 5,633 | $44.13 | 231 |
Table 11. Switchgrass - Northeast Region
| SWG | Average yield (ton/acre/yr) | ORECCL Average farmgate price ($/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 |
| Connecticut | 5.00 | $40.30 | 145 | 0 | 0 | 105 | 130 | $50.30 | 8 |
| Delaware | 3.39 | $55.54 | 446 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | $59.06 | 3 |
| Maine | | | | | | | | | 0 |
| Maryland | 4.30 | $47.37 | 1,453 | 0 | 50 | 193 | 595 | $55.22 | 23 |
| Massachusetts | 5.00 | $38.18 | 120 | 0 | 65 | 93 | 107 | $42.11 | 9 |
| New Hampshire | 5.00 | $44.41 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 16 | $66.30 | 3 |
| New Jersey | 5.41 | $38.93 | 477 | 0 | 119 | 295 | 404 | $51.81 | 20 |
| New York | 5.00 | $36.48 | 3,646 | 0 | 2,095 | 3,258 | 3,404 | $35.59 | 50 |
| Pennsylvania | 5.60 | $37.58 | 4,180 | 325 | 1,803 | 2,878 | 3,680 | $47.95 | 65 |
| Rhode Island | 5.00 | $41.30 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 17 | $54.19 | 5 |
| Vermont | 5.00 | $37.25 | 191 | 0 | 0 | 157 | 191 | $38.39 | 3 |
| $39.40 | 10,703 | 325 | 4,132 | 6,995 | 8,544 | $45.17 | 189 |
1 These prices will probably increase significantly in future assessments as revised willow production costs are now estimated to be considerably higher than those used in version 1 of BIOCOST.
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