Associated Press
10-13-07
Farmers, experts see merits in going green
CRESTON, Iowa (AP)--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.
"We were hooked in early on the potential of wind energy," said Weisshaar, who
has farmed on family land for 50 years in Creston, about 75 miles southwest of
Des Moines. "I started going to a bunch of seminars, trying to figure out how to
do this. But I was going no place."
That's when Weisshaar linked up with his son-in-law, a grad student with an
expertise in grant writing. Finally able to navigate the paperwork, he obtained a
federal grant and in February the Weisshaar Family Farm added an electric wind
turbine.
"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 the costs of doing
business. By erecting wind turbines, making biodiesel fuel and adopting more
efficient tilling practices, farmers have cut costs and reduced their impact on the
environment.
"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. "You're friends are like, 'Wow,
what can I do?' Farmers are the same way."
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. Tracking the number of farmers who have made such
moves is difficult, but those who study agriculture think it's becoming more
common, as farmers are motivated by potential profits and benefits to the
environment.
"When you look at the farmers who are exploring this stuff, it's probably a mixture
of both," said Jerry DeWitt, the director of Iowa State University's Leopold
Center for Sustainable Agriculture. "We have a set of sustainable farmers who
are interested in being good stewards of the land and there's another set that's at
a tipping point because of the costs of energy."
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 not individually owned.
Joe Weisshaar said he opted to invest in wind energy because it could save him
money while lessening the impact of his farming on the environment.
During particularly windy months, the Weisshaars have collected as much as
4,000 kilowatts of energy--while using 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 may face a struggle for survival if they don't
limit their 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 $5 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 the 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 won't take a lot, something catastrophic happening and then it's
not crazy to suggest oil prices might double."
There are even simpler approaches to going green on the farm. DeWitt knows of
farmers who have adjusted the ways they plow their fields, 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."
To be sure, 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."
Fugate said many farmers aren't interested in new approaches, but he
speculated that would change.
"To me, and others, it's painfully obvious, but we'll do a lot of education with
farmers and they say, 'I ain't changing no matter what.' They cross their arms.
They're really stuck on doing things the way they always have.
"But it's evolving rapidly. As these farm kids go off to (college) and learn exactly
how to do some of these things, they become much better at managing their
farms and being efficient."