Agriculture both consumes and produces energy. Farmers need energy to use power equipment for field operations to plant, harvest, and transport.
Energy is also a vital input to process and safely store our many food and fiber products.
Of course, energy from the sun through photosynthesis is the process that creates our crops. On October 2 last year USDA testimony before this Committee outlined our biofuels and new uses programs so today, I would like to spend most of my testimony focusing on agriculture as a user of energy. Agriculture as a Consumer of Energy Various forms of energy are used to fuel farm machinery and vehicles, including liquid fuels, natural gas, and electricity. In addition to energy consumed directly on the farm, many farm inputs have an indirect energy component. By indirect, we mean that energy is required to produce most of the farm inputs purchased by operators, including commercial fertilizers, pesticides, machinery, and feed.