Energetic Analysis of a Diverse Dairy Operation, Producing Fuel, Feed, and Forage As Compared to a Typical Dairy Operation of the Same Size.

Fossil fuels are not a renewable resource and as fuel prices rise, farmers are seeking renewable fuels that they can produce on their farms to improve the farm energetic and economic efficiency.  In the Penn State NESARE Dairy Cropping Systems project, we are managing and monitoring two diverse 6-year cropping systems scaled to 1/20^th the size of a 240-acre PA dairy farm. The no-till cropping systems incorporate cover crops, green manure, and legume crops, manure injection, integrated pest management, and multiple weed control strategies to reduce herbicide use.  Additionally, canola is pressed for oil to power a straight vegetable oil (SVO) tractor and the canola meal could be fed to a dairy herd.  We used the Farm Energy Analysis Tool (FEAT) to conduct an energetic analysis of the sustainable dairy cropping systems offset by SVO fuel, using crop yields from 2011.  We compared this sustainable farm with a typical PA dairy farm of the same size.  In both farms, we accounted for crop production needs, including all farm inputs (ex. fertilizers, fossil fuels), equipment, and labor.

On the sustainable farm, we grew enough canola SVO to power all tractor-pulled operations with left-over SVO that could be sold off-farm.  We also produced all forage and the majority of the feed on-farm.  Together, these two reductions in major energy inputs, allowed the NESARE dairy cropping systems farm to be more energetically favorable than a typical dairy farm of the same size.  Our results suggest that mid-sized PA dairy farm could grow their own fuel and, in most years, all of their feed and forage, resulting in a significant reduction in total energy requirements and a potential economic gain.