NEWS RELEASE

 

United States Department of Agriculture                                    

Natural Resources Conservation Service

                                                                                                            6013 Lakeside Boulevard

                                                                                                            Indianapolis, IN  46278

                                                                                                            www.in.nrcs.usda.gov

 

 

SAVE ENERGY, SAVE MONEY ON THE FARM

 

            INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 22, 2007—October has been designated as Energy Awareness Month, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has tools to help Indiana agriculture producers with wise energy choices that can save money, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and protect natural resources and the environment.

 

            “We offer some opportunities to farmers in Indiana to Save Energy and Save Money.  Sign-up is under way right now for our Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP),” says NRCS State Conservationist Jane Hardisty.  “A key part of EQIP is our Energy Conservation System, which offers incentive payments to ag producers on a per-acre basis, for applying a combination of conservation practices that will save energy and money, and protect natural resources on the farm.”

 

            This set of practices is also referred to as the Energy Bundle.  It includes No-Till/Strip Till, Nutrient Management, Cover Crops, and Buffers (waterways, filter strips, etc).  “This is a powerful combination of conservation practices when they are applied all together on the farm,” says Barry Fisher, conservation agronomist with NRCS in Indiana.  “Producers can cut input costs, maintain production, protect natural resources, and reduce dependence on fossil fuels by using these practices.  Producers who already have two or three of the practices applied will qualify for incentive payments by completing the bundle on their farms.”

 

            NRCS also has several on-line tools to help producers calculate their energy costs under various scenarios to see where they can reduce costs.  These energy awareness tools include:

·        Tillage,

·        Nitrogen fertilizer,

·        Irrigation management, and

·        Animal housing.

 

           The tools are designed to highlight the impacts of reducing energy costs and to help develop long-term solutions for producers.

 

            “Energy is an issue in every part of a farm operation,” says Hardisty.  “We have developed energy calculators and put them on-line so producers can see where they might reduce energy costs with conservation practice decisions. Our calculators consider the energy costs in the fuel to run machinery, dry grain and irrigate, and the energy savings available by considering fertilizer types, timing, and placement.”

 

            The energy cost calculators and other energy-saving links are available on-line on the NRCS national web site at: www.nrcs.usda.gov.  Click on the “Save Energy, Save Money” feature, or the link on the right side of the page to view energy estimators.

 

            In addition to the calculators, the “Save Energy, Save Money” site shows how conservation practices can add to energy efficiency and lower costs in the farm operation.

 

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Contact:

 

Jane E. Hardisty, State Conservationist, NRCS, (317) 290-3200

Michael McGovern, Public Affairs Specialist, NRCS, (317) 290-3200, ext. 324