Conserving Fuel and Electricity

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With today's slim profit margins and the uncertainty of fuel supplies and prices, it makes sense to make every energy dollar go as far as possible. Suppliers and processors are passing on increased energy costs as markups and surcharges for almost everything farmers and ranchers purchase. While U.S. farms have almost doubled their average energy efficiency over the past 25 years, high energy costs are putting many producers gravely at risk.

Some farms and ranches are able to capture big energy savings by simply maintaining their equipment better or installing new high- efficiency motors, fans, or lighting. Other producers find that more drastic changes are required: for example, reducing or eliminating tillage, converting to grass-based livestock operations, or switching to drip irrigation.

NOTE: Some of the following documents are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs. Download Acrobat Reader.

ATTRA Publications

Links

Farmstead Energy Audit
This North Dakota State University Extension publication gives energy-saving tips for tractor and field operations, grain drying, indoor and outdoor lighting, irrigation, livestock watering, livestock buildings, farm shops, and the home.

EnSave
Downloadable papers that cover many farm energy related issues such as how to select the right type of livestock ventilation fan, crop drying and irrigation energy savings.

Focus on Energy: Agriculture and Rural Business
Includes a variety of fact sheets related to agricultural energy efficiency such as CFL lighting on farms, ventilation fans for animal housing and cost-effective grain drying strategies.

Save Big on the Farm by Conserving Fuel
A two-page PDF compiled by Washington State University Extension that includes tips for reducing fuel consumption and adopting alternative fuels.

Selecting Energy-Efficient Tractors
This page discusses how the Nebraska Tractor Tests, conducted at the University of Nebraska, can be used to compare tractors on the basis of energy and power performance.

Estimating Farm Fuel Requirements
A three-page PDF by the Colorado State University Cooperative Extension that compares the average fuel requirements for varying farming tasks using gasoline, diesel or LP gas.

Energy and Small Farm Sustainability
Put together by the Center for Ecological Technology, this page provides information on farm technologies that can reduce electric bills and increase energy efficiency.

Reduce Energy Costs in Agriculture
A two-page PDF by the Mississippi State University Extension that includes potential cost-cutting suggestions farmers should consider to reduce the impact of energy costs in the home, in farm buildings, and in the field.

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Last Updated December 18, 2008

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