The Rural Voice, 1980-11, Page 16UEST COLUMN
Resource efficiency
BY ART LAWSON
ASSOCIATE AGRICULTURAL REPRESENTATIVE
ONTARIO MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FOOD
Energy consumption by all segments of the economy has come
under public scrutiny. Farmers have generally been in an
economic bind for the past year or more and radical costly
changes are just not going to be made overnight to improve
energy efficiency.
Total energy use by agriculture probably won't be changed
much in the near future. But if we look at energy efficiency in
terms of energy per bushel of grain or pound of meat or Titre of
milk, we can probably make some major improvements.
Insulation of buildings is an area that most farmers will quickly
accept because it is relatively low cost and results are seen
immediately. More sophisticated adaptations such as heat
pumps to heat buildings or water, solar collectors and alcohol
and methane generators will be slower to develop because of the
cost and management problems involved and the longer payback
periods. In fact, methane and alcohol production have enough
questions surrounding their real benefit that few farmers will
even consider them.
Wind generators are also apt to be of limited use to the
farming population as a whole. A few producers may be in a
situation where wind generators could contribute to the energy
pool of their farm.
In general, we know how to make better use of energy without
any great departures from current everyday systems. Improved
energy efficiency will be realized by better livestock and crop
performance and wiser use of inputs such as feed, pesticides and
fertilizers.
Improved feed efficiency means that Tess feed will be
consumed to produce a pound of meat or Titre of milk. The less
feed that is consumed the less feed that must be produced,
stored and milled.
Improved feed efficiency can be approached through more
careful formulation and preparation of the feed and genetic and
health improvement in the animals consuming it.
Most people wouldn't view feed testing, herd health programs
and livestock records as tools for increasing energy efficiency.
But they are. It is going to cost as much in terms of energy to
maintain a barn full of animals in a proper environment whether
they are producing poorly or exceptionally well.
Similarly, cropping records and field histories will permit a
more productive cropping strategy with minimal pesticide and
fertilizer consumption than an unplanned cropping program.
There is little doubt that county average crop yields could be
improved by at least 30 per cent without greatly altering overall
pesticide and fertilizer use.
Well-planned crop rotations, better variety selection, tile
drainage, more timely field operations, shallower plowing, and
proper pesticide application have been demonstrated to improve
yields. These factors, coupled with better manure utilization and
weed control, would almost certainly add up to substantial yield
increases and thereby more efficient use of the energy expended
on crop production.
Many farmers would need to use more fertilizer to improve
their crop yields, but there are also a few who over -fertilize or
ignore the value of manure and legume residues. Soil testing
could be a big energy saver.
Farmers harvesting high moisture corn will look increasingly
to high -moisture storage or low temperature drying to by-pass
the energy -guzzling grain dryers.
The feed industry itself will probably develop more wet milling
systems.
Farm building designs are also becoming more energy
conscious and in the future, designs will probably incorporate
features such as solar collectors and heat pumps where
supplemental heat is needed.
As you drive through much of this area, the openness and lack
of trees or fences catches your eye. A few well placed trees would
be a big asset in reducing the wind velocity and thereby the
"chill factor" around buildings. It also takes a bit of energy to
get the snow out of yards and off laneways. In this way,
windbreaks and proper building layout are factors in farm energy
efficiency.
New gadgets and energy saving devices hit the market almost
daily, but the fact is that better management of existing systems
could make the biggest gains in energy efficiency. New
technology and devices should fit into long term plans. but there
are big gains that could be realized at low cost right now.
KEITH ROULSTON
Pricing- a p oIiticaI fo o tball
While most of us grumble every time
we pull up to the gas pump and see the
price has gone up again, there are many
who feel the rising price of petroleum is
the best thing to happen in the long run.
The price of petroleum products has
become an issue in the elections in both
Canada and the United States in the past
year. The Conservative government of
Joe Clarke proposed an Its cent a gallon
tax on gasoline. Down in the U.S.
independent candidate John Anderson
has proposed a whopping 50 cent a gallon
tax on gas. The public theory behind all
this is that only by increasing the cost will
people take conservation seriously.
And there's a lot of truth to the
argument. People didn't worry about
PG. 14 THE RURAL VOICE/NOVEMBER 1980
insulating their houses until tuel costs
went up. People continued to drive huge
gas -guzzling cars until prices passed
$1.00 per gallon.
The problem with petroleum is that the
price stayed low for too long. Because
petroleum prices didn't rise at the same
rate as most other things we need, we
began to take it for granted. That