Agriculture Energy
Agricultural producers must consider alternative energy for their farms. FarmWise: Agriculture Energy provides you with references to the AgSTAR Program sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The ATTRA, National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service's website, offers a discussion on anaerobic digestion of animal wastes.
Also discover options for recovering beneficial products from dairy manure in the Dairy Waste Anaerobic Digestion Handbook. Websites for energy estimators will calculate estimates of diesel fuel use and costs in the production of key crops for your farm.
Not only will you find information on alternative energy but also information on livestock production facilities, greenhouse operations, and wineries.
- Agriculture Applications of Solar Energy describes solar energy applications for crop and grain drying, space and water heating, greenhouse hearing, remote electricity supply, and water pumping as well as provides a comprehensive bibliography.
- Alternative Farming Systems Information Center: Alternative Energy for Agriculture provides a publications list
- Anaerobic Digesters of Animal Waste offers an alternative solution to livestock waste management including anaerobic digestion and bio-gas.
- The AgSTAR Program, sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Department of Energy, encourages the use of methane recovery technologies.
- Clean Energy is supported in numerous states and by a wide variety of organizations. Review Harvesting Clean Energy and Repowering the Midwest--Clean Energy Information for the Heartland
- Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP): A voluntary conservation program that encourages producers to address resource concerns in a comprehensive manner by: undertaking additional conservation activities; and improving, maintaining, and managing existing conservation activities
- Energy in Agriculture provides a listing of ATTRA publications related to farm energy efficiency, solar energy, wind, and dairy. Farm Energy Options was compiled by the USDA National Agricultural Library to provide agricultural operations with links to information about energy efficiency technologies, ongoing research, polices, and programs.
- Energy Estimator: Tillage estimates diesel fuel use and costs in the production of key crops in your area and provides another tool to increase energy awareness in agriculture. Also review Saving Fuel (pdf) for a report on saving fuel in field operations. Gear Up and Throttle Down - Saving Fuel identifies fuel-saving practices suitable for light drawbar loads.
- Equivalent Fuel Costs, published by the University of Georgia, compares heating values and combustion efficiencies of the energy source. Simply click on the link, and then click on Equivalent Fuel Costs to “open” the Excel spreadsheet document.
- Farm Energy Calculators was developed by ATTRA and offers a listing of energy calculators related to nitrogen, tillage, irrigation, alliant energy, and other calculators to estimate energy efficiency and cost savings.
- Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2008 (Farm Bill): Title IX Energycompares the Farm Bill TitleXI biobased products, biorefinery grants, and other renewable energy program provisions to the 1996-2001 farm legislation.
- Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 Initiative: The renewable energy and energy efficiency program lists available grants for eligible agricultural producers and rural small businesses.
- 9006 Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements Program directs the Secretary of Agriculture to make loans, loan guarantees, and grants to farmers, ranchers and rural small businesses to purchase renewable energy systems and make energy efficiency improvements.
- Farms and Ranches: A Consumer's Guide to Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy provides numerous options for renewable energy technologies.
- Gear Up and Throttle Down: Saving Fuel, (Publication 442-450) published by the Virginia Cooperative Extension, offers practices for tractors with light drawbar loads.
- Geothermal Energy yields warmth and power that can be use without polluting the environment. Several websites contain information on geothermal energy technologies including: EERE's Geothermal Technologies Program, the Geothermal Education Office, and and the Geothermal Resources Council
- Greenhouse Operations, (Publication 430-101) published by the Virginia Cooperative Extension, discusses various options for addressing the energy demands of greenhouse operations.
- Microhydropower offers information on microhydropower system, site selection, and its components.
- Renewable Energy and Agriculture: A Natural Fit presents information on wind, solar, and biomass energy published by the Union of Concerned Scientists. Also review the links to Renewable Energy within this Guide.
- Save Energy Save Money provides multiple resources for conservation practices including the Energy Estimator, news releases, articles, and other references.
- Solar Technology provides an introduction to solar technologies.
- Standby Electric Power Systems for Agriculture, published by the University of Georgia, discusses the issues related to standby electrical power.
- Wind Energy identifies the latest news on wind energy and provides a listing of commercially proven U.S. equipment providers. To review information on small wind turbines, enter “small wind turbine” in the search box.
- BEST Winery is a software tool designed to evaluate the energy and water efficiency at a winery and to help assess the environmental and financial impacts of potential improvement strategies.
- Dairy Farm Energy Efficiency Guide: The goal of this guide is to increase the understanding of how electric energy is used, provide a measure for comparison, and explore available opportunities for conservation on a modern dairy farm.
- Dairy Waste Anaerobic Digestion Handbook (pdf)
- Energy Efficiency on the Florida Dairy (pdf)
- EnSave Current Projects
- Plant and Life Sciences Publishing (PALS): Search for listing of books on energy.
- Strategies for Energy Use on the Dairy Farm
- Wisconsin Public Service Brochures and Fact Sheets
- American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy supports energy issues in agriculture.
- Energy in Agriculture and Farm Energy
- Energy in Agriculture Program assists the agricultural industry in adopting energy-efficient technologies and management practices.
- Environmental and Energy Studies Institute publishes briefings on Congressional actions and upcoming events.
- Environmental Law & Policy Center: Energy focuses on a six-state region and offers information on farm energy, nuclear power, transportation and other issues.
- The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture: Food Miles assists producers in calculating food miles for local and global food systems.
- National Sustainable Resources in Agricultural Information Service (ATTRA) provides multiple publications for Energy in Agriculture and Farm Energy
- Natural Resources Conservation Service offers leadership in a partnership effort to help people conserve, maintain, and improve natural resources and the environment.
- Oregon Department of Agriculture: Energy and Agriculture reviews various resources on clean and renewable energy.
- University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service lists multiple publications related to energy in agriculture.
- University of Minnesota publishes information on Agricultural and alternative energy.
- Virginia Cooperative Extension posts agriculture publications at its website.
- U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources and Environment provides information and funding to support energy improvements.
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Rural Development Utilities finances projects developed by eligible non-profit utility organizations to develop renewable energy.
- U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy is a gateway to hundreds of web sites related to energy efficiency and renewable energy.
- Washington State University Newsbriefs: Provides the option to subscribe to electronic newsletters to alert readers to significant news in current energy literature on energy, energy in agriculture, industrial energy, and Resource Conservation Managers(RCM). The e-newsletters are free and delivered to your email address.”