Energy efficiency of conventional, organic, and alternative cropping systems for food and fuel at a site in the U.S. Midwest

Environmental Science and Technology

Volumn 44, Issue 10, 2010, Pages 4006-4011

  Gelfand, Ilya ^a   Snapp, Sieglinde S ^a   Robertson, G Philip ^a  

^a MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES; AGRICULTURAL SYSTEM; AVERAGE ENERGY; BIOFUEL PRODUCTION; CONVENTIONAL TILLAGE; CROPPING SYSTEMS; FOOD PRODUCTION; FUEL PRODUCTION; GLYCINE MAX; GRAIN CROPS; GRAIN PRODUCTION; INPUT SYSTEMS; MEDICAGO; NO-TILL; ORGANIC SYSTEMS; OVERALL ENERGY EFFICIENCY; PRODUCTION GOALS; TRITICUM AESTIVUM; ZEA MAYS;

AGRICULTURE; BIOFUELS; ENERGY BALANCE; GRAIN (AGRICULTURAL PRODUCT); NITROGEN FIXATION;

ENERGY EFFICIENCY;

ALFALFA; ALTERNATIVE AGRICULTURE; BIOFUEL; CROPPING PRACTICE; ENERGY BALANCE; ENERGY EFFICIENCY; FERTILIZER APPLICATION; FOOD PRODUCTION; MAIZE; MONITORING; ORGANIC FARMING; PHYTOMASS; SOYBEAN; WHEAT; ZERO TILLAGE;

ARTICLE; BIOFUEL PRODUCTION; CROP ROTATION; ENERGY BALANCE; ENERGY COST; ENERGY RESOURCE; FOOD INDUSTRY; UNITED STATES;

CROPS, AGRICULTURAL; ELECTRIC POWER SUPPLIES; FOOD; MIDWESTERN UNITED STATES;

MIDWEST; UNITED STATES;

GLYCINE MAX; MEDICAGO SATIVA; TRITICUM AESTIVUM; ZEA MAYS;

EID: 77952490767     PISSN: 0013936X     EISSN: 15205851     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1021/es903385g     Document Type: Article

References (32)

1. Robertson, G. P.; Paul, E. A.; Harwood, R. R. Greenhouse gases in intensive agriculture: Contributions of individual gases to the radiative forcing of the atmosphere Science 2000, 289, 1922-1925
2. West, T. O.; Marland, G. A synthesis of carbon sequestration, carbon emissions, and net carbon flux in agriculture: Comparing tillage practices in the United States Agric., Ecosyst. Environ. 2002, 91, 217-232
3. Hülsbergen, K. J.; Feil, B.; Biermann, S.; Rathke, G. W.; Kalk, W. D.; Diepenbrock, W. A method of energy balancing in crop production and its application in a long-term fertilizer trial Agric., Ecosyst. Environ. 2001, 86, 303-321
4. Kim, S.; Dale, B. E. Cumulative energy and global warming impact from the production of biomass for biobased products J. Ind. Ecol. 2003, 7, 147-162
5. Pimentel, D.; Hepperly, P.; Hanson, J.; Douds, D.; Seidel, R. Environmental, energetic, and economic comparisons of organic and conventional farming systems BioScience 2005, 55, 573-582
6. Hoeppner, J. W.; Entz, M. H.; McConkey, B. G.; Zentner, R. P.; Nagy, C. N. Energy use and efficiency in two Canadian organic and conventional crop production systems Renewable Agric. Food Syst. 2006, 21, 60-67
7. Rathke, G. W.; Wienhold, B. J.; Wilhelm, W. W.; Diepenbrock, W. Tillage and rotation effect on corn-soybean energy balances in eastern Nebraska Soil Tillage Res. 2007, 97, 60-70
8. Patzek, T. W.; Pimentel, D. Thermodynamics of energy production from biomass Crit. Rev. Plant Sci. 2005, 24, 327-364
9. Baum, A. W.; Patzek, T.; Bender, M.; Renich, S.; Jackson, W. The visible, sustainable farm: A comprehensive energy analysis of a Midwestern farm Crit. Rev. Plant Sci. 2009, 28, 218-239
10. Maeder, P.; Fliessbach, A.; Dubois, D.; Gunst, L.; Fried, P.; Niggli, U. Soil fertility and biodiversity in organic farming Science 2002, 296, 1694-1697
11. Deike, S.; Pallutt, B.; Christen, O. Investigations on the energy efficiency of organic and integrated farming with specific emphasis on pesticide use intensity Eur. J. Agron. 2008, 28, 461-470
12. 2 and soil carbon dynamics in biologically managed, row-crop agroecosystems Appl. Soil Ecol. 1999, 11, 53-65
13. Patzek, T. W. A first law thermodynamic analysis of biodiesel production from soybean Bull. Sci., Technol. Soc. 2009, 29, 194-204
14. Kim, S.; Dale, B. E. Life cycle assessment of various cropping systems utilized for producing biofuels: Bioethanol and biodiesel Biomass Bioenergy 2005, 29, 426-439
15. Patzek, T. W. Thermodynamics of the corn-ethanol biofuel cycle Crit. Rev. Plant Sci. 2004, 23, 519-567
16. Jahren, A. H.; Kraft, R. A. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes in fast food: Signatures of corn and confinement Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 2008, 105, 17855-17860
17. Lal, R.; Griffin, M.; Apt, J.; Lave, L.; Morgan, M. G. Ecology: Managing soil carbon Science 2004, 304, 393
18. Ferrell, C. L.; Jenkins, T. G. Body composition and energy utilization by steers of diverse genotypes fed a high-concentrate diet during the finishing period: I. Angus, Belgian blue, Hereford, and Piedmontese sires J. Anim. Sci. 1998, 76, 637-646
19. Heaton, E. A.; Dohleman, F. G.; Long, S. P. Meeting us biofuel goals with less land: The potential of Miscanthus Global Change Biol. 2008, 14, 2000-2014
20. Lal, R.; Reicosky, D. C.; Hanson, J. D. Evolution of the plow over 10,000 years and the rationale for no-till farming Soil Tillage Res. 2007, 93, 1-12
21. Wilhelm, W. W.; Johnson, J. M. F.; Karlen, D. L.; Lightle, D. T. Corn stover to sustain soil organic carbon further constrains biomass supply Agron. J. 2007, 99, 1665-1667
22. Syswerda, S.; Basso, B.; Hamilton, S. K.; Tausig, J.; Robertson, G. P. Long-term nitrate loss from no-till, biologically based, and cellulosic biofuel crops in the U.S. Midwest J. Environ. Qual. 2009, submitted
23. Kongshaug, G. In Energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in fertilizer production, IFA Technical conference, Marrakech, Morocco, 1998; International Fertilizer Industry Association: Marrakech, Morocco, 1998; p 18.
24. Hodgkinson, S. M.; Schmidt, M.; Ulloa, N. Comparison of the digestible energy content of maize, oats and alfalfa between the European wild boar (Sus Scrofa L.) and landrace - large white pig (Sus Scrofa domesticus) Anim. Feed Sci. Technol. 2008, 144, 167-173
25. Farrell, A. E.; Plevin, R. J.; Turner, B. T.; Jones, A. D.; OHare, M.; Kammen, D. M. Ethanol can contribute to energy and environmental goals Science 2006, 311, 506-508
26. Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Bioenergy conversion factors 2009. Available at http://bioenergy.ornl.gov/papers/misc/energy-conv.html (March 25, 2009).
27. Lal, R. Carbon emission from farm operations Environ. Int. 2004, 30, 981-990
28. Adler, P. R.; Del Grosso, S. J.; Parton, W. J. Life-cycle assessment of net greenhouse-gas flux for bioenergy cropping systems Ecol. Appl. 2007, 17, 675-691
29. Stein, D. 2008-2009 machine custom and work rate estimates In District Farm Business Management; Michigan State University extension 2009. Available at https: //www.msu.edu/user/steind/ (Nov 1, 2009).
30. U.S. Department of Energy 2008 Annual Energy Outlook DOE/EIA 0383; U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, Office of Integrated Analysis and Forecasting: Washington, DC, 2008., Available at http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/aeo/ (June 15, 2009).
31. Kim, S.; Dale, B. E. Global potential bioethanol production from wasted crops and crop residues Biomass Bioenergy 2004, 26, 361-375
32. Klopfenstein, T. Distillers grains as an energy source and effect of drying on protein availability Anim. Feed Sci. Technol. 1996, 60, 201-207