Midwest Biochar - Use it or Lose it

The Great Plains Biochar Initiative (GPBI) aims to improve biochar awareness and market development in the Great Plains. Biochar is a pure carbon product made from organic material. It's produced through a process called pyrolysis.

[@johac7637]

My dad was making it during the 40s, in Canada,his dad made it in Austria pre WW1, my dad burnt and repurposed maple, softwood slabs from his small sawmill, after he couldn't sell the sawdust, slabs any longer, he built the mill to get slabs for heat source to burn limestone for lime. WW2 times he could sell the waste, for home heating, that was more profitable than lime.
We played in the kiln, and the char pit as kids, heard lots of stories, and visited friends as kids, and ate veggies out of crazy black soil gardens 10-15 years after it was applied.
It sure has been part of my gardening for 40+ years, 4 locations.

[@georgecarlin2656]

Are those soils still there, anyone growing anything, any video?

[@kicknadeadcat]

In my area we used to be able to burn anything. Then that changed and couldn’t burn leaves. Then we couldn’t burn after 4 pm. Now we can’t burn anything. So now I make biochar a gallon at a time in my fireplace. Until they outlaw fireplaces………

[@tonysaladino1062]

Thank-you for making this video!