Farm Energy Breaking News

In Wyoming, landowners are forming wind associations so they can negotiate lease prices with energy companies as a group, rather than individually, reports a National Public Radio story. The arrangement can bring better prices for landowners, but can also streamline the leasing process for wind energy developers. According to the story there are now 8 wind associations in Wyoming, and the idea has spread to other states, as well.

Beginning this spring Montana State University will offer a new degree program designed to contribute to the development of bioenergy and a stronger, more secure food system in Montana. The new undergraduate Bachelor of Science program in sustainable food and bioenergy systems offers three degree options: agroecology, sustainable crop production, and sustainable food systems.

The Maine Agricultural Trades Show taking place in Augusta January 13-15 will focus on alternative and sustainable energy, reports the Bangor Daily News. The three-day show, hosted by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources, will feature dozens of lectures, demonstrations, and meetings, many of which will deal with producing and conserving energy on the farm.

Focus on Energy, Wisconsin's energy efficiency and renewable energy initiative, has translated four fact sheets on farm energy efficiency into Spanish and made them available online. The fact sheets were originally created in English through the Focus on Energy Program to help Wisconsin farmers understand the financial and environmental benefits of energy efficiency and renewable energy. The publications address efficiency in refrigeration and vacuum systems, reducing greenhouse energy, and ventilation in animal housing.

Eleven Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states have signed a letter of agreement that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation fuels and other sources by developing a comprehensive, regional low-carbon fuel standard. A low-carbon fuel standard is a market-based, technologically neutral policy to reduce the average lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions of a unit of useful energy. This effort will analyze low-carbon fuel supply options and develop a framework for a regional standard to ensure sustainable use of renewable fuels.

The Iowa Office of Energy Independence has released its latest annual energy plan, the “2008 Plan for Energy Independence,” with recommendations for best practices related to efficiency, renewable energy production, and biofuels statewide. Among the renewable energy recommendations are promoting small-scale distributed generation and promoting the development of an environmentally sound biomass industry in Iowa. The plan also calls for developing a biomass feedstock supply infrastructure for second generation biofuels.

A study published in the Agronomy Journal by Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station researchers looked at "Use of Manure, Compost and Cover Crops to Supplant Crop Residue Carbon in Corn Stover Removed Cropping Systems," says Michigan Ag Connection. Loss of soil organic carbon associated with corn stover removal for use as a cellulosic ethanol feedstock is of agricultural and environmental concern. The study found that livestock manure application had the potential to replace soil carbon removed in corn stover, and provided environmental benefits in terms of greenhouse gas reduction and soil properties associated with improved organic content.

Even though gas prices are falling, farmers can still save money by using energy more efficiently, and should still consider alternative energy options, according to presenters at an Energy on the Farm Forum held in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, reported by Lancaster Farming. With energy prices slated to rise in the future, farmers may want to look into ways to reduce their energy use, not just in terms of equipment and lighting, but also by reducing fertilizer use and tillage. Event presenters also reviewed the performance and potential of various alternative energy systems, ranging from running tractors on biodiesel to installing solar panels or wind turbines.

An article in the December issue of Journal of Extension reports on research that sought first develop a set of community multipliers associated with various bio-fuel plant configurations and then to develop an easy-to-use tool that allows local communities to measure potential benefits based on varying levels of plant activity. The research report, "Understanding Community Impacts: A Tool for Evaluating Economic Impacts from Local Bio-Fuels Production," by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is available online.

Iowa State University's new Biobased Industry Center is sponsoring four research projects designed to answer questions important to the biofuels industry. The center is part of Iowa State's Bioeconomy Institute, and is designed to support interdisciplinary research of the biorenewables industry and its economic, policy, business, social and workforce issues. The center's first grants range from $40,000 to $50,000 and will support researchers as they: develop an economic model to evaluate costs for reducing carbon emissions and analyzing different biofuel processing technologies; build a carbon model to estimate the greenhouse gas emission of biofuels and estimate changes under different policy scenarios; develop an economic framework for assessing how land-use changes impact biofuels' greenhouse gas emissions; and do a techno-economic analysis of corn stover production, harvest, storage and transport.

Wisconsin has more manure-to-energy projects than any other state, reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, with 19 anaerobic digesters at present, and 16 more projects under contract. Companies that install digesters say that state incentives can make a big difference in the economics of digester projects, and thus the number undertaken. Though most digesters in Wisconsin process cow manure, at least one runs on brewery waste, and other food businesses that generate waste may consider digester systems as alternative energy becomes more economical.

The interagency Biomass Research and Development Board has released a report on the economic feasibility of developing both farm- and forest-derived biofuel feedstocks to meet national targets for biofuels to reduce gasoline consumption. Among the report's overall conclusions is that new technologies resulting from research and development are the linchpin to developing a sustainable biofuel industry that meets national targets. This report addresses the uncertainty surrounding the use of additional feedstocks to meet the Nation's biofuels goals—namely, what types of feedstocks and at what prices, grown where, and with what implications for greenhouse gases and sustainability. The report, Increasing Feedstock Production for Biofuels: Economic Drivers, Environmental Implications, and the Role of Research, is available on the website of the Biomass Research & Development Initiative.

Clif Family Winery has launched "Green My Shipment," a program that allows customers to voluntarily add 25 cents per bottle to the cost of their shipment, to help offset CO2 emissions generated by the packaging and shipment of that order. According to a press release, all of the money collected through Green My Shipment will go directly to NativeEnergy to help support the Cascade Sierra Solutions Trucking Efficiency Project. This program helps independent truck owners/operators improve fuel efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions and other pollutants generated by ground freight transport.

Corn stover holds potential as a feedstock for cellulosic ethanol production, but removing it from fields may reduce soil organic matter. Agri News reports that a multi-state study by the USDA Agricultural Research Service and several state agencies in Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota and Nebraska is determining the effect of removing the corn stover on soil organic matter and also measuring changes in carbon. Specifically, the study is comparing the results from several different cut levels in harvesting stover.

A team of USDA-ARS scientists led by Terry Isbell has been researching the potential of pennycress to yield a bumper crop of oil-rich seed for use in making biodiesel and other products, including an organic fertilizer and natural fumigant. Historically, pennycress has been a bane to farmers. But now, with America's quest for "homegrown" alternatives to petroleum, the plant is getting a second look. Earlier investigations by Isbell and colleagues in the ARS New Crops and Processing Technology Research Unit at Peoria indicate a single acre of field pennycress can yield 1,500 to 2,000 pounds of seed, potentially translating to 75 to 100 gallons of biodiesel.

The possibility of EPA instituting a tax on greenhouse emissions has farmers worried, according to the Green Inc. blog of The New York Times. Livestock producers are concerned that a tax on methane emissions per head of livestock would be prohibitively expensive, and that EPA's proposed 100-ton emission limit would affect even comparatively small livestock producers. The posting notes that the EPA has not yet decided on regulations, and that the Department of Agriculture recognizes the burden of compliance costs and the challenges of administering such a widespread permit program would be significant.

Producers considering wind energy to offset irrigation system energy expenses have a new tool to help them analyze their alternatives. The tool is a free online spreadsheet developed by Duane Griffith, Montana State University Extension economist, with funding from the Northern Rocky Mountain Resource Conservation and Development Council. The tool allows producers to compare the kilowatt hours of electricity they need to power their irrigation systems to the electricity produced by several wind turbine systems.

A new report by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) suggests that at least half of the fifty states could achieve energy self-sufficiency with the help of locally-focused federal energy policy. Energy Self-Reliant States provides a state-by-state estimate of the amount of electricity and transportation fuels that could be generated by wind energy, solar energy, and biomass. The full report may be downloaded in PDF.

Lake Superior State University recently completed a study, funded by the Michigan Biomass Energy Program, which examined reed canary grass as a pellet fuel for heating. In the Eastern Upper Peninsula, it is considered a nuisance species by wildlife agencies and grows abundantly in fields that are too wet for other uses. This study examines the: 1) energy yield (BTU's) per acre 2) the ash content 3) whether the energy yield and ash content vary with mid and late fall harvesting and 4) the cost comparison of reed canary grass to other fuels. The study report is available online in PDF.

The San Joaquin Valley Clean Energy Organization calls its first Farming Clean Energy Conference, held November 5-6, a huge success. The organization's Executive Director Paul Johnson notes that he was "particularly pleased with the open and direct dialog that was generated around the challenges that we currently face in capturing the tremendous clean energy potential in the agricultural sector in the Valley." Conference highlights and many conference presentations are available online.

Twenty of the nation's top science-based conservation and environmental groups and wind energy companies have created a national institute to facilitate timely and responsible development of wind energy while protecting wildlife and wildlife habitat. The institute will do this through research, mapping, mitigation and public education on best practices in wind farm siting and habitat protection. The American Wind Wildlife Institute (AWWI) will focus on conducting research, promoting sustainable development, funding biodiversity protection and educating the public about the interplay between wildlife and wind turbines.

During a state tour to promote his "Green Jobs Investment Initiative," Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty took the opportunity to talk with dairy owners who operate a methane digester, reports Minnesota Ag Connection. One measure of Pawlenty's program would provide utilities with incentives for the purchase of biomethane produced on the farm, and other measures could also assist the methane digester industry. Jerry Jennissen, owner of a 160-cow dairy, operates a methane digester and will present "Lessons Learned Building a Digester" on December 10th at the Midwest Dairy Expo.