Agreement Number
07-141
Awardee Name
Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin
Grant Type
Classic
Project Title
Energy*A*Syst Comprehensive Farmstead Energy Self Assessment Tool Kit: Continuation and Expansion
Awardee State/Territory
Wisconsin
Involved States/territories
Wisconsin
Award Year
2007
Start Date
End Date
Award Amount
$749,946.00
Resource Concern (Broad)
Energy
Project Background
The purpose of this award is for the grantee to develop and implement an Energy*A*Syst farm Energy efficiency self-assessment tool to be available through the Farm*A*Syst program network.Currently, EQIP and CSP call for producers to analyze and enact Energy efficiency planning. Resources for producers have been limited even with great interest in the issue. The current project (06/07) is developing a comprehensive farm Energy self-assessment tool and online resource center, Energy*A*Syst, for agricultural producers in the upper Midwest to conduct a customized Energy analysis. Our project extension request has several components:
1) Expand the geographical scope of these Energy tools to agricultural operations in the entire U.S.
2) We propose to tailor our on-line tool to assist agricultural producers assess opportunities for participation in the Section 9006 grants available through the 2002 Farm Bill authorizing funding to support renewable Energy and Energy efficiency.
3) In addition to the specific objectives of NRCS, there is intense interest at all levels on developing biofuels from agricultural production systems to offset oil imports.
We propose to expand this tool and integrate it with other NRCS developed tools so that it can be used to estimate the Energy intensity of crop production (both direct oil, gas and electric as well as embodied Energy in fertilizers, machinery, etc.) in all regions of the U.S. These tools will be useful in specific regional analysis of the Energy input/output ratios of biofuels. Maximum use will be made of existing estimators such as the USDA tillage tool for calculating gas and diesel fuel requirements for field operations.
1) Expand the geographical scope of these Energy tools to agricultural operations in the entire U.S.
2) We propose to tailor our on-line tool to assist agricultural producers assess opportunities for participation in the Section 9006 grants available through the 2002 Farm Bill authorizing funding to support renewable Energy and Energy efficiency.
3) In addition to the specific objectives of NRCS, there is intense interest at all levels on developing biofuels from agricultural production systems to offset oil imports.
We propose to expand this tool and integrate it with other NRCS developed tools so that it can be used to estimate the Energy intensity of crop production (both direct oil, gas and electric as well as embodied Energy in fertilizers, machinery, etc.) in all regions of the U.S. These tools will be useful in specific regional analysis of the Energy input/output ratios of biofuels. Maximum use will be made of existing estimators such as the USDA tillage tool for calculating gas and diesel fuel requirements for field operations.
Final Report URL
Awardee Technical Contact Name
DJ Reinemann