1. Farm Energy 101 Mike Morris National Center for Appropriate Technology

2. US Agriculture: 1-3% of energy usage US Food system: 15-20% of energy usage

3. How US agriculture uses energy Fertilizer Production 29% Herbicide/Pesticide Production 6% Irrigation 7% Diesel Fuel (Non-Irrigation) 25% Gasoline 9% Natural Gas (Non-Irrigation) 1% Liquid Petroleum Gas 5% Electricity (Non-Irrigation) 18% Source: Heller & Keoleian, 2000

4. How the US food system uses energy Home Refrigeration & Preparation 31% Agricultural Production 21% Transportation 14% Processing 16% Restaurants 7% Food Retail 4% Packaging 7% Source: Heller & Keoleian, 2000

5. Deep truths about farm energy efficiency 1.Farms and farmers are not the problem with US energy usage. 2.Crop yield and quality – not energy costs – drive most farming decisions. 3.Utilities have a hard time understanding agriculture.

6. 1. Reduce fertilizer, herbicide, pesticide usage Four ways to reduce farm energy usage Cover crops and manures (green & animal). Nitrogen-fixing crop rotations. Composting and compost teas. Integrated pest management, organic farming.

7. 2. Reduce tillage to reduce fuel use Conservation tillage, no-till, reduced tillage

8. 3. Reduce “food miles” through local & regional food systems Community supported agriculture, farmer’s markets, farm-to-school

9. 4. Improve irrigation efficiency Energy audits and equipment improvements

10. Soil moisture monitoring The M. K. Hansen AM400 Soil Moisture Data Logger

12. Soil moisture monitoring (cont’d)

13. About NCAT National non-profit organization, founded in 1976 Programs: Sustainable Agriculture, Energy, Communities Butte, MT Fayetteville, AR Davis, CA Lewis, IA

14. NCAT does renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. Wind Solar Biofuels Green Design Home or farm energy audits Consumer information

15. NCAT runs the ATTRA Project. The National Sustainable Ag Information Service >200 free publications Funded by USDA Rural Business-Cooperative Service Free customized research

16. 1.Go to our website: www.attra.ncat.org 2.Call1-800-346-9140 (English) 1-800-411-3222 (Spanish) We are here to serve you and we welcome your farm energy questions: