Robert Pore's Ag Blog

In a recent report by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, worldwide marketed energy consumption is projected to grow by 71 percent between 2003 and 2030.

A large part of that growth will come in developing countries, such as China and India, as economies grow and energy use increases.

But not only will energy use increase, so will the cost of that energy. Growth increases demand, but also pressures supplying that demand.

The dilemma is not so much will we have enough energy to meet growing demand. It’s the mean of production and infrastructure to deliver that energy that’s the pressing problem.

It’s inconceivable to think that human kind will ever run out of energy sources to drive its ever growing expansion of technology. The problem is that nearly the whole infrastructure of that energy demand is driven by fossil fuel.

According to the EIA report, higher prices dampen expected growth in world oil demand. As a result, oil’s share of total energy use is projected to fall from 38 percent in 2003 to 33 percent in 2030. But that opens the door to the growth of other fossil fuels, such as natural gas and coal.

The report said petroleum consumption is still expected to grow strongly, however, reaching 118 million barrels per day in 2030. The United States, China, and India together account for 51 percent of the projected growth in world oil use.

The report said that members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) are expected to increase their supply of oil by 14.6 million barrels per day between 2003 and 2030. Higher oil prices contribute to a substantial increase in projected non-OPEC supply, which rises by 23.7 million barrels per day, including 8.1 million barrels per day of unconventional production, over the same period.

World unconventional production (including oil sands, bitumen, biofuels, coal-to-liquids, and gas-to-liquids) increases by 9.7 million barrels per day between 2003 and 2030, representing 25 percent of the total world liquids supply increase.

The world’s energy woes are more easy to cure by rhetoric than they are in actually accomplishing the task. The key is diversifying the energy mix to lot greater extent than what’s happening currently.

The biggest problem is making those alternative energy sources economically viable on a large scale. Technology will deliver the solution of economy of scale to make alternative fuels economically viable. But, will those who have a huge vested interest in the fossil fuel industry be willing to relinquished their share of the pie?

That’s not going to be a easy task considering that building this huge fossil fuel dependency and world wide infrastructure has been accomplished, in reality, just in a little more than 100 years. The growth of technology has allowed human kind to harness energy’s abundant availability in very efficient manner.

If technology has fostered a global fossil fuel infrastructure since the dawning of the Industrial Age, the technology’s transformation of a more diverse energy sourced market can be accomplished a lot faster that any of us can imagine if the incentives are right.

But the real concern shouldn’t be oil consumption as it is water consumption. What will be a more pressing issue, especially as it is finally dawning on everybody that global warming is a serious reality, is providing water to a growing population and a growing world economy.

Just as much as fossil fuel drives economic advancement, so does water. For example, a lot of water is needed for energy production, such as ethanol. And just as we need energy to grow food, we also need a lot of water.

Here is an interesting perspective to think about: Each day America uses 882,000,000 million gallons of oil for various energy uses. A barrel of oil contains 42 gallons of crude or which about half is used to make gasoline.

While Nebraska irrigation season runs about three months out of the year, based on 2000 numbers from the U.S. Geological Survey over a 12 month period, 8.8 billion gallons of water is used daily with more than 90 percent of it going to grow crops, primarily corn and soybeans.

Nationwide, the U.S. uses 137 billion gallons water daily. Comparing oil use to water use is like comparing apples to orange, but both still are fruits to having a vibrant economy.

If fossil fuels run out, we can replace it easy enough with a host of other alternative energy sources. But if we run short of water for a growing world population, that’s a different matter altogether.

LINCOLN — Nebraska Farm Bureau is calling on U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns to reestablish the Livestock Compensation Program for livestock producers who live in counties that receive a primary disaster declaration because of drought.
Because of recent action by Congress to drop disaster assistance from the emergency supplemental spending bill, it appears that it would be later, rather than sooner when Congress considers disaster assistance, Nebraska Farm Bureau President Keith Olsen said in a letter to Johanns.

“Therefore, we believe the Livestock Compensation Program would provide the most immediate and useful assistance to ranchers. It would provide some direct cash relief which may buy time for many who will soon face difficult financial decisions,” he said.

Farm Bureau also asked Johanns to immediately authorize emergency haying on CRP acres already designated for emergency grazing. Nineteen Nebraska counties and portions of three others have been approved for emergency CRP grazing. “However, the current final primary nesting and brood rearing date on CRP aces in Nebraska is July 15 which is when producers are allowed to emergency hay CRP. We believe the CRP forage will deteriorate severely by July 15,” Olsen said.

In addition, many CRP acres are not fenced and lack water, which makes them not capable of grazing livestock. Therefore, granting emergency CRP grazing does not provide much help to many producers, Olsen said. He also noted that much of the Great Plains area experienced a mild winter so the nesting and brooding season is well ahead of its normal schedule. And because only 50 percent of CRP acres would be allowed to be hayed if the request were granted, any negative affect on nesting and brood rearing would be minimized.

The FSA State Technical Committee already has recommended emergency haying by July 1 to USDA, he said, so there are many interests in Nebraska that believe an earlier release of emergency CRP haying is appropriate.

LINCOLN — An in-depth look at grazing will take place at the 2006 Nebraska Grazing Conference Aug. 7-8 at the Holiday Inn at Kearney.

The conference will give farmers, ranchers, wildlife managers and advisers the opportunity to learn more about obtaining economic success through grazing, enhancing wildlife habitat, conservation, animal behavior and management.

Sessions begin Aug. 7 at 10 a.m. following 9 a.m. registration and will conclude at approximately 3 p.m. the following day.

Key speakers include:

Barry Dunn, King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management, Texas A&M University, Measuring Success in Grazing Management: A Balanced Approach;

Terry Klopfenstein, professor of animal science, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Making Cents with Grazing Yearlings;

Ken Vogel, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Lincoln, Breeding Grasses for Improved Beef Cattle Income Per Acre;

Fred Provenza, Utah State University, Using Animal Behavior to Manage Grazing;

Byron Shelton, Holistic Management International Certified Educator, Buena Vista, Colo., Holistic Grazing Planning -- From the Grass Roots Up;

Dave Sands, The Nebraska Land Trust, Lincoln, Conservation Easements: A Private Path to Permanent Protection;

John Sellers, program coordinator and producer, Grasslands Systems for the Leopold Center, Corydon, Iowa, Integrating Pasture with Row Crop Production.

Other sessions cover topics including the grazing livestock systems major at UNL, promoting grassland biodiversity, irrigated pastures, setting up grazing systems, birds and grazing and winter and summer grazing options.

An animal behavioral management workshop also will be led by Provenza Aug. 7 following a 6 p.m. banquet. Time will be permitted throughout the conference for participants to browse through exhibits from various companies and organizations within the grazing industry.

Registration is $70 if postmarked by Aug. 1 and $90 after. Fees include two lunches, evening banquet and materials. One-day registration is $35 before Aug. 1 and $45 after and does not include the evening banquet.

Walk-ins are welcome.

For more information or to register contact the Center for Grassland Studies at (402) 472-4101, e-mail grassland@unl.edu or visit the Web at http://www.grassland.unl.edu.

The conference is sponsored by the UNL Center for Grassland Studies, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition.

LINCOLN, NE – Low-stress cattle-handling techniques for calves, pioneered several years ago by Bud Williams, will be the topic of two seminars this July in the Sandhills.

Veterinarian Tom Noffsinger of Benkelman, Neb., will present the training sessions July 10 in the Hyannis area and July 11 at the Broken Bow fairgrounds. The all-day seminars will feature classroom instruction in the morning and field training in the afternoon.


The Williams technique focuses on weaning calves and transporting them to a feedlot. That’s the most stressful time in a calf’s life. If improperly handled, this stress will affect performance, health and carcass-grading, cutting into profits on each calf.

For the past several years, Noffsinger has been conducting these clinics throughout the Midwest. He recommends starting the Williams techniques when the calves first get to the pen.

“It’s important to give newly received calves a good first impression of their new surroundings,” he said. “It is our goal for them to feel comfortable at the front of the pen near the water and feed. Once acclimated, they will start to eat and drink quicker, which directly affects the overall health and performance.”

The Williams technique is also used when processing cattle.

“Many operations that have implemented this technique have essentially eliminated their hot-shot use,” said Broken Bow veterinarian Scott Reynolds. “The concept is not only beneficial to the cattle but also the employees. By following these techniques, their jobs are easier and less stressful.”

The seminars are open to all cattle producers and sponsorship from Vita-Ferm Feeds and Daniels Manufacturing has allowed Nebraska Cattlemen to hold registration cost to only $20 for this seminar, which includes lunch. In order to plan for materials and meals, please RSVP to the NC office in Alliance at (308) 762-3005 by July 1.