Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this project is beginning farmers and ranchers with questions about energy. Changes/Problems:The COVID pandemic dramatically impacted our ability to travel and carry out many of the tasks associated with this project. However, we were able to adapt and utilize distance communication technology to complete the deliverables and complete the project as planned (with the help of a 1-year no cost extension). What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project has provided several opportunities for professional development. Members of the project have presented outcomes from the project at the Northeast Agricultural and Biological Engineering Conference (NABEC) and Penn State Energy Days, as well as in online webinars. Furthermore, our annual face-to-face meeting provideean additional opportunity to engagewith fellow farm energy experts. Through the course of this project, our videographer, Kay Dimarco, has hosted brief workshops and worked to train team member in best production practices and increase the team's production skills. Additionally, two graduate students at Penn State have been provided with the opportunity to work with team members to create energy-related videos and related content of their choosing. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We have shared an overview of this project at the Northeast Agricultural and Biological Engineering Conference (NABEC) and Penn State Energy Days. We also made drafts of current videos and flyers of information available and Penn State's Ag Progress Days. An overview of this project waspresented to a national audience at the National Farmers Union Online Conference, as well as in a webinar as part of the Farm Energy Day webinar series. Finally, our YouTube channel is live an available for wide-spread viewing of our completedvideo content. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Goal 1: We have completed a survey of farm energy materials available online through university, regional, and national extension websites using two key search terms, "energy" and "farm energy". We have learned that of the 648 catalogued resources, most are focused on energy efficiency. This survey has identified several gaps in current resources in the topics of energy audits, bioenergy markets, waste-to-energy, and biofuel topics. Furthermore, the results of this survey suggest that the content available is primarily informational (54%) and contains far less instructional information (28%) which is designed to provide steps to incorporate energy efficient or new energy practices. Finally, we have noticed a lack of connectivity in farm energy resources and noted the importance of highlighting energy-related outcomes in farm energy materials. Goal 2: We created a consistent video opening, closing, logos, and other graphics that were used throughout the project. We held a series of preproduction meetings prior to filming to increase on-site productivity and decrease travel-related costs. Completed videos have been posted to our YouTube page, titled Energy Answers for the Beginning Farmer & Rancher. A total fo 41 videos were created and published. An access portal to these materials was created both on the FarmAnswers.org website and on the e-Extension sustainable Ag Energy site. Awareness of these materials was encouraged via the release of extension articles, news releases, and social media announcements. To better serve the beginning farmer and rancher community, we created a farmer and rancher advisory board of ~10 individuals. We have used this board along with the content survey to better understand the needs of this community. Their input directed video topic choices for our team. Goal 3: To strengthen the energy knowledge of existing programs, we made a webinar presentation that provided an overview of the sources of farm energy information. This webinar has been recorded and made available on the Penn State Extension website. Goal 4: The farm energy providers collaborating on this project are currently members of a Sustainable Farm Energy Production and Use Group (NECC-1501). We held several of our annual, face-to-face meetings over the course of the project. These gatherings allowed for increased member knowledge of educational resources available throughout the country, and opportunity to exchange ideas on energy topics, and assists with reviewing the current state of our project materials. The project team met in May 2022 at the National Energy Extension Summit for their final project team meeting, and to promote project outputs to the farm energy extension community. Goal 5: We worked with Dr. Curtis Mahnken at farmanswers.org to begin populating farmanswers.org toolboxes. Through our conversations, we have realized the importance of creating off-site available resources (such as YouTube) to house the content created in this project. This will then be linked to farmanswers.org. We have made these resources available through both our YouTube Channel and on the e-Extension Sustainable Ag Energy site
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Fathel, S. L., Tripathi, J., and D. Ciolkosz, (2019), Energy Opportunities for New Farmers, Northeast Agricultural and Biological Engineering Conference (NABEC), Lac Beauport, Quebec.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Fathel, S. L. (2019), Farm Energy Matters: Introducing a Program to Address Your Energy Questions, National Farmers Union: Growing for the Future, Virtual Conference.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Fathel, S. 2021. Energy Answers for Beginning Farmers and Ranchers. Farm Energy Day Webinar Series. Penn State Extension. Presented 25 March, 2021.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Fathel, S., Tripathi, J., and Ciolkosz, D. 2022. Understanding the Role of Farm Energy in Extension Programs. Presented at 2022 National Energy Extension Summit / National Sustainability Summit. May 15-18, 2022. State College, PA.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Fathel, S. L., Tripathi, J., and D. Ciolkosz, (2019), Trends in online farm energy, extension resources, and education programs, Penn State Energy Days, University Park, PA.
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Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this project was beginning farmers and ranchers. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project has created self-study opportunities for team members via the use of the videos and accompanying materials. Additionally, graduate students at Penn State and the University of Nebraska have been provided with the opportunity to work with team members to create energy-related videos and related companion materials. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Beginning farmers have been contacted via extension news articles, news releases, social media announcements, and through informal contact via the project's advisory committee and project team colleagues. Using our YouTube page we can easily track engagement. We've seen over 75,000 views on our 41 videos. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?This is the final reporting period for the project.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Goal#1 was completed previously, and Goals#2-5 were completed during this time period. Goal #2: An additional 12 videos were completed and added to the Energy Answers channel, for atotal of 41 videos. This exceeds our original goal of 36 videos. An access portal to these materials was maintained both on the FarmAnswers.org website andon the e-Extension sustainable Ag Energy site. Awareness of these materials was encouraged via the release of extensionarticles, news releases, and social media announcements. Goal 3: An informational webinar that gives an overview of the program has been posted to the Penn State Extension website and is available for viewing. Goal 4: The project team met in Mayat the National EnergyExtension Summit. This gathering allowedfor increased member knowledge of educational resources available throughout thecountry, an opportunity to exchange ideas on energy topics, and allowed us to seek opportunities to synergize the project's outputs with new issues and opportunities related to farm energy. Goal 5: We have taken steps to make these resources available through both our YouTube Channel and on the e-Extension Sustainable Ag Energy site.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Fathel, S. 2021. Why farm energy matters? Video Recording (online resource).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6-_M5TSy6I
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Ignosh, J. 2021. What are some basics about solar lease agreements? Video Recording (online resource). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NY6og848mRc
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Gates, R. 2021. How can proper livestock ventilation save energy and time? Video Recording (online resource). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4MWSL1RzqA
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Johnstonbaugh, E. 2021. How do I analyze the energy use quotient for my farm? Video Recording (online resource). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KL2CDcMXMHk
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Fathel, S. 2021. What is it like to heat with on-farm bioenergy? Video Recording (online resource). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQAirjhxAs4
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Both, A. 2022. Are LED lamps better for crop production in greenhouses? Video Recording (online resource). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKo2IMSC9vk
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Both, A. 2022. How can we improve energy efficiency in greenhouses? Video Recording (online resource). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMSg2PVH660
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Both, A. 2022. What alternative energy systems can be used in the greenhouse industry? Video Recording (online resource). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqYWA1NdEhI
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Ignosh, J. 2022. Solar-powered water systems: 10 steps to tolar water systems. Video Recording (online resource). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6dnNcT6VMM
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Ignosh, J. 2022. Solar-powered water systems: Producer testimonial with Logan Grant. Video Recording (online resource). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YgIG-kNf1o
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Ignosh, J. 2022. Solar-powered water systems: Solar pump demonstration project. Video Recording (online resource). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMEOszlWz4Q
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Ignosh, J. 2022. How do I pick a solar installer? Video Recording (online resource). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtuRhyIUGeU
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Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this project is beginning farmers and ranchers with questions about energy. Changes/Problems:Travel restrictions related to the corona virus pandemic restricted our ability to carry out field activities or hold face-to-face meetings. Thus, we adapted through the use of online technologies and limited-travel site work. A no-cost extension was requested and granted to allow the project team's meeting to occur at the National Energy Extension Summit in October 2021. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project has created self-study opportunities for team members via the use of the videos and accompanying materials. Additionally, graduate students at Penn State and the University of Nebraska have been provided with the opportunity to work with team members to create energy-related videos and related companion materials. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Beginning farmers have been contacted via extension news articles, news releases, social media announcements, and through informal contact via the project's advisory committee and project team colleagues. Using our YouTube page we can easily track engagement. We've seen over 40,000views on our 31videos. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We plan to complete and publish the final 5 videos and complementary materials, continue marketing the material to the beginning farmer community, and report on the project at the 2021 National Energy Extension Summit.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
We have fully completed our first objective and have started the necessary steps to accomplish the remaining four goals. Following is a review of our progress on each of our five goals. Goal 1: We completed this objective, a survey of online farm energy materials in Year 1 of this project. Goal 2: At present we have posted 31 of the 36+ videos we have planned to create, with an additional 5 videos that are in development and are slotted to be completed by the end of October 2021. These videos are posted online for access by beginning farmers and ranchers. An access portal to these materials was created both on the FarmAnswers.org website and on the e-Extension sustainable Ag Energy site. Awareness of these materials was encouraged via the release of extension articles, news releases, and social media announcements. Goal 3: To strengthen the energy knowledge of existing programs, we made a webinar presentation that provided an overview of the sources of farm energy information. Goal 4: The farm energy providers collaborating on this project are currently members of a Sustainable Farm Energy Production and Use Group (NECC-1501). We will hold our annual face-to-face meeting this October at the National Energy Extension Summit. This gatheringallows for increased member knowledge of educational resources available throughout the country, an opportunity toexchange ideas on energy topics, and assists with reviewing the current state of our project materials. Goal 5: We have taken steps to make these resources available through both our YouTube Channel and on the e-Extension Sustainable Ag Energy site. We are in the process of developing toolboxes for FarmAnswers.org.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Fathel, S. 2021. Energy Answers for Beginning Farmers and Ranchers. Farm Energy Day Webinar Series. Penn State Extension. Presented 25 March, 2021.
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Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/20
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this report is beginning farmers and ranchers with questions about energy. Changes/Problems:Travel restrictions related to the corona virus pandemic restricted our ability to carry out field activities or hold face-to-face meetings. Thus, we adapted through the use of online technologies and limited-travel site work. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project has created self-study opportunities for team members via the use of the videos and accompanying materials. Additionally, graduate students at Penn State and the University of Nebraska have been provided with the opportunity to work with team members to create energy-related videos and related companion materials. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Beginning farmers have been contacted via extension news articles, news releases, social media announcements, and through informal contact via the project's advisory committee and project team colleagues. Using our YouTube page we can easily track engagement. We've seen over 1200 views on our 20 videos. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We plan to complete and publish an additional 17 videos and 20 complementary materials, continue marketing the material to the beginning farmer community, and submit an article for publication on the nature and availability of farm energy programs and materials. We will also report on the project at the 2021 National Energy Extension Summit.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
We have fully completed our first objective and have started the necessary steps to accomplish the remaining four goals. Following is a review of our progress on each of our five goals. Goal 1: We completed this objective, a survey of online farm energy materials in Year 1 of this project. Goal 2: At present we have posted 20 of the 36+ videos we have planned to create, with an addition 4 videos that are in development and are slotted to be completed by the end of October 2020. These videos are posted online for access by beginning farmers and ranchers. An access portal to these materials was created both on the FarmAnswers.org website and on the e-Extension sustainable Ag Energy site. Awareness of these materials was encouraged via the release of extension articles, news releases, and social media announcements. Each posted video is linked with resources identified by the lead team member on the video. At our annual team meeting we identified the need to create additional accompanying materials that are unique to the videos we are creating. Currently, we have 9 supporting items that are used in direct accompaniment to the video content. This is a number that we could increase and plan to do so in the final year of the project. Goal 3: To strengthen the energy knowledge of existing programs, we plan to make a webinar presentation which will provide an overview of the sources of farm energy information. As stated in our project timeline, we have begun to address this goal by first creating outreach materials available to our team members. These include talking points, an education poster, flyers, and a press release. We will work to further develop this content into a webinar in this final year of the project. Goal 4: The farm energy providers collaborating on this project are currently members of a Sustainable Farm Energy Production and Use Group (NECC-1501). We had our annual, face-to-face meeting this August via Zoom. This gathering allows for increased member knowledge of educational resources available throughout the country, an opportunity to exchange ideas on energy topics, and assists with reviewing the current state of our project materials. Goal 5: We have taken steps to make these resources available through both our YouTube Channel and on the e-Extension Sustainable Ag Energy site. We are in the process of developing toolboxes for FarmAnswers.org.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Fathel, S. L., Tripathi, J., and D. Ciolkosz, (2019), Trends in online farm energy, extension resources, and education programs, Penn State Energy Days, University Park, PA.
Fathel, S. L., Tripathi, J., and D. Ciolkosz, (2019), Energy Opportunities for New Farmers, Northeast Agricultural and Biological Engineering Conference (NABEC), Lac Beauport, Quebec.
Fathel, S. L. (2019), Farm Energy Matters: Introducing a Program to Address Your Energy Questions, National Farmers Union: Growing for the Future, Virtual Conference.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Telegraph staff reports (2020), Extension partners up to provide farmers energy answers, The North Platte Telegraph, Aug. 16, 2020, Available at https://nptelegraph.com/lifestyle/extension-partners-up-to-provide-farmers-energy-answers/article_a73d6bc8-df75-11ea-889a-97d207354c17.html.
Staff Reports (2020), Energy answers for new farmers, High Plains Journal, Aug. 14, 2020, Available at https://www.hpj.com/ag_news/energy-answers-for-new-farmers/article_857dbae6-de36-11ea-b788-97e735214adb.html
Staff Reports (2020), Nebraska partners to provide energy answers for new farmers, KTIC Radio, Available at https://kticradio.com/chad-moyer/.
Ciolkosz, Daniel (2020), Penn State Extension provides energy answers for new farmers, Penn State Extension, Available at https://extension.psu.edu/penn-state-extension-provides-energy-answers-for-new-farmers.
Hamburg Reporter (2020), Nebraska partners to provide energy answer for new farmers, ranchers, Hamburg Reporter, Aug. 7, 2020, Available at: https://www.hamburgreporter.com/story/news/2020/08/07/nebraska-extension-partners-provide-energy-answers/3321451001/.
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Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/19
Outputs
Target Audience:At this point in the project, we have reached a limited audience which includes our team of farm energy providers, the graduate students involved with the project, and our team of farmer and rancher advisors, in addition to individuals who might have attended the conferences where we shared information or individuals that have viewed our videos on YouTube. We expect that this audience will increase in Years 2 and 3 of the project as we create more shareable content. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?At present, the project has provided several opportunities for professional development. Members of the project have presented outcomes from the project at the 2019 Northeast Agricultural and Biological Engineering Conference (NABEC) and 2019 Penn State Energy Days. Furthermore, our annual face-to-face meeting provides an additional opportunity to engage with fellow farm energy experts. Through the course of this project, our videographer, Kay Dimarco, has hosted brief workshops and worked to train team member in best production practices and increase the team's production skills. Additionally, two graduate students at Penn State have been provided with the opportunity to work with team members to create energy-related videos and related content of their choosing. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We have shared an overview of this project at the Northeast Agricultural and Biological Engineering Conference (NABEC) and Penn State Energy Days. We also made drafts of current videos and flyers of information available and Penn State's Ag Progress Days. In December of 2019, an overview of this project will be presented to a national audience at the National Farmers Union Online Conference. Finally, our YouTube channel is live an available for wide-spread viewing of our completed video content. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The most time-consuming portion of the project is to create the engaging videos and complementary materials outlined in our second objective (Goal 2). To maintain progress in completing 36+ videos during this project, we must complete 15 videos in Year 2. This goal is achievable for a few reasons. Firstly, we have streamlined the video production so that our videographer is able to quickly and efficiently record videos on-site. There was also a significant amount of time devoted in Year 1 to creating a consistent opening and closing, various logos, titles, and graphic elements that will be used throughout the project and frees our production team to focus on creating individual videos. Finally, in working with our team of energy experts, our videographer has identified individuals who can self-produce large portions of their video content, thereby allowing her more time to focus on achieving our 36+ video goal. As we create more energy-related content, we will be in a better position to create a webinar presentation to share with existing programs (Goal 3) and populate an energy-focused toolbox on farmanswers.org (Goal 5). We also have our annual meeting of team members and the Sustainable Farm Energy Production and Use Group Meeting scheduled for July 2020 in Omaha, Nebraska (Goal 4). This will be held concurrently with the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) Annual Meeting, which will provide additional opportunities for networking and sharing our project with others in the farm energy community.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
We have fully completed our first objective and have started the necessary steps to accomplish the remaining four goals. Following is a review of our progress on each of our five goals. Goal 1: We have completed a survey of farm energy materials available online through university, regional, and national extension websites using two key search terms, "energy" and "farm energy". We have learned that of the 648 catalogued resources, most are focused on energy efficiency. This survey has identified several gaps in current resources in the topics of energy audits, bioenergy markets, waste-to-energy, and biofuel topics. Furthermore, the results of this survey suggest that the content available is primarily informational (54%) and contains far less instructional information (28%) which is designed to provide steps to incorporate energy efficient or new energy practices. Finally, we have noticed a lack of connectivity in farm energy resources and noted the importance of highlighting energy-related outcomes in farm energy materials. Goal 2: In our first year of the project, we have focused on the creation of video content which will provide answers to farm energy questions. At present, we have filmed 9 of the 36+ videos we have planned to create, with four additional videos scheduled for recording before January 2020. Additionally, we have created a consistent video opening, closing, logos, and other graphics that will be used throughout the remainder of this project. We have also streamlined our production process by including several preproduction meetings prior to filming to increase on-site productivity and decrease travel-related costs. Completed videos have been posted to our YouTube page, titled Energy Answers for the Beginning & Rancher. These will then be ultimately connected to energy-themed toolboxes on farmanswers.org. To better serve the beginning farmer and rancher community, we have created a farmer and rancher advisory board of ~10 individuals. We have used this board along with the content survey to better understand the needs of this community. Their input has directed video topic choices for our team, and they will be further used to understand the effectiveness of this material. Goal 3: To strengthen the energy knowledge of existing programs, we plan to make a webinar presentation which will provide an overview of the sources of farm energy information. As stated in our project timeline, we will fully address this goal at the end of Year 2. Goal 4: The farm energy providers collaborating on this project are currently members of a Sustainable Farm Energy Production and Use Group (NECC-1501). We had our annual, face-to-face meeting this August at the University of Illinois. This gathering allows for increased member knowledge of educational resources available throughout the country, an opportunity to exchange ideas on energy topics, and assists with reviewing the current state of our project materials. Goal 5: We have taken the first steps in working with Dr. Curtis Mahnken at farmanswers.org to begin populating farmanswers.org toolboxes. Through our conversations, we have realized the importance of creating off-site available resources (such as YouTube) to house the content created in this project. This will then be linked to farmanswers.org. When we have created sufficient content (approximately 10-15 resources), we will be able to populate our first energy toolbox on the site. As we create more material, we will be able to create increasingly focused toolboxes, with titles such as "Energy Efficiency" or "Funding for Energy-Related Projects".
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Fathel, S. L., Tripathi, J., and D. Ciolkosz, (2019), Trends in online farm energy, extension resources, and education programs, Penn State Energy Days, University Park, PA.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Fathel, S. L., Tripathi, J., and D. Ciolkosz, (2019), Energy Opportunities for New Farmers, Northeast Agricultural and Biological Engineering Conference (NABEC), Lac Beauport, Quebec.
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