This report examines recent trends in energy use in the agricultural sector and the extent to which farm businesses engage in on-farm energy production. Increasing volume mandates for cellulosic biofuel in the Renewable Fuel Standard, as well as the shale energy revolution and the promulgation of the Clean Power Plan (CPP), have changed (or could change) agriculture's energy use and production patterns. A small but growing number of farms harvest cellulosic biomass. Also, while the shale revolution contributed to lowering natural gas and fuel prices, domestic fertilizer prices have not substantially diverged from global prices -- even though natural gas remains the major production cost for fertilizer. Enrollment in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) has declined at a greater rate in counties overlaying shale. The impact of the CPP on farm electricity use is minor, as electricity represents only 1-6% of their total production expenses. Figures and tables. This is a print on demand report.

This report examines recent trends in energy use in the agricultural sector and the extent to which farm businesses engage in on-farm energy production. A 2013 ERS report on energy consumption and production in agriculture focused on corn and soybean production for the biofuel market and farmer responses to rising energy prices. However, since then, increasing volume mandates for cellulosic biofuel in the Renewable Fuel Standard, as well as the shale energy revolution and the promulgation of the Clean Power Plan (CPP), have changed (or could change, in the case of CPP) agriculture's energy use and production patterns. The study finds that a small but growing number of farms harvest cellulosic biomass. Also, while the shale revolution contributed to lowering natural gas and fuel prices, domestic fertilizer prices have not substantially diverged from global prices-even though natural gas remains the major production cost for fertilizer. Shale energy production has impacted enrollment in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP); the study finds that between 2006 and 2013, CRP acreage in counties overlaying shale plays declined, on average, at a greater rate (32 percent) than in non-shale counties (22 percent). The impact of the CPP on farm electricity use is expected to be minor for most farm businesses, as electricity represents, on average, only 1 to 6 percent of their total production expenses.

This is a print on demand edition of a hard to find publication. Energy is an important input in growing, processing, packaging, distributing, storing, preparing, serving, and disposing of food. In the U.S., use of energy along the food chain for food purchases by or for U.S. households increased between 1997 and 2002 at more than six times the rate of increase in total domestic energy use. This increase in food-related energy flows is over 80% of energy flow increases nationwide over the period. The use of more energy-intensive technologies throughout the U.S. food system accounted for half of this increase, with the remainder attributed to population growth and higher real per capita food expenditures. Food-related energy use as a share of the national energy budget grew from 14.4% in 2002 to 15.7% in 2007. Illus.

Farming for Our Future examines the policies and legal reforms necessary to accelerate the adoption of practices that can make agriculture in the United States climate-neutral or better. These proven practices will also make our food system more resilient to the impacts of climate change. Agriculture's contribution to climate change is substantial--much more so than official figures suggest--and we will not be able to achieve our overall mitigation goals unless agricultural emissions sharply decline. Fortunately, farms and ranches can be a major part of the climate solution, while protecting biodiversity, strengthening rural communities, and improving the lives of the workers who cultivate our crops and rear our animals. The importance of agricultural climate solutions can not be underestimated; it is a critical element both in ensuring our food security and limiting climate change. This book provides essential solutions to address the greatest crises of our time.

This book synthesizes theory and empirical research on the economics of energy in agriculture in order to: present a framework for identification and analysis of energy requirements for agriculture; examine the impacts of energy price increases and supply shortages on the structure of agriculture; and explore the economic feasibility of agriculture as a renewable source of energy production. The work presents many original research findings, including information on energy intensity and factor substitution in agriculture. A series of case studies is included.