energy

There’s a lot that a farmer can grow in northeast Arkansas.  Most producers choose rice and cotton.  Some plant soybeans, corn and sorghum; row crops, mostly, according to Charles Glover, manager, Ritter Agribusiness.

Glover works with landowners, their tenants and producers who farm 40,000 acres between Jonesboro, Ark., and Memphis, Tenn., much of it in Poinsett County.

In the fast paced technology world there are a lot of firsts coming at us all the time. But if you had told me that I’d be present for the first ever USDA Virtual Office Hours on April 5, 2012, in our 150^th year, I assure you I never would have believed you. The event allowed USDA, a department  President Lincoln referred to as the People’s Department –– to reach hundreds of thousands of people, 140 characters at a time.  What really struck me was how many insightful questions came in about energy and USDA, and, in particular, one that was asked on our Facebook page shortly before the hour long chat.

Anvil Ranch, one hour southwest of Tucson, Ariz. in Altar Valley, is a fourth-generation operation in the heart of cattle country.

“Ranching is what we do,” says Joe King, who is the youngest of the four children of owners John and Pat King. All four of the kids ranch, although Joe and his wife, Sarah, are the only ones who live and work on Anvil Ranch. Ranching is what the Kings do—and so is conservation.

Tillamook County, located on Oregon’s northern coast, is home to a concentration of dairy operations and with them, plenty of cow manure. Advances in the renewable energy industry have proven that an abundance of livestock waste is opportunity for sustainable economic development through domestic energy production.

Do you have an interest in U.S. energy policy? Are you in the ag sector looking for options in renewable energy?  Here’s your chance to ask USDA!

On Thursday, April 5 at 1:30pm ET, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack himself will sit down for 45 minutes to answer YOUR questions on the Department’s renewable energy programs, and how USDA is helping build a secure energy future for America.  Just submit them to the @USDA Twitter account using the hashtag #AskUSDA.

Nebraska news media, including local daily and weekly newspapers and radio stations around the state highlighted the energy tour conducted by USDA Rural Development Nebraska State Director Maxine Moul on March 23.  She met with three Nebraska businesses that were assisted through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) for energy efficiency improvements.  The visits stemmed from the release of the USDA report highlighting the impact of the program on promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy.

Business visits started with Main Street Floral, LLC in Superior, which received a grant of more than $5,000 to install an energy efficient front door, windows and lighting.  The improvements also gave the store a new main street updated curb appeal.  Monson’s Garage in Sutton utilized a nearly $2,800 grant for energy efficient polyurethane foam roofing and replacing the interior lights.  The business realized a savings of 64 percent in year one and 70 percent in the second year after project completion.  Greg’s Market in Exeter utilized a more than $11,000 grant to install energy efficient freezers, new compressor units and lighting.  The business realized actual energy savings of 46 percent in year one and 33 percent in the second year after project completion.

The Spotted Bear Ranger Station at the Flathead National Forest in western Montana generates electricity using micro-hydropower. Like a traditional hydro dam, this small water system converts the energy of flowing water into electricity. When the water level of Addition Creek on the ranger station is adequate, the micro-hydropower system produces enough electricity to supply the entire compound which consists of 31 small buildings.

If you teach it, you must live it.  That is the wisdom Steven R. Kochemba adheres to.

Kochemba is a science teacher and the athletic director for the Joseph Badger School District in Trumbull County north of Youngstown, Ohio.  He’s also a farmer.

Among his other science courses, Kochemba teaches 8^th and 9^th graders about energy conservation.  While doing research for his classes, “I ran across information about BCAP,” says the educator.

Chris Holliday has more pastureland than he needs for his cows—335 acres to be exact. So when USDA introduced a way to use that land to help create clean energy while reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil, he saw it as an opportunity.

“I thought it was a good idea and I had a good feeling about it,” said Holliday, owner of Holliday Investment in Prairie Home, Mo. He is one of several farmers that signed up acreage in the Biomass Crop Assistance Program, or BCAP, last year. All 335 acres will be used to plant Miscanthus, a giant perennial grass that can be processed into a biofuel.

The USDA incentive greatly reduces farmers’ expenses to finance the planting, harvesting and delivery of the Miscanthus for processing. BCAP pays farmers up to 75 percent of the planting costs and offers an annual rental payment while producers wait for the crop to mature, which takes about three years.

Join us tomorrow for a Twitter chat to discuss womens' increasing role in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). We'll be sitting down with Jenna Jadin, Ph.D, Office of the Chief Scientist and Dionne Fortson Toombs, Ph.D., National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to answer your questions from our USDA Twitter handle, @USDA. We look forward to seeing you, and check out the Department of Energy's blog for additional info!

Got Questions about Women in Science, Tech, Engineering, or Math (STEM)? Tweet us!