Agriculture hit hard by high energy costs
Because agriculture is among California’s more energy-dependent industries, California farmers are highly vulnerable to rising energy costs, according to UC Berkeley economists David Roland-Holst and David Zilberman. The impact of energy prices on agriculture, however, is not uniform, they wrote in a four-page article titled "How Vulnerable is California Agriculture to Higher Energy Prices?" The economists report that cattle, for example, have the highest overall oil and gas dependency because the sector is heavily dependent on hay and other forage crops and transportation services. Hay production requires chemical fertilizers, which are themselves energy intensive. Rising transport costs could make dairy product imports from New Mexico become less profitable, which would help California producers. On the other hand, salads, fruits and vegetables that currently are exported to the central and eastern United States may be vulnerable to substitution by local products. Roland-Holst and Zilberman believe high energy costs will prompt a search for new technologies that reduce current levels of energy dependence. "California farmers have proven themselves again and again to be among the nation's most technologically savvy," the authors wrote. "Their capacity as a laboratory of innovation . . . already sets global standards." With favorable policy support, California agriculture and food processing can serve as a global model for food security and more sustainable energy use, according to the authors. For more information, see the complete article at http://www.agecon.ucdavis.edu/uploads/update_articles/v9n5_1.pdf, or contact Zilberman at (510) 642-6570, zilberman@are.berkeley.edu. Tip by Jeannette Warnert, (559) 241-7514, jwarnert@ucop.edu.

UC studies show local buying and eating saves energy
High fuel prices, increased interest in sustainably grown food, and rising concerns about diet-related illnesses are making buying locally a good option, according to a UC community food systems expert. Gail Feenstra, food systems analyst for the Davis-based statewide UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (UC SAREP), noted that California's unique niche in the fruit and vegetable industry coupled with the energy crisis has created an opportunity for farmers to connect with local institutional buyers such as schools, hospitals, prisons, and elderly retirement facilities. "In California we've seen that growing public outcry about health issues like obesity, diabetes and chronic diet-related diseases is pushing institutional buyers to consider more local and sustainable sources for their fruits and vegetable products," said Feenstra. "The fresh local produce helps improve diet and health, while also saving energy by reducing the distance and transportation costs between farm and table."  Feenstra said institutional markets have the potential to absorb the volumes that mid-scale growers and processors have to offer. "It’s a winning solution all around," she said. "Buying local reduces energy costs, builds local economies, promotes healthful food choices, and supports sustainable agriculture."  UC SAREP’s Web site (www.sarep.ucdavis.edu) describes a variety of local food systems options for farmers and consumers. For more information, contact Feenstra at (530) 752-8408, gwfeenstra@ucdavis.edu. Tip by Lyra Halprin, (530) 752-8664, lhalprin@ucdavis.edu.

Could biodiesel fuel our future?
With the rise in fuel prices lately, Californian's are looking at options- including biodiesel. Biodiesel is a renewable fuel for diesel engines derived from vegetable oils like soybean or sunflower oil, and which meets the specifications of an Environmental Protection Act code. Currently, most of the biodiesel available in California is derived from soybeans grown in the Midwest and shipped here by train. In the future, biodiesel might develop into a new crop alternative for California farmers, according to Steve Kaffka, UC Davis extension agronomist. Although it is, like vegetable oil, derived from oil seed crops, biodiesel is not the same as raw vegetable oil. Oil seed crops include those annual and perennial crop plants that produce seeds with a large amount of oil, like safflower, already widely grown in California, and canola, a possible new crop. After harvest, the seed is crushed and the oil extracted. Then, the oil goes through a process called transesterification, where glycerin is removed from the oil to leave behind methyl-esters, the chemical name for biodiesel fuel. The resulting biodiesel burns in diesel engines with little or no modifications. Whether it can be produced in California in the short term lies in the economics of growing currently available or possible new alternative oil seed crops, according to Grant Poole, Los Angeles County UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor. A major cost in many agricultural production areas is for water. Poole plans to look into the economic feasibility of growing seed oil crops in Southern California's Antelope Valley. The greatest potential for growing the crops there would be where water pumping costs are minimal or using wastewater. Elsewhere, with higher rain fall, some of these crops might be grown with limited or no irrigation using reduced tillage systems. A new workgroup is forming to help develop biofuel alternatives for California's farmers. For more information, contact Poole at (661) 723-4483, gjpoole@ucdavis.edu, or Kaffka at (530) 752-8108, srkaffka@ucdavis.edu. Tip by Dohee Kim, (323) 260-3880, deekim@ucdavis.edu.

Fight the light
Mosquito researchers are known for "fighting the bite"--or protecting the public from mosquito-borne diseases like West Nile virus--and one way you can do this and save energy is by "fighting the light." Sharon Lawler, UC Davis associate professor of entomology, says Culex mosquitoes, which transmit the West Nile virus, are attracted to lights, especially bright lights. Female mosquitoes usually blood-feed at dawn and dusk; they require blood meals to develop their eggs. Turning off unnecessary lighting in your yard at dusk and dawn can help two ways: you can reduce your chances of being bitten by mosquitoes that may migrate in from surrounding areas, and you can also save energy. You should also replace your porch lights with yellow "bug" lights, which tend to attract fewer mosquitoes, Lawler says. In addition to lights, Culex mosquitoes are attracted by heat (infrared light), perspiration, body odor, lactic acid and carbon dioxide. Like many researchers, Lawler commonly uses light traps in adult mosquito surveillance.  The energy-conscious researcher (she commutes to work by bike, a 10-mile round trip) also offers these energy-saving tips: turn off the lights in windowed rooms and use the natural light; close off the air conditioning duct in the guest room or rooms not being used; and close the blinds during the day and open the windows at night to let the breezes flow through. And, be sure your windows have tight-fitting, intact screens, she cautions. For more information, contact Lawler at (530) 754-8341, splawler@ucdavis.edu. Tip by Kathy Keatley Garvey, (530) 754-6894, kegarvey@ucdavis.edu.

UC subsurface drip, conservation tillage projects
UC’s sustainable agriculture projects show that conservation tillage and the use of underground drip irrigation reduce weeds and pests, cut energy costs and lessen environmental impacts while maintaining yields in some crops. "We have very few weeds in tomato fields that are irrigated with subsurface drip irrigation," said Will Horwath, coordinator of the UC Davis Center for Integrated Farming Systems (CIFS) sustainable farming project. "Under subsurface drip irrigation, there are fewer weeds and less need for herbicides, which are produced from petroleum products, compared to furrow irrigation where water saturates the soil surface. This makes it easier to implement reduced tillage, a practice often plagued by weeds. We also show less emission of the potent greenhouse gas nitrous oxide.”  Horwath and CIFS project economist Karen Klonsky caution that long-term data are needed to confirm benefits. "Reduced tillage requires diligence in weed maintenance, and underground drip irrigation might be too costly," said Klonsky, UC Cooperative Extension agricultural economist based in Davis. For more information, contact Horwath at (530) 754-6029, wrhorwath@ucdavis.edu, or Klonsky at (530) 752-3563, klonsky@primal.ucdavis.edu. Tip by Lyra Halprin, (530) 752-8664, lhalprin@ucdavis.edu.