Why Miscanthus for horse bedding?
What is Miscanthus?
How to use Miscanthus bedding.
Miscanthus or elephant grass as it is sometimes known, is a biomass crop that originated in South East Asia. It was initially introduced into Europe as an ornamental garden plant, but over recent years has become one of the driving forces in biomass crop production. Primarily miscanthus is used as an energy crop but extensive work has been carried out on its use in other markets. The animal bedding market being the main one as the crop meets all the desired factors in a bedding. It is very absorbent, being able to absorb up to three times its own weight in moisture, and its' woody nature means the dust content is naturally low avoiding any respiratory problems.
Miscanthus is defined as being carbon neutral as the plants absorb and store carbon dioxide whist they are growing. There are no fertilisers or pesticides used on the crop once it is established. This is what makes the crop so different to most conventional crops as it is energy efficient and is far more environmentally friendly.
Miscanthus, once established produces a new canopy of tall bamboo-like canes each year. These canes are harvested each year and then processed into the animal bedding bales. The miscanthus is dried and passed through a dust extraction system to remove all unwanted small and dust particles it is then compressed into individual bales.
