Peak Oil Plateau

Chapter 17 – Peak Oil Plateau

A major challenge on the doorstep of agriculture today is the escalating cost of energy, particularly oil. Iowa’s agriculture is today highly dependent on oil-based inputs. When oil prices peaked at $147 a barrel in 2008, farm input costs went through the roof, putting agriculture in a perilous position.

Engines With No Carbon Footprint

I had a very inspiring tour of the Hydrogen Engine Center in Algona, Iowa a couple days ago. They have created internal combustion engines that will run on either hydrogen or ammonia. What makes these engines so exciting is parallel technology that is under development right now to create wind turbines that can make hydrogen [...]

Threats to Food–Peak Oil and Agriculture

Despite that shock to the system, our agricultural policies are still mostly predicated on an unending supply of cheap oil to fuel our increasing agricultural industrialization. Our farmers deserve better, and they need our leaders to help them prepare for and prosper in the new reality that is bearing down on us even faster than we thought.