FC2Video

The intact harvester is a new invention that replaces the combine harvester. By harvesting crops intact - that is the straw and the grain together – the annual 1.8 billion acres of straw worldwide can be used for energy purposes. At present much of this straw returns to the land releasing CO² back to the atmosphere without benefit. Because the energy and labour inputs up to harvest are the same whether the straw is utilised or not, the straw is a free asset at that point. This straw could be used for electricity production or cellulosic ethenol. The intact harvester will reduce our reliance on fossil fuels (and so help to address the problems of climate change) without using agricultural land to grow crops for fuel. Even more importantly this idea will go someway towards feeding the expected 8 billion world population in 2025 at the moment of Peak Food as biofuels can be produced without using the food portion of the crop.

By 2025 we will need to feed 8 billion people but will have less oil and gas and less agricultural gas. Food security will be a real problem - unless we waste less. One way of doing this is to harvest crops intact and separate them at local processing plants. This would also improve profits for farmers and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and their sometimes unreliable and unfriendly suppliers.