Energy Requirement in No-Tillage

Abstract

The production phase of U.S. agriculture uses large amounts of fossil energy as gasoline, diesel fuel, natural and L-P gas, oil, electricity, fertilizers, pesticides, feeds, seeds and machinery. Figure 6-1 shows an estimated division of the energy among the major uses in production agriculture. About one-third of the energy is directly from fossil fuels. Indirect inputs of fossil energy as fertilizers, pesticides, feeds, seeds machinery and electricity make up the remaining two-thirds. Of the fuels, gasoline comprises about 40 percent, diesel fuel 32 percent, natural gas 16 percent and L-P gas 12 percent (USDA-ERS-FEA, 1977). Most of the on-farm use of diesel fuel and gasoline is in farm tractors, trucks and automobiles, uses for which energy substitution is for the most part impractical. L-P gas is used mainly for on-farm crop drying. The major on-farm use of natural gas is for irrigation and for grain drying, especially in large commercial operations. Much of the indirect use of natural gas in agriculture is in the form of nitrogen fertilizer, since almost all nitrogen fertilizer used in the U.S. is manufactured from natural gas. An estimated 89 percent of the energy used in production agriculture goes for crop production and the remaining 11 percent is used for livestock production (Soil Conservation Society of America, 1978).