permaculture

[Mark <mpludwig@facstaff.wisc.edu>]

In light of our earlier talk on mathane I'll send this along.
Mark L


> > I don't see oil being used for ag as a problem.
> > However I would love to be able to blow methane
> > into my tractor as Mark Ludwig has suggested.
> >    I don't know how realistic it is but I would like to
> > see methane digesters get to the point that they are
> > cheap enough and small enough that they could be used
> > to power a small farm from that farms manure.
> >
> > Russ
> > WI
>
> Russ,
>
> You may know this,I'm not so sure the general public does, but the
> use of petroleum based products and natural gas are extremely high in
> agriculture.  I believe ag is the second biggest user next to
> transportation, but I could be wrong.  Regardless, it's a top user.
> It's not so much what we pour in our machines, but what is used
> directly/indirectly in producing fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides
> etc.  Some of the wetting agents for these sythetics continue to be
> petroleum based solvents such as napthalene.  Fertilizers such as
> anhydrous require huge volumes of natural gas.  The list is long.
>
> I didn't respond for that reason.  I met a man named Al Rutan who
> turned out to be the methane man.  (I didn't intend to make a song of
> it, that's just what came off the keyboard)!  He's a dairy farmer
> from Liberty Center Iowa.  He has successfully built small-scale
> methane digesters. He gave a presentation complete with diagrams and
> slides of his work.  He's a nuts and bolts kind of person.  I would
> venture to guess that much of his work has been emulated by the big
> boys.  I think you could say that he was methane, when methane wasn't
> cool!  He did a 5 part series of articles on it for Home Power
> Magazine.  They will allow you to download this information free,
> directly off the web.  They are at www.homepower.com  The articles
> are found as follows:
>
> Issue 26 page 24
> Issue 27 page 44
> Issue 28 page 39
> Issue 30 page 42
> Issue 40 page 82
>
> If a man had the initiative, I believe he could build himself a
> digester based on this information alone.
>
> Steve Heyer
> SE WI
>
>
>
> ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
> Buy Stock for $4.
> No Minimums.
> FREE Money 2002.
> http://us.click.yahoo.com/BgmYkB/VovDAA/ySSFAA/S8XolB/TM
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------~->
>
> Since time is important, please reduce the number of lines from previous 
> posts you reply to, and use an accurate subject line.
> Post message: grazersedge@egroups.com
> Subscribe: grazersedge-subscribe@egroups.com
> Unsubscribe: grazersedge-unsubscribe@egroups.com
> List owner: grazersedge-owner@egroups.com
> Our homepage: http://www.egroups.com/group/grazersedge
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

Mark P. Ludwig
Poultry Research Lab
University of Wisconsin -Madison
608-262-1730 WK
608-846-7125 HM