While
watching the price of diesel climb towards $3 a gallon,
farmers have become increasingly interested in alternatives
to protect themselves from these volatile energy costs.
In response to farmer concerns about energy’s bite
out of the bottom line and growing interest in ecologically
sound alternatives, the Ecological Farming Association
(EFA) has launched Smart Energy Management in Agriculture.
Through a series of on-farm trainings, the program is
helping farms, ranches and wineries increase their energy
independence and decrease fossil-fuel use.
“We
know that renewable energy is on people’s minds.
This project is well timed,” said Kristin Rosenow,
EFA Executive Director. “The
Smart Energy Management program is part of a larger discussion
about defining what is truly ecologically sustainable
agriculture,” Rosenow said. Many farms, even those
classified as organic, are not “sustainable”
because of a dependence on fossil fuels and electricity.
California agriculture accounts for 14% of the state’s
diesel fuel consumption and 7% of the electrical consumption
annually, according to the California Farm Bureau.
Many
farmers have identified the two-fold benefit of minimizing
energy costs while decreasing their operation’s
ecological footprint. Others seek energy independence.
Energy use is the final frontier in the quest for ecological
sustainability and an arena where pioneering farmers are
breaking new ground.
The goal of Smart Energy Management is to give interested
farmers a head start by showcasing what technologies are
available, how to apply them in their own farms, and what
financing and tax advantages are available. “Farmers
are busy people,” Rosenow said, “and the program
saves them a lot of time doing research.”
In
addition to the application of new technologies, the trainings
include methods for conserving energy. Farmers can increase
energy efficiency by using strategies like time-of-use
metering, and minimizing leaks and inefficient equipment.
Using
EFA’s program model developed through 25 years of
close work with farmers, Smart Energy Management draws
on a fleet of experts, industry representatives, and farmers
with time-tested experience to bring the most locally-relevant
information to farmers. In addition to system designers
and industry experts, participants are meeting farmers
who have already applied renewable technologies on their
land. This allows for in-depth discussions of photovoltaics,
biofuels, wind energy, methane digestion, and more.
Current prices for biodiesel don’t exactly compete
with conventional diesel, but they are getting closer.
However, the goal isn’t purely economic. Preston
of Dry Creek in Healdsburg runs tractors on straight vegetable
oil and supplements electricity use with a photovoltaic
array. Lou Preston says that the goal goes beyond profit
and reaches more toward the vision of energy independence
and ecological sanity—an extension of practices
like composting, cover-cropping, and integrated pest management
on his organic farm and winery.
Solar,
however, can already save money. Northern California farmer
and licensed contractor of solar and wind electric systems
David Henry installed a 35 kW solar electric system on
his own orchard/store complex. Henry calculated that,
in 2003, he eliminated 87,000 pounds of CO2 and provided
100% of the system’s energy requirement with the
installation of his photovoltaic system and energy efficient
lighting. The system should pay for itself in about one
year.
The
Ecological Farming Association’s Smart Energy Management
trainings began in March on the North Coast and will come
to the Central Coast in the fall of 2006. Final trainings
will take place in the Sacramento and Central Valleys
in 2007. The program is being supported in part by a grant
from the Western Region Sustainable Agriculture Research
and Education.
For
more information, contact the Ecological Farming Association
in Watsonville, California, at (831) 763-2111 or www.eco-farm.org
Press Contact: Creek Hull (831) 763-2111
