This paper provides estimates of the cost associated with inducing substantial conversion of land from production of traditional crops to switchgrass and its potential environmental consequences. Higher traditional crop prices due to increased demand for corn from the ethanol industry has increased the relative advantage that row crops have over switchgrass. Results indicate that farmers will convert to switchgrass production only with significant conversion subsidies. Potential environmental consequences of this conversion were analyzed using three stylized landscape usage scenarios, one with an entire conversion of a watershed to switchgrass production, a second with the entire watershed planted to continuous corn, and a third scenario [...]
