RFA Ethanol Podcast

Keeping It Safe With Propane

Chuck Zimmerman

Stuart FlatowThe folks on Capitol Hill have definitely received an education when it comes to propane this week at Propane Days. One of the very important things they learned about is propane safety.

The propane safety man is Stuart Flatow, VP, Safety and Training for the http://www.propanecouncil.org/trade/agriculture/index.cfm“>Propane Education & Research Council. Stuart points out in an interview I did with him that in the event that a spill occurs with propane (unlikely if handled properly) it won’t harm the environment or animals that may be around because it won’t contaminate the ground or water. He thinks this is very important for people, especially farmers, to know.

Stuart says he works closely with the PERC agricultural advisory committee and has helped develop a program customized for ag called “Dispensing Propane Safely.” For people needing to find propane safety information he suggests visiting here for consumer safety, here for other types of propane safety programs and here to order materials.

You can listen to my interview with Stuart here: propane-days-07-flatow.mp3

Audio, Propane

Classrooms Get $50,000 From Monsanto

Laura McNamara

Agricultural literacy for students in grades K-12 is a need the Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) Consortium is devoted to supporting. Monsanto has announced its plan to grant AITC $50,000 at the National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference to help fund the Consortium’s support.

State AITC programs address the need for agriculture literacy at the K-12 student level, with innovative curricular efforts designed specifically to reach non-traditional agriculture students.

“The AITC Consortium is privileged to continue utilizing these grant dollars which will benefit students and teachers around the country who want to learn more about agriculture,” said Monica Pastor, University of Arizona Agriculture Literacy and President of Agriculture in the Classroom Consortium. “In an era of shrinking financial resources, Monsanto’s gift continues to enhance our state programs through the competitive grant process. This gift provides additional opportunities for deserving educational projects at the state level which are then shared with all states.”

The Monsanto gift will be used to fund three projects per year over the next three years through a competitive state-level grant process administered by the AITC Consortium. The grants will award outstanding initiatives developed by state AITC programs focused on biotechnology, plant sciences, or agriculture and the environment. Supporting AITC allows Monsanto to maintain its commitment to science education and grassroots efforts that improve the understanding of biotechnology.
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Ag Groups, Education

Propane Gets Hot Water Without a Tank

Chuck Zimmerman

Mike Peacock and Kirk MorrowOne of the companies that the Propane Education & Research Council is working with on some projects is Rinnai. This is a company that makes gas fired appliances and one thing they’re doing that is real interesting is tankless water heaters.

As you’ll hear in my interview with Mike Peacock (left) and Kirk Morrow, they’re working with PERC on a project with some dairies to showcase how their technology can benefit the farm. Essentially they say it allows the dairy to replace boiler systems that can break down causing the dairy to be without hot water until it gets fixed. Their systems don’t have many moving parts and so they last a long time. Additionally they’re working with the dairies on some other applications like floor heating which would help northern dairies in the winter to keep floors from becoming slick and animals from slipping.

In my interview with Mike and Kirk they also provide some explanation of just how this tankless system works. You can listen to my interview with them here: propane-days-07-morrow-peacock.mp3

Audio, Propane

Putting Propane Tanks on Mowers

Chuck Zimmerman

Manchester TankI met Chris Row with Manchester Tank here at Propane Days and we talked about mowers. Chris says that his company is working with several OEM’s to bring propane powered mowers to market. I think they’re focusing on mower fleets primarily at this point. He says they want to help build mowers that will run smoothly over rough terrain.

One of the benefits to using propane he says is in theft prevention. That’s not something I think most of us would think of but it’s a lot harder to steal propane than gas. He says that propane is also good from an environmental standpoint since if someone accidentally spills it you don’t have groundwater contamination. Chris also points out that with high gas prices right now propane is an economical alternative.

Chris says that his company is working with the Propane Education & Research Council to promote this idea and they’re hoping to start a project with a national park or university to help showcase what can be done with propane in this application.

You can listen to my interview with Chris here: propane-days-07-row.mp3

Audio, Propane

Roy Willis is Proud of PERC Work

Chuck Zimmerman

Roy WillisThe President/CEO of the Propane Education & Research Council is Roy Willis. He was on hand at the sessions taking place this morning for the 3rd Annual Propane Days here in Washington, DC. Roy says PERC’s goal here is to help educate policy makers so that they make good decisions based on sound science and research.

I asked him to highlight some of their projects that he is especially proud of in the area of agriculture. They include what he calls thermal cultivation which is using heat/steam/flame to control pests in a variety of farm applications. He says this has a special interest to anyone growing organically since it reduces or eliminates the need for chemicals. Irrigation done with propane powered engines is another area that he mentioned as well as safety programs geared to agricultural audiences. He also mentioned that discussions are underway to see how propane can be used in tractors and combines.

One of the things I aske him about was where this fuel comes from. I think a lot of people wonder that. You see that’s it’s widely available but where do we get propane? To start with it’s a naturally occurring hydrocarbon that we mainly get as a by-product of the natural gas or oil refining processes. He says that over 90 percent of our propane comes from these sources which are domestic. Another area that holds promise includes bio-propane which would be made from a biomass production process. PERC is actively involved in this work with a project in Japan. One thing he wants people to know is that propane represents a very sustainable supply of fuel now and in the future.

You can listen to my interview with Roy here: propane-days-07-willis.mp3

Roy ended our discussion by saying that the slogan, “Exceptional Energy,” is taken by PERC as a promise to their customers and a challenge to the staff to deliver a superior, safe product.

Audio, Propane

Irrigating With Propane in Nebraska

Chuck Zimmerman

Michelle SwertzicOne of the leaders in the propane industry is Michelle Swertzic. She is the executive director of the Nebraska Propane Gas Association and sits on the agricultural advisory committee of the Propane Education & Research Council.

A PERC project that she’s really excited about involves irrigation and a study that’s taking place in the field this year with the University of Nebraska. After doing lab testing with motors running on propane they’ve taken to the field and hope to have end of season results to show the benefits of using propane to power irrigation systems. At that point she says PERC assistance with the project will move from research to promotion to make sure the study results make it to farmers who need to know.

I interviewed Michelle about this project and others that she has a special interest in. You can listen to my interview with Michelle here: propane-days-07-swertzic.mp3

Audio, Propane

Propane Propels an F-150 By Roush

Chuck Zimmerman

Tom ArnoldThe Roush F-150 Propane Injection Truck was on display here in Washington, DC today. To learn all about it I interviewed Tom Arnold, director, Roush Manufacturing. He says that the unit is available for sale. I thought it was interesting to note that it has an under-bed fuel tank. This is a full size truck that can be used for any application.

It sounds like using propane to fuel you vehicle right now would be an economical alternative to regular gas or diesel. It’s also supposed to be one of the cleanest burning fuels.

This is just one example of the projects that the Propane Education & Research Council has been involved in and is featuring here at Propane Days on Capitol Hill.

Audio, Propane, Video

Propane is Trucking at the Capitol

Chuck Zimmerman

Ford F-150 Roush Propane TruckI have arrived in the nation’s capitol and the first thing I saw outside the Hyatt Regency is the Roush F-150. This is a liquid propane powered truck that can be used for any application.

Probably one of the first questions you might ask is about where the tank is. It’s located under the bed where you would normally find the spare tire!

I interviewed company director Tom Arnold and will post that interview later as soon as I get a chance. Right now I’m getting ready to attend a capitol hill reception where I’ll interview some other folks with PERC which is sponsoring Propane Days. Get ready for some more propane knowledge soon.

Propane

Strategizing for the Future

Laura McNamara

National Council for Agricultural EducationThe future of agriculture education is no light matter for the National Council for Agricultural Education. That’s why the Council is meeting June 15-17 in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky, for a 10 x 15 National Conference. The Council plans to address long-range stategic planning for the future of ag education.

“We want to create new programs in communities not yet served by agricultural education and FFA,” said Allan Sulser, chairman of the National Council. “We can strengthen the quality of current programs to provide personal, academic and career education in agriculture. It will contribute to our strategic goal of having 10,000 quality agricultural education programs in operation in this country by the year 2015,” he said. “Agricultural education is at a crossroads, with the past and present both impacting our vision and decisions,” said Larry Case, Ed.D., coordinator of agricultural and rural education, U.S. Department of Education. “These policy meetings are integral to the future success of the agricultural business and agriscience industries in the United States. We must meet the needs for a competent scientific workforce for tomorrow incorporating techn ological and academic advances that continuously develop.” The 10 x 15 management team has identified eight high-priority initiatives to carry agricultural education successfully into the future. They are:

1. Program Standards for agricultural education (Goal: Set and seek adoption of National Program Standards for Agricultural Education for academic, technical, career and life skills based upon the integrated model of agric
2. Link food, agriculture and natural resources content standards to national academic content standards (Goal: Link national academic content standards in science, math, language arts, and social sciences and engage the academic community in setting national standards.)
3. Develop multiple agricultural education designs (Goal: Identify 5-10 potential new markets for agricultural education programs and develop multiple agricultural science education designs that meet community and industry needs.)
4. Program data reporting (Goal: Create and operate a program results reporting system to provide baseline and annual data to document program value at local, state and national levels and provide feedback for continuous improvement.)
5. Agriculture educator recruitment (Goal: Develop and implement agricultural education teacher recruitment strategies in grades 9-14.)
6. Agricultural education advocacy strategy (Goal: Develop local, state and national strategies that effectively advocate agricultural education.)
7. Agricultural education brand strategy (Goal: Develop and implement a brand strategy for agricultural education that results in the greatest success for the enterprise as a whole.)
8. Program funding strategy (Goal: Devise and implement a local, state and national strategy to enlist public, corporate and organizational support to build agricultural education programs at all levels.)
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Ag Groups, Education

On Fire To Learn About Propane

Chuck Zimmerman

Missouri Highway MorningWhile most people are sleeping the agriblogger is up and on his way to another event. This time it’s Propane Days in Washington, DC.

It was a beautiful sunrise on the way to St. Louis airport. The sky looked like it was on fire over the farm fields that were mostly covered with a light layer of ground fog. I wish I’d had more time to set up for a better picture.

It’s almost time to board. Over the next couple days I’ll be featuring interviews and pictures about the activities of the Propane Education & Research Council which is a sponsor of Propane Days.

It’s and education event and an educational opportunity that I’m looking forward to.

Ag Groups, Propane