Whether you are milking 100 cows or 1,000, the cost of energy inputs into a dairy farm – fuel and electricity – has a big impact on the bottom line. According to the USDA, energy costs consistently ranks second only to feed costs.
From 2010-2012, the average costs of fuel increased as much as 23 percent, and with more than two-thirds of all farm equipment powered by diesel engines, at $3.50 to $4 a gallon today, the cost of diesel fuel alone can take a huge chunk out of a monthly milk check.
Fuel is not only a major energy expense, but it also has an impact on air quality in the form of exhaust emissions.
The less fuel burned, the fewer emissions created, so using less fuel is good not only for the pocketbook but also the environment.
Even though farming is mostly a rural activity and occurs outside urban and industrial areas that have the most concerns about air pollution, new federal standards this year will expand the number of areas that may be in non-compliance for air pollution.
California may have ranked third nationally in milk production in 2012, but it ranked first for high air pollution levels.
As a result, some unique policies are coming online in the next 12 to 18 months when the California Air Resources Board considers rules that may require some farms to reduce emissions levels by modernizing and upgrading existing equipment or acquiring new equipment.
Rules and regulations aren’t the only driving factor. Growing consumer green awareness has also led many food processors and co-ops to source raw materials from farms that use green and energy-efficient practices, including low-emissions equipment.
So what are the options for reducing emissions and saving fuel from existing tractors and machines?
Fuel consumed is directly dependent on the age and state of engine maintenance and overall condition, idle time and load factors based on the job at hand.
Tending to regular maintenance and rebuilding will keep fuel costs down, as will simply eliminating unnecessary idle time – both of which also reduce emissions.
Today’s “average” tractor – if there is such a thing – is the workhorse on the farm (40 to 75 hp) and able to complete a variety of chores from manure gathering to crop tending.
According to the USDA, about 4.3 million tractors were in use in 2007 (the latest year of census data available). Of those, 3.86 million were manufactured prior to 2003, meaning that about 90 percent of tractors in use today were built before 2004.
This is a pivotal year because for 2004 through 2014, the EPA established a series of progressively more stringent emissions standards for new engines that reduce particulate (smoke) emissions and smog-forming compounds (hydrocarbon and oxides of nitrogen) by more than 90 percent compared to previous years.
A switch to cleaner ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel was critical to meeting these challenges because for the first time many new engines also use particulate filters and catalysts to cut emissions, and these are very sulfur-sensitive.
In some cases, these new devices have been applied to existing engines and equipment (“retrofit”) – especially school buses.
Predictable operating conditions, load factors and exhaust temperatures have to be just right to allow these exhaust after-treatment devices to perform properly.
At the end of the day, unique tractor design and variable operating conditions make it very challenging to upgrade existing farm equipment.
One of the best solutions is engine repowering, which not only reduces emissions but also reduces maintenance costs and fuel consumption, and extends the life of the tractor.
Many older tractors, however, have integral in-frame engine designs that preclude take-out replacement of the engines, but in-frame overhauls can extend life and save fuel.
Stepping up maintenance, cutting idle time and using the newest equipment for more power-intensive tasks are all ways to cut emissions and save fuel from existing machines. In nearly all cases, the biggest fuel savings will come from investing in new tractors and machines.
Technology has changed rapidly and new machines not only save fuel but are more productive and powerful. You’ll find those fuel savings at your local new equipment dealer. PD
Allen Schaeffer
Executive Director
Diesel Technology Forum
