Farming for Energy

Can FARMS
produce ENERGY
?
Most of the energy we utilize comes directly from natural resources found in the earth.
Nonrenewable energy sources like fossil fuels can’t be ‘farmed,’ they are mined from the earth.
Renewable energy resources such as wind, solar, water, and geothermal energy aren’t technically
‘farmed’ either—humans don’t have the ability to create them. However, we can harvest or collect
each of these sources of energy. That leaves us with biomass—the only source of energy that can
actually be produced on a farm.
Wood is probably the oldest source of
energy after the sun. For thousands of
years, people have burned wood to heat
their homes and cook their food. Wood is
a biomass because it comes from a tree—
which was once living. Energy was passed
from the sun, to the tree. The energy
is stored in the wood until it is burned,
releasing the energy as heat.
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How Does Biomass Energy Work?
Converting biomass to useable forms
of energy reduces greenhouse gas
emissions in two ways. First, heat and
electrical energy is generated which
reduces our dependence on fossil fuels.
Second, greenhouse gas emissions
from the organic material itself are
significantly reduced. Rather than
allowing methane emissions from the
decaying biomass into the atmosphere,
they are trapped and converted to a
useable form of energy.