Creative Uses of Wind Power

Chapter 26 – Creative Uses of Wind Power

One potential use for wind-generated electricity is to power electric and plug-in gas/electric hybrid cars. Electric and hybrid cars can be charged at night, when electrical demands are lowest and wind-power generating capacity might otherwise go unused.

State Has Strong Role In Food Safety Oversight

The Register editors indicated they believe food safety is a federal job, so Iowa should not set a precedent by taking action to ensure the safety of Iowa eggs (Cracking down on eggs is federal job, September 18). They don’t understand that states already have a strong role in food-safety oversight.

On-Farm Wind Power

Chapter 25 – On-Farm Wind Power

There are several potential benefits of having small to medium-sized wind turbines on farms all across the state. First, that would allow more distributed production of electricity across the state. With distributed production, electricity generation within the state would be more constant because as wind systems move across the state, they will power turbines from one end of the state to the other, rather than just hitting regional clumps of wind farms and then passing by.

A second benefit of distributed production is that more of the electricity generated is used locally, either on the farm where it is produced or close by. That reduces the line loss that occurs when electricity is transmitted a long distance, and it reduces the need for high capacity transmission lines that become necessary when electricity from large wind farms in one area of the state has to be distributed across the remainder of the state.

Sorghum for Ethanol

Chapter 24 – Sorghum for Ethanol

There are a number of alternative biomass sources that are being explored for biofuels production. One example that may have potential is growing algae and converting the algal biomass to biofuels. That could work particularly well in combination with an electric power plant that can serve as a source of both heat and carbon dioxide to spur algal growth. Another interesting idea that is already being put into practice by an Iowa farmer is on-farm ethanol production using sweet sorghum.

Biochar

Chapter 23 – Biochar

Biochar has many potential uses. It can be burned as a fuel, and it has many potential commercial and industrial uses. But, probably the most important potential use for biochar is as a soil amendment. When added to soils, biochar increases the water-holding and nutrient-holding capacity of soils, thereby reducing the need for irrigation and fertilizers.

Pyrolysis

Chapter 22 – Pyrolysis

Pyrolysis is a term which, though hard to spell, will soon be a household word. Pyrolysis is a process of heating biomass in the absence of oxygen to produce combustible fuel and a byproduct called “biochar.” Biochar is a charcoal-like substance that has many uses. A primary use for biochar, that we will discuss later, is as a soil amendment that increases soil fertility while very effectively sequestering carbon in the soil.

Toward Sustainable Energy Self-Sufficiency for Agriculture

Chapter 21 – Toward Sustainable Energy Self-Sufficiency for Agriculture

A three-pronged approach for moving agriculture toward sustainable energy self-sufficiency is 1) convert to farming systems with lower energy requirements, 2) develop systems to produce renewable energy on farms that can be used to power farms and 3) convert to more resilient cropping systems – like perennial crops – for biofuels production.

Limits of Using Contemporary Energy

Chapter 20 – Limits of Using Contemporary Energy

When we talk about the end of cheap oil and converting agriculture – and society in general – to renewable energy sources, it is important to recognize some fundamental differences between fossil fuels and renewable energy.

Biofuels: Cars vs. Agriculture

Chapter 19 – Biofuels: Cars vs. Agriculture

Clearly, the way out of being held hostage by high oil prices is to become a lot less dependent on oil. While there may be many strategies agriculture can pursue to reduce dependency on oil and other fossil fuels, they generally fall under two major categories: 1) become more energy-efficient in order to reduce energy needs, and 2) replace fossil fuels with renewable energy sources.

Energy Use in Agriculture

Chapter 18 – Energy Use in Agriculture

Agriculture today is highly dependent on fossil-fuel energy. Even a causal observation of today’s industrial agriculture leads to the inescapable conclusion that our system of agriculture would not be possible without cheap fossil fuels.