The Associated Press
10-04-07
Farmers work to harness hidden energy
The Associated Press
CRESTON, Iowa - Joe Weisshaar always knew the winds whipping across his
family’s farm could offer more than a cool breeze. He just didn’t how to harness
it.
"I started going to a bunch of seminars, trying to figure out how to do this. But I
was going no place," said Weisshaar, who has farmed on family land for 50 years
in Creston, about 75 miles southwest of Des Moines.
That’s when Weisshaar linked up with his son-in-law, a graduate student with
expertise in grant writing. Finally able to navigate the paperwork, he obtained a
federal grant, and the Weisshaar Family Farm added an electric wind turbine in
February.
"It’s always been windy here," says Brian Zachary, Weisshaar’s son-in-law and
next-door neighbor. "It’s a resource that’s just been slipping away."
Squeezed by high energy prices and more overhead costs, some small farms are
exploring ways to increase their energy efficiency and lower costs. By erecting
wind turbines, making biodiesel fuel and adopting more efficient tilling practices,
farmers have cut costs and reduced their environmental impact.
"It’s one of those things, just like a regular homeowner, when you start talking
about the things you’ve done at your household and how to lower your energy
bill," said Kamyar Enshayan, a professor at the University of Northern Iowa’s
Center for Energy and Environmental Education.
Practices such as generating power from the wind or brewing biodiesel aren’t
new, but experts said increased costs have motivated farmers to take another
look at their operations.
Weisshaar has certainly seen the interest. Since erecting his turbine, he’s
become a local celebrity of sorts. The turbine sits in the middle of his farm,
between his house and his daughter’s house, and is easily visible from a nearby
highway. Unexpected visitors are fairly common. "They see it, and they’re excited
about it," said Mary Jane Weisshaar, Joe’s wife. "A lot of people pull into the
driveway, and they say, ‘I’ve wanted to do something like that.’ But they don’t
have a clue."
Alliant Energy estimates that Iowa has more than 600 wind turbines, which
collectively produce enough electricity to power 140,000 homes. Most of those
turbines are located on wind farms and are not individually owned.
During particularly windy months, the Weisshaars have collected as much as
4,000 kilowatts of energy - and used only 2,000 or so to power their home. Their
agreement with their power company lets them bank the extra energy, using it
during less windy months. Although they could sell their energy back to the
power company, Zachary said it saves the family more money to bank the
kilowatts.
Steve Fugate, an Iowa-based energy consultant who works with farmers on
efficiency efforts, said some farmers might face a struggle for survival if they
don’t limit energy costs. "Energy prices are just skyrocketing, and it’s one of
those costs that farmers can’t control at all," he said. "You’re looking at people
getting five dollars a bushel for corn, and if their gas price triples or their
electricity bill increases, then they’re not making a profit."
Among other efforts, Fugate helps run the Yoderville Co-op in Iowa, where
farmers pool resources and use shared equipment to create biodiesel fuel.
Biodiesel reduces their costs, lessens uncertainty about the day-to-day
fluctuations of gas prices and burns more cleanly than gas. "We all know we’re
on a razor’s edge with oil supply and refining capacity," Fugate said. "It’s not
crazy to suggest oil prices might double."
There are even simpler approaches to going green on the farm. Jerry DeWitt,
the director of Iowa State University’s Leopold Center for Sustainable
Agriculture, knows of farmers who have adjusted the ways they plow, trimming
costs by limiting the number of trips back and forth across their land.
"If you can lessen the number of trips, you can save fuel," DeWitt said. "We’ve
also worked with folks who are developing no-till fields."
Going green isn’t a panacea for every struggling farmer. The Weisshaars’
turbine, for example, cost about $140,000, of which $29,000 was covered by a
U.S. Department of Agriculture grant. The family expects the energy savings to
pay off the investment in 10 to 15 years, although that timeframe could shrink if
energy costs continue to balloon.
"We’re pretty sure they’ll keep raising rates," Zachary said. "And as the rates get
higher, we’re going to save more money in a shorter period of time."