Key to the success of this effort is the growth and development of a
farm energy efficiency “community of expertise” within the state that is
able to provide necessary advanced analysis and support to the
agricultural sector.
Also vital is the development of an energy savvy agricultural
population within the state that is able to recognize energy
opportunities and manage their operations in an optimized manner.
Examples of the program’s outputs and efforts include:
Farm Energy Efficiency Education
Educational programming
aimed at agricultural producers who are
interested in improving their energy efficiency and profitability.
- Recent examples include an “energy on the farm” workshop in
Lancaster
county and “smart energy shopping” presentations in Montgomery and Berks
counties.
Farm Energy Assessment Training
These workshops are designed to provide training to energy
specialists and agricultural professionals who wish to develop a
proficiency in on-site farm energy assessment. They include a
combination of classroom and hands-on training, and require
participants to carry out and submit an independent farm energy
assessment before their participation is certified.
Agricultural energy specialists within the program team can also provide
energy assessment support to local farmers on an “available resources”
basis. This can take the form of a phone or email discussion to
support a farmer’s self-assessment efforts, or can include a full audit
of the facility in question.
In general the program seeks to complement
available expertise in the private sector rather than compete.
Analysis Tools and Educational Materials
The farm energy efficiency program team continually develops and
expands upon available tools and materials for farm energy efficiency.
Materials include assessment handbooks, worksheets, fact sheets, and the
energy selector tool.
