Three reports look at energy

WASHINGTON – The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy released three major reports in April on energy use in agriculture.
They cover how major energy sources are used on farms, estimate the potential savings available from energy efficiency, and review a total of 52 energy efficiency programs nationwide that are implementing savings in the agricultural sector.
Squeezing farmers. “Energy costs – both directly in the form of diesel fuel and electricity, and indirectly in the form of fertilizer and chemicals – are squeezing too many farmers and ranchers too hard,” said Neal Elliott, the council’s
industrial and agricultural program director.
“With energy prices continuing to rise, we could face a real crisis in the near future.”
Characterizations. The first of the reports, On-Farm Energy Use Characterizations, highlights significant regional variation in both the mix of farm type and in the use of energy found from state to state.
The report points out many gaps in our knowledge of energy use in the agricultural sector, despite the continuing efforts of USDA’s data collection.
Detailed profiles were compiled at the national level as well as for California, Florida, Kansas, New York, Vermont, and Wisconsin.
Potential savings. The analysis results reported on in the second report, Potential Energy Efficiency Savings in the Agriculture Sector, indicate that the energy savings potential is more than 10 percent of total energy expenses nationwide.
It also found 35 percent of savings based on energy end-use can be characterized despite gaps in knowledge about agricultural energy use.
“Energy represents a greater fraction of operating expenses for the agricultural sector than all but the most energy-intensive manufacturing industries,” Elliott said.
“With savings opportunities of this magnitude, energy efficiency programs could help counter the economic effects of rising energy prices.”
Successes. While the number of energy efficiency programs targeted at agriculture has fallen in the past decade, the 52 programs profiled in the last report, Energy Efficiency Programs in Agriculture: Design, Success, and Lessons Learned, demonstrate that models exist for effective energy efficiency programs targeted at farmers and ranchers.
While the program approaches vary, with some focusing on particular applications such as irrigation and others focusing on a particular sub-sector such as dairy, the authors found that tailoring the program to meet the unique needs of the local, target audience and working through existing channels is the key to success.