Energy is a part of our everyday lives. The machines we use on our farms require fuel and electricity to do the jobs we need them to. If we think more biologically, we and our animals need food to power us to do our jobs as well.

Agriculture and energy may not often be thought of in the same context, but they share quite a similar footprint. In addition to how they power our world, both industries are often taken for granted, described Dan Brockett on an episode of Penn State Extension’s “Bovine Banter” podcast. Just like many consumers have come to assume the food they want will be available and affordable without much thought to how it got to their grocery store, we don’t often think about where our energy comes from.

“The tremendous production and logistics to get that [food] product from nothing to sitting in your grocery store is the same kind of process to get energy from where it’s generated to your home, business, or barn,” said Brockett, an energy extension educator.

What farmers are well aware of is the large amount of energy it takes to run a dairy farm, and that those costs add up quickly. Being more cognizant of how we are using that energy and where it may come from opens up cost savings and potentially the opportunity to generate an additional revenue stream.

Reducing wasteful costs

One approach every farm can take to lower energy expenditures is by saving electricity. On another “Bovine Banter” episode, Penn State associate research professor of agricultural and biological engineering Dan Ciolkosz described that this doesn’t necessarily mean cutting energy use — energy is a great tool for modern farms to use. Instead, he focused on ways to reduce unnecessary use. “The most renewable energy is the energy you never have to use,” he stated.

His first tip was to figure out how much energy you are actually using. “It may be that your farm is already very efficient, or it may be very inefficient,” Ciolkosz noted. Many people simply don’t take the time to figure this out.

Going through your electricity bills will allow you to calculate how many kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy you use per cow per year. Ciolkosz said they have seen this number vary widely from 400 to 4,000 kWh. Where you fall on that spectrum will give you an idea of how efficiently you are using energy. Of course, that only reflects electricity, so the picture will be different if you also use propane or oil.

With that information, you can make a game plan for what could help you use energy more thoughtfully, thereby reducing energy costs. Start with one of the many little actions that make a difference: close doors to limit heat loss, turn off lights when no one is using them, and reduce worn weather stripping. The lighting system is also a great place to look. “A lot of farms have lighting systems that have been around for a while, and there are some higher efficiency things out there,” described Ciolkosz. He said upgrading to LED light bulbs is a no-brainer because they are getting better and more equipped for life in a barn every year.

These low or no-cost efforts will make a difference, Ciolkosz affirmed. They will also help you start thinking about energy, and perhaps larger changes, more. Another way to replace inefficient equipment on a dairy is putting a variable speed drive on the vacuum pump. Older pumps use a valve that constantly leaks air into the vacuum system to maintain a steady level, said Ciolkosz. A variable speed drive does this more effectively. “Instead of leaking to maintain vacuum, it turns the pump up and down,” he explained.

Another strategy to use energy more efficiently is utilizing waste or free energy instead of paying for “new” energy. Consider that when milk is cooled, the heat that is removed is rejected into the air. “That heat can be recaptured and used to heat hot water for cleaning,” Ciolkosz noted. There are also other ways energy or water can be repurposed to reduce the costs of moving and heating or cooling it, and he encouraged farmers to look into state, federal, and utility group programs that offer funds to farmers implementing these systems.

Make it yourself?

More and more farms are thinking about energy not only as an input cost but also as a revenue opportunity. There are definitely opportunities for farms in this space, said Ciolkosz, whether that is through anaerobic digestion, growing bioenergy crops like corn for ethanol, or solar projects. We talk about farms providing food, fiber, and feed, but fuel is another production avenue.

Brockett works heavily in this intersection of energy and agriculture. He specifically discussed how so many farm families are dealing with the question of implementing solar panel projects on their farmland.

“It really is an issue for agriculture because large-scale solar takes up a lot of space,” he began. “One of the things about ag land is it’s the best land. Those best fields that we have, that’s the best field for everything.”

Our society uses a lot of energy, and that need is only expected to grow as our lives become more technological. At the same time, land is a limited, valuable resource, and its use is largely irreversible. Brockett said we must look at how we balance those needs to make solar projects work for both sides.

There are a few different types of solar projects. Some operate on a utility scale; this is where panels are installed on the ground and all energy is supplied to the grid. He explained that it takes 5 to 7 acres per megawatt of energy produced, so these systems typically require hundreds to thousands of panels. “The farmer is a passive landlord,” he said.

Then there are merchant- or customer-generated projects. These are smaller, typically 10 to 60 acres, so they generate less electricity, but a landowner can more easily put panels only on less productive land and continue farming elsewhere.

If a farmer is approached by a solar developer, Brockett advised getting all proposed details in writing, even if it’s just an email. Ensure any contract includes consequences if the developer doesn’t restore the land to the same or better condition after the panels’ useful lives. Recent research shows metal doesn’t slough off into the soil from solar panels, but he encouraged landowners to think about the next generations that could be on the land.

It is up a landowner to decide what the best use of their land is in the context of their family situation and potential long-term consequences. Brockett’s final advice was that if someone is going to use your land in a way where it limits you from using it in the best way, you should be compensated.