FACT SHEET

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

FARM SERVICE AGENCY

Page 1

(Revised) September 2011

Biomass Crop Assistance Program – Project Areas Numbers 2 through 5 Implemented in Arkansas,

Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania County Locations for New Giant Miscanthus Biomass Producers

Overview

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) 

has announced four new Biomass 

Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) 

project areas in Arkansas, Missouri, 

Ohio and Pennsylvania. BCAP 

project areas provide financial incentives to eligible landowners and 

operators to establish and produce 

biomass crops for heat, power, 

biobased products and advanced 

biofuels. A BCAP project area must 

have specified boundaries approved 

by the Secretary of Agriculture. 

Agriculture land in project area 

two through five is eligible for the 

establishment of giant miscanthus 

for energy purposes. 

Giant miscanthus is a sterile hybrid 

warm-season grass that is cultivated 

by planting plugs or rhizomes in 

open fields. Yields for giant miscanthus are expected to range between 

10 and 12 tons of dry matter per 

acre and can be as high as 15 tons/

acre. These four new project areas 

will use a common approach to 

establish the crop over two years. 

In the first year, a small number of 

“propagation acres” will be established using centrally irrigated 

fields. FSA will enter into five-year 

contracts with producers to cultivate rhizomes from the first year’s 

propagation acres onto a larger area 

of “plantation acres” comprised of 

the total number of BCAP acres enrolled. The normal time period for 

planting giant miscanthus rhizomes 

varies regionally, but is generally in 

the early spring.

As a condition of enrollment, participants must provide evidence that 

they have an agreement with either 

a project sponsor or other qualified miscanthus planting contractor. 

These agreements must provide for 

the planting, production and harvesting of the approved miscanthus 

rhizomes, according to the specific 

two-phase establishment process 

included in these project areas.

Project Areas 2 though 5 Target 

Acreage and Counties

Producers who enter into these contracts and establish giant miscanthus on their land will generally be 

eligible for: 

PROJECT 

AREA NUMBER 

& STATE

PROJECT 

AREA 

SPONSOR’S 

LOCATION

FY 2011 ACREAGE 

TARGETS & COUNTIES 1/

Project Area No.

2

Arkansas

MFA Oil 

Biomass LLC, 

Paragould, AR

6,588 acres

Clay, Craighead, Greene, 

Jackson, Lawrence, Mississippi, 

Poinsett, and Randolph.

Project Area No. 3

Missouri

MFA Oil 

Biomass, LLC

Columbia, MO

3,400 acres

Audrain, Boone, Callaway, Cole, 

Cooper, Howard, Moniteau, 

Monroe, and Randolph.

Project Area No. 4

Missouri

MFA Oil 

Biomass, LLC

Aurora, MO

3,850 acres

Barry, Christian, Dade, Jasper, 

Lawrence, Newton, and Stone.

Project Area No. 5

Ohio/Pennsylvania

Aloterra Energy, 

LLC Ashtabula, 

OH

5,344 acres

Ohio - Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake, 

and Trumbull.

Pennsylvania - Crawford, Erie, 

and Mercer.

1/ Only parts of some Counties are in the Project Area. Please consult 

Project Area maps for exact delineation. Acres represent the total 

targeted for the counties listed.

• Establishment payments of 75 

percent of the eligible costs of 

the plantings;

• Annual payments for the land 

enrolled and;

• Subject to the availability of 

funds, matching payments for 

up to two years for the collection, harvest, storage and 

transport of the biomass to a 

qualified biomass conversion 

facility.

Eligible Land and Producers

Eligible land includes cropland and 

non-crop agricultural land such as 

grassland, pastureland and hay land. 

Eligible land must be suitable, as 

determined by NRCS, for 

establishing of giant miscanthus.

Ineligible land includes native sod 

and land owned by federal agencies, 

states, and local governments. Land

enrolled in Conservation Reserve
FACT SHEET

BCAP Project Areas 2 through 5 (Revised) September 2011

Program (CRP), Wetlands Reserve 

Program (WRP), or Grassland 

Reserve Program (GRP) contracts 

is ineligible for enrolment in BCAP. 

Land enrolled in other programs 

may also be ineligible depending on 

the terms and conditions of those 

programs.

Producers must be in compliance 

with the highly erodible and wetland 

compliance provisions of the Food 

Security Act of 1985, as amended, 

to be eligible for BCAP. There are 

no adjusted gross income eligibility 

requirements or payment limitations 

for BCAP contracts. Cropland base 

and yield history are preserved for 

land enrolled in a BCAP contract.

There are no adjusted gross income 

eligibility requirements or payment 

limitations for BCAP contracts. 

Cropland base and yield history are 

preserved for land enrolled in a BCAP 

contract.

Producer Payments

Establishment Payments - BCAP 

participants may qualify for up to 

75 percent of the participant’s cost 

of establishing perennial crops on 

contract acres. These payments 

will reimburse participants for a 

part of the cost of site preparation, 

seed stocks, planting activities and 

related measures. 

Practice measures for conservation 

or mitigation measures such as buffers and for fencing or related livestock or wildlife control measures 

will not be eligible for establishment 

payments. 

Annual Payments - Per acre payment rates for land classified by 

FSA as cropland will be calculated 

using the posted soil rental rates for 

CRP. Per acre payment rates for all 

other eligible non-cropped agricultural land will be based on the 

posted CRP marginal pastureland 

rental rate applicable to the county.

Annual Payments Reductions - Producers who enroll land can harvest 

their miscanthus crops for sale to 

any biomass conversion facility 

or any other user. Annual payments will be reduced in the year 

the eligible crops are harvested or 

collected from the contract acreage 

by a percentage of the value of the 

harvest/collection and any BCAP 

matching payments. The percentage 

will vary according to the following 

table:

REDUCTION 

PERCENT

FINAL 

CONVERSION 

PRODUCT

1 percent If the eligible crop 

is delivered to a 

biomass conversion 

facility for conversion 

to cellulosic biofuels 

as defined by the 

national Renewable 

Fuel Standard (40 

CFR 80.1401).

10 percent If the eligible crop 

is delivered to a 

biomass conversion 

facility for conversion 

to advanced biofuel, as defined by the 

BCAP final rule (7 

CFR Part 1450).

25 percent If the eligible crop 

is delivered to a 

biomass conversion 

facility for conversion to heat, power or 

biobased products, as 

defined by the BCAP 

final rule (7 CFR Part 

1450).

100 percent If the eligible crop 

is used for a purpose 

other than conversion to heat, power, 

biobased product or 

advanced biofuels, as 

defined by the BCAP 

final rule (7 CFR Part 

1450).

All uses of plant material removed 

from contract acreage, including 

material used for commercial seed 

sales, grazing, gleaning or similar 

uses will trigger reductions in annual payments. FSA will require 

all participants to keep and submit 

accurate records of the disposition 

and/or sale of all materials removed 

from contract acreage. 

Matching Payments - Subject to 

the availability of funds, BCAP 

participants also may qualify for 

matching payments when they 

deliver biomass to a qualified 

biomass conversion facility. These 

matching payments are provided for 

the collection, harvest, storage and 

transport of eligible biomass materials to qualified biomass conversion 

facilities. The duration of matching 

payments is limited to two years per 

producer, with a matching rate of $1 

per $1 received, up to $45 per dry 

ton. 

Matching payments are not part of 

the BCAP contract, but a percentage of matching payments will be 

deducted from the annual rental 

payment in the year the eligible 

crops are harvested or collected 

from the contract acreage as mentioned above.

Producer Participation

Enrollment periods will be announced by FSA. Approvals during the period will be made on a 

continuous basis, subject to funding 

availability. Enrollment applications will be taken at USDA Service 

Centers where the enrolled acres are 

administered.

Conservation Plans and Harvesting/Handling Requirements

Before FSA approves a BCAP 

contract, the participants will be required to obtain a conservation plan 

(CPO) developed by NRCS and 

must be approved by the local Soil 

and Water Conservation District and 

FSA.

Harvesting giant miscanthus from 

plantation acreage is generally expected between Dec. 1 and April 15 

each year after plant moisture levels 

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have decreased. BCAP contracts 

do not require participants to allow 

their biomass to be harvested by the 

project sponsor or to sell the harvested biomass to the sponsor. 

Additionally, participants:

• Must transport and handle 

harvested miscanthus consistent 

with CPO provisions designed 

to prevent unwanted spread of 

the sterile species.

• Must conduct crop harvesting 

on highly erodible cropland 

consistent with NRCS plan 

requirements under the highly 

erodible and wetland compliance provisions of the Food Security Act of 1985, as amended.

• Must not hay, graze, harvest or 

otherwise disturb established 

stands during the primary nesting season as established by the 

state FSA committee.

FSA is establishing these project 

areas for giant miscanthus following an environmental assessment 

and the adoption of a mitigation 

and monitoring plan designed to 

prevent against unwanted spread of 

sterile giant miscanthus. Several 

key provisions of the mitigation 

and monitoring will be incorporated 

into BCAP CPOs and will be the responsibility of program participants. 

These provisions include but are not 

limited to:

• Maintenance of buffer zones at 

least 25 feet wide,

• Establishment of only the 

“Illinois clone” cultivar of 

giant miscanthus, certified by 

the Ohio Seed Improvement 

Association quality assurance 

program and, 

• Regular monitoring of crop and 

contract acres.

For More Information

For more information about BCAP 

visit the FSA BCAP website at 

www.fsa.usda.gov/bcap, or see the 

general BCAP fact sheet at www.

fsa.usda.gov/Internet/FSA_File/

bcap_update_may2011.pdf

 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture 

(USDA) prohibits discrimination in all 

of its programs and activities on the 

basis of race, color, national origin, age, 

disability, and where applicable, sex, 

marital status, familial status, parental 

status, religion, sexual orientation, 

political beliefs, genetic information, 

reprisal, or because all of part of an 

individual’s income is derived from any 

public assistance program. (Not all 

bases apply to all programs.) Persons 

with disabilities who require alternative 

means for communication of program 

information (Braille, large print, 

audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s 

TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 

(voice and TDD). 

To file a complaint of discrimination, 

write to USDA, Assistant Secretary 

for Civil Rights, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 

Independence Avenue, S.W., Stop 9410, 

Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call 

toll-free at (866) 632-9992 (English) or 

(800) 877-8339 (TDD) or (866) 377-

8642 (English Federal-relay) or (800) 

845-6136 (Spanish Federal-relay). 

USDA is an equal opportunity provider 

and employer.

FACT SHEET

BCAP Project Areas 2 through 5 (Revised) September 2011

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