Farm Energy

NCAT has worked in the fields of sustainable energy and sustainable agriculture for many years. In recent years the juncture between the two fields has become increasingly important, as rising energy costs challenge farm viability. At the same time, growing worldwide interest in biofuels and distributed renewable energy production offer farmers new opportunities and markets.

NCAT is extremely active in the field of farm energy, offering training, publications, demonstrations, and even grant programs to help conserve and produce energy on the farm and enter the wider energy market.

NCAT maintains a Farm Energy section on its National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service website. This section provides news, coming events and funding opportunities in the field of farm energy, as well as access to numerous NCAT publications on topics related to agricultural energy, and links to organizations, resources and other online publications.

NCAT also offers an online search tool for farm energy resources. Agricultural producers who are interested in funding and building renewable energy projects, reducing energy costs, and becoming more energy self-sufficient will find resources in this online tool, searchable by state.

Managing Farm Energy Risks

In this project funded through a cooperative partnership agreement with the USDA Risk Management Agency, NCAT is working with the New England Small Farm Institute, the Center for Environmental Farming Systems, and Piedmont Biofuels to produce workshops and publications that help farmers and ranchers explore energy alternatives and cope with fluctuating energy costs.

Recent Farm Energy publications from NCAT Biodiesel Production for On-Farm Use Biodiesel Use, Handling, and Fuel Quality Small-Scale Wind Energy on the Farm Conserving Fuel on the Farm Locally Owned Renewable Energy Facilities Renewable Energy Opportunities on the Farm

Oilseeds for Fuel, Feed and the Future Project
This project is a collaborative effort that aims to reduce risk and create new opportunities for Montana farmers who want to participate in, and benefit from, an emerging bio-based economy. The project involves workshops and Innovation Grants for farmers. In addition to NCAT, Project partners include Montana Farmers Union, Montana Grain Growers Association, Montana Department of Agriculture, Alternative Energy Resources Organization, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Department of Environmental Quality's Air, Energy and Pollution Prevention Bureau.

Oil Seeds for Farm Energy: Pollution Reduction and Energy Conservation

This project includes three in-depth Montana case studies of farmers growing seeds for biodiesel, as well as several related workshops.

Irrigator's Pocket Guide

NCAT released The Montana Irrigator's Pocket Guide in 2003, as a take-to-the-field reference to help irrigators save energy, water, and money. The guide contains sections on equipment and irrigation practices. Based on the success of this project, NCAT cooperated with NRCS to produce an expanded version of the Irrigator's Pocket Guide in 2005, that could be adapted for different states and regions. To date, NCAT has worked with project sponsors in 15 states, to adapt 14 different versions of the Irrigator's Pocket Guide.