the greening of louisiana’s economy · test plots of energy crops such as energy cane, hardy...

Louisiana Workforce Commissionwww.LMI.LaWorks.net/Green

September 2011

The Greening of Louisiana’s Economy:the Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting Sector

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In 2009, Louisiana and Mississippi partnered to research economic

development opportunities and workforce needs associated with

the region’s green economy. Through a $2.3 million grant from the

U.S. Department of Labor, a consortium of the Louisiana Workforce

Commission, Louisiana State University, Mississippi Department of

Employment Security, and Mississippi State University conducted

an extensive study of economic activity that is beneficial to the

environment. This and other research products were developed as

part of that effort.

The Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting Sector

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Description of Sector ................................................................................................................... iiIntroduction to the Green Component of the Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting Sector ............................................................ 1Green Goods and Services .......................................................................................................... 3 Renewable Energy ............................................................................................................... 3 Feedstocks for Renewable Fuels: Sugarcane ..................................................................... 4 Feedstocks for Renewable Fuels: Woody Crops ................................................................. 5 Combined Heat and Power: Bagasse and Wood Residues ................................................. 5 On-site Renewable Energy Production: Biogas and Poultry Litter ..................................... 6 Energy Efficiency.................................................................................................................. 7 Greenhouse Gas Reduction ................................................................................................. 7 Pollution Prevention and Cleanup ....................................................................................... 7 Recycling and Waste Reduction .......................................................................................... 7 Sustainable Agriculture, Natural Resource Conservation and Coastal Restoration .......... 8 Education, Compliance, Public Awareness and Training..................................................... 9Green Business Practices ........................................................................................................... 9 Renewable Energy ............................................................................................................... 9 Energy Efficiency................................................................................................................ 10 Greenhouse Gas Reduction ............................................................................................... 11 Pollution Prevention and Cleanup ..................................................................................... 12 Recycling and Waste Reduction ........................................................................................ 13 Sustainable Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation and Coastal Restoration ...... 13 Forest Management ........................................................................................................... 13 Cypress Logging ................................................................................................................. 13 Education, Compliance, Public Awareness and Training................................................... 13Economic Factors ....................................................................................................................... 14Public Policy ............................................................................................................................... 15 The Biomass Crop Assistance Program............................................................................. 15 The Renewable Fuel Standard ........................................................................................... 16 The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Export Initiative ....................................... 18 Other Legislation ............................................................................................................... 18Technology ................................................................................................................................. 19Job Growth and Workforce Development ................................................................................. 20Key Players ................................................................................................................................ 21

Notes .......................................................................................................................................... 25

Contents

On the cover: sugarcane field. Photo CCPL: Josh Hallett/www.flickr.com/people/hyku/

The Greening of Louisiana’s Economy

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Description of Sector

a A primary green job is defined as one where more than 50 percent of an employee’s time is devoted to one of the seven green activity categories: renewable energy; energy efficiency; greenhouse gas reduction; pollution reduction and clean-up; recycling and waste reduction; sustainable agriculture, natural resource conservation and coastal restoration; and education, compliance, public awareness and training supporting the other categories.

b Support green jobs are defined as those essential to an organization’s involvement in one of the activity categories, but not requiring more than 50 percent of an employee’s effort.

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) describes the Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting sector, NAICS 11, as establishments involved in the production of crops, the raising or harvesting of animals from either farms or their natural habitat and the harvesting of timber. Establishments in this sector consist primarily of farms, ranches, dairies, nurseries and greenhouses. This sector also includes agricultural support activities, which may perform one or more farm-related activities on a contract basis. Agricultural research and conservation efforts, however, are not included in this sector.1 Reported employment figures for this sector reflect the state of Louisiana’s distinction between “farm” and “nonfarm” employment. All agricultural operations employing fewer than 10 individuals will be deemed “farm” employment and are excluded from accounting by the unemployment system. However, farming operations employing 10 or more individuals will be included in reports of “nonfarm” employment. Employment figures used for this research effort exclusively rely on nonfarm figures. In Louisiana, this sector employs 9,394 individuals representing 0.5 percent of total nonfarm employment.2 In 2009, private entities in the sector were responsible for $1.48 billion, or 0.7 percent of Louisiana’s gross state product.3

The Louisiana Green Jobs Survey was conducted during the fourth quarter of 2010 as part of this research effort to quantify and characterize the green economy in Louisiana. The survey provides a baseline measure of green employment. The survey results show an estimated 30,205 primary green jobsa in Louisiana across all sectors, which represents1.6 percent of Louisiana’s nonfarm employment. An estimated 67,591 support green jobsb raises the total number of jobs involved in green activity categories to 97,796 jobs or 5.3 percent of nonfarm employment. The survey found that Louisiana’s Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting sector accounted for 1,321 primary green jobs and 875 support green jobs. These survey results reveal that 23 percent of jobs in the Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting sector are green with 14 percent primary green jobs and 9 percent support green jobs.


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Introduction to the Green Component of the Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting Sector

Louisiana is home to a rich Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting sector involved in a wide variety of economic activities, many of which benefit the environment. In 2010, Louisiana’s sugar industry accounted for just under half of all the sugarcane produced in the United States,4 and the state ranked as one of the top 10 producers of cotton, sweet potatoes, rice and pecans.5 Louisiana is also home to the second largest fishing industry in America after Alaska, with the largest production of crawfish in the country, and the third largest production of oysters.6 Data from 2006 shows the Gulf of Mexico yields 84.4 percent of the nation’s total volume of shrimp and that Louisiana was the largest contributor of all Gulf States to that total.7 While smaller than that of most other southeastern states, poultry production is the state’s largest animal production industry, carrying a gross farm value of almost $812 million in 2010.8 Forestry is also an important sector in Louisiana. Forests in the United States represent 751 million acres of private and public land, about one-third of the country’s land area.9 In Louisiana, forested land accounts for 14 million acres, nearly one-half of the state’s total land area.10

This report will focus on the environmentally beneficial activities of the Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting sector in Louisiana in two major areas: goods and services and business practices. Discussions of this sector’s involvement in environmentally beneficial activities will be provided where significant involvement by the industry is found. As with other components of this project, green was defined based on seven activity categories:

1. Renewable Energy

2. Energy Efficiency

3. Greenhouse Gas Reduction

4. Pollution Reduction and Cleanup

5. Recycling and Waste Reduction

6. Sustainable Agriculture, Natural Resource Conservation and Coastal Restoration

7. Education, Compliance, Public Awareness and Training Supporting the Other Categories

Each activity category includes: the research, development, production and distribution of a final good or service; the supply of unique parts or inputs to a final good or service; and production processes and business practices regardless of the final good or service produced. The table on the next page indicates which environmentally beneficial categories will be featured in this report.


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Green Goods and Services

The Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting sector is actively providing green goods that are utilized by consumers and by other industries as feedstocks. This sector’s primary contribution is in the area of renewable energy, where it provides the raw materials for most forms of renewable bio-based energy. Louisiana’s sugarcane and forestry sectors in particular are contributing to the production of biofuels as well as wood pellets that can be used in the production of electricity. Some of the fuels being developed from Louisiana’s agricultural crops have also been recognized as “advanced biofuels,” meaning they contribute to greenhouse gas reduction in addition to being renewably sourced. This sector is also finding creative ways to turn animal wastes into sources of energy that can be used on site or sold to other businesses. Producers in this sector are also providing organic crops and certified sustainable wood products that promote natural resource conservation and environmentally sensitive agricultural methods.

Renewable Energy

Although renewable energy is not generally produced as an end product at the agricultural production stage, the sector is responsible for producing the feedstocks used for most forms of renewable, bio-based energy. Renewable energy feedstocks can come from a wide-range of agricultural products, wastes and byproducts that are collectively known as biomass. Biomass can include crops grown specifically for energy purposes, wood products, grasses, agricultural residues, food wastes and even animal wastes. In 2009, just over half of the renewable energy consumed in the United States came from biomass.11 The map below, generated by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy, shows estimates by parish of current biomass resource availability in Louisiana.

Renewable Energy

Energy Efficiency

Greenhouse Gas Reduction

Pollution Prevention & Clean Up

Waste Reduction & Recycling

Sustainable Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation, & Coastal Restoration

Education, Compliance, Public Awareness & Training

Goods & Services • • • • •

Business Practices • • • •


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Very little crop production in Louisiana is currently devoted specifically to energy crops, but test plots of energy crops such as energy cane, hardy sweet sorghum and fast-growing trees like eucalyptus are being farmed on non-commercial scales. A new venture for agricultural producers in the area of renewable energy feedstocks is algae production. A biotechnology firm in Lake Charles, La., is growing algae for food and energy production. According to the founders, algae do not compete with food crops; they grow quickly and in high quantities in Louisiana’s climate. Aquatic Energy has a 30-acre plant with 400-foot long algae “ponds.” Harvested algae have the oil extracted for biofuel production and the remaining biomass is utilized as a protein source for animal feed.12

Feedstocks for Renewable Fuels: Sugarcane

One crop with great renewable energy potential in Louisiana is sugarcane. The state has a large sugarcane industry, producing nearly half of the United States’ supply in 2009.13 Although the actual renewable energy from this crop would be produced at facilities in other industries, such as those discussed in the Food, Fibers, and Wood Products Manufacturing profile, sugarcane growers will play an important role in Louisiana’s supply of renewable energy. According to a 2009 paper from a professor at Iowa State University, the United States is currently the world’s largest ethanol producer, and Brazil is number two. While current ethanol production in the United States relies primarily on corn, Brazil’s relies on sugarcane.14 There are two primary ways that sugarcane can be used to produce renewable energy: extracted sugar can be directly converted to ethanol or the waste


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c Cellulosic biofuel is derived from plant stalks, trunks, stems and leaves rather than the fruits or sugars produced by a plant or crop. The process of breaking down these fibrous plant parts into sugars that can then be made into ethanol is more difficult than deriving the fuel directly from corn.

fibers and stalks from the refining process, collectively called bagasse, can potentially be converted into cellulosic biofuelsc or compacted into pellets that can be burned to produce heat and electricity.

Although producing ethanol directly from sugar is a simple process, the market supports using that sugar as a sweetener rather than fuel feedstock.15 Converting bagasse into cellulosic biofuel is more difficult, but research is ongoing. According to the LSU AgCenter, cellulosic ethanol can only be profitably produced if it is made in conjunction with other products at the same facility. Louisiana’s sugar mills would fit this model by providing both food products and biofuel.16 In 2008, a demonstration project was begun at a Verenium plant in Jennings, La., to produce 1.4 million gallons of ethanol a year from sugarcane-derived bagasse and other inputs.17 In the summer of 2010, another sugarcane bagasse ethanol plant was announced in Wyoming to be run by Brazil’s Petrobras and South Dakota’s KL Energy Corp. The plant will process Louisiana sugarcane wastes transported to Wyoming into ethanol.18

Sugarcane farmer surveying his crop, which will be used to produce biofuel.Photo © BP Biofuels North America.


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Feedstocks for Renewable Fuels: Woody Crops

Another class of crops in Louisiana with the potential to be a factor in the production of renewable sources of energy is short rotation woody crops like poplar and eucalyptus. These crops can be excellent sources of biomass for renewable energy in the form of cellulosic ethanol, wood pellets and wood energy. A hybrid version of eucalyptus, for example, can grow to harvestable heights of up to 70 feet in just six to eight years. Because it grows so quickly and can be easily grown on former timberlands, idle lands or dedicated agricultural lands, land owners may be able to diversify their income by producing eucalyptus or other short rotation woody crops for energy purposes.19

The LSU AgCenter is conducting research on eucalyptus along with Texas A&M University to study the optimal growing methods for eucalyptus on idle pasture, farmland and other areas normally used for cutover pine forests.20 Louisiana currently has more than 300,000 acres that are idled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) which, if brought into active production, could support the production of massive amounts of energy crops with no disruption to traditionally-grown crops.21 However, opening these lands would detract from the soil erosion protections provided by the CRP that is incentivizing farmers to plant farmland at risk of erosion with vegetative cover like trees or grasses.22

Two giants in the forest products industry, International Paper Co. and MeadWestvaco Corp., are planning to transform planted forests of the southeastern United States by replacing native pine with genetically engineered eucalyptus, a rapidly growing Australian tree that in its conventional strains now dominates the tropical timber industry. The companies’ push into genetically modified trees, led by their joint biotech venture, ArborGen LLC, looks to overcome several hurdles for the first time. Most prominently, they are banking on a gene splice that restricts trees’ ability to reproduce, meant to allay fears of bioengineered eucalyptus turning invasive and overtaking native forests.23 Development of planned eucalyptus forests in the southeast, including Louisiana, may help meet growing European demand for biomass.

Logging residues including the tops, slash and branches left in an area after harvesting can also be processed into biofuels. These residues are usually collected by loggers. But, harvesting specifically for biomass can also be done as a part of a forest management plan if the area is large enough with enough lower-value woody biomass resources. This residue collection may make logging more economical while providing jobs for forest managers and biomass harvesting equipment operators. Currently in Louisiana, residues are not being sold, but are used to generate energy for use in production processes.

A recent study by Forisk Consulting and the Schiamberg Group warns that technology for processing cellulosic biofuels from woody materials could be as many as 11 years away in their assessment. Researchers evaluated 12 technologies in 36 projects that converted wood to fuels like ethanol, butanol, diesel, gasoline and jet fuel and found “major technical hurdles” impeding commercialization.24

Combined Heat and Power: Bagasse and Wood Residues

A third contribution to renewable energy sources from producers in the agricultural sector is the fuel for combined heat and power (CHP) systems. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that CHP is “the simultaneous production of electricity and heat from a


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single fuel source, such as: natural gas, biomass, biogas, coal, waste heat or oil.”25 CHP in the Louisiana agricultural sector primarily consists of burning renewable agricultural residues such as sugarcane bagasse or rice hulls. This technology is well established compared to the still developing process for converting bagasse into cellulosic biofuel. Woody residues from the forestry sector are also commonly used in combined heat and power operations to improve energy efficiency and to reduce the processors’ need for external energy inputs. These products have also become an important source of renewable energy for Europe. Due to standards requiring 20 percent of power from renewable sources, wood pellets are being imported into Europe from the United States. Like wood pellets from forestry residues, sugarcane bagasse can also be converted into briquettes that can be burned to produce energy. Sugarcane farmers in Louisiana have been asked to alter their harvesting techniques in order to make more biomass available to the sugar mill. In Raceland, La., the Raceland Raw Sugar Company has been making compressed pellets out of sugarcane bagasse since 2008. The bagasse pellets, or “briquettes,” were initially developed to simplify the storage and transportation of the bagasse, but the company has been exporting them to Denmark for renewable energy since 2010.26

On-site Renewable Energy Production: Biogas and Poultry Litter

In addition to producing feedstocks for renewable energy, a few agricultural establishments are producing their own renewable energy on-site. One instance of on-site renewable energy production is the on-farm production of bioenergy from animal waste. This can be methane captured from cow manure, known as biogas,27 or from poultry litter.

The poultry production industry in Louisiana, while smaller than that of most other southeastern states, is still the largest animal production industry in the state, employing more than 4,300 people in 2008.28 Most of that poultry activity is in the production of broilers, large birds grown for their meat. While broilers are being raised for meat production, they produce an enormous quantity of manure, which has traditionally been used as a fertilizer due to its high levels of nitrogen and phosphorous, as well as some other useful plant nutrients. However, heavy application of poultry manure tends to lead to high nutrient build-up in the soil, which then creates groundwater leaching and runoff. When the nutrients are carried into bodies of water, algae growth is enhanced, which depletes oxygen and harms fish and wildlife.29 Theoretically, poultry litter can also be turned into energy through burning, charcoaling or through biological processes performed by bacteria. Burning poultry litter simply combusts the material under controlled conditions to produce heat and steam that moves turbines to produce electricity. Pennsylvania-based Fibrowatt operates several poultry litter electrical plants around the world, including plants in England and the United States.30

The second method, pyrolysis, which is similar to the process used to produce charcoal from wood, burns the litter at extremely high temperatures in the absence of oxygen and without combustion. Pyrolysis produces volatile gases, a liquid called bio-oil, which is similar to crude oil, and a charcoal-like substance called biochar. Bio-oil can be further processed into other hydrocarbons including biodiesel or ethanol, or it can be combusted directly in conventional power plants.31 The gases released are used to provide the heat necessary to keep the pyrolysis reaction going, and biochar has many potential uses, including carbon sequestration.32


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Anaerobic digestion is the third method. This process takes a slurry of poultry litter and creates methane gas (biogas) via the actions of anaerobic bacteria. This gas can then be used on-site to fuel boilers in place of natural gas, or it can be sold as a fuel itself. The solids remaining after digestion are suitable for fertilizing soils.33 The anaerobic digestion of poultry litter is currently being practiced in several locations in the American south, but not yet in Louisiana.

Energy Efficiency

No evidence of significant involvement for this activity category was found in the Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting sector.


Sugarcane-derived ethanol has been certified by the EPA as an “advanced biofuel,” meaning that it reduces greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 percent over gasoline and is not derived from cornstarch.34 The production of biofuels has been promoted heavily since the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) was established in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The RFS called for 7.5 billion gallons of renewable fuels by 2012.35 The requirements for renewable biofuels were increased in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. Known as RFS2, the new version of the rule required 9 billion gallons of renewable fuel to be blended into transportation fuel in 2008. It also called for an increase to 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels by 2022.36

Pollution Prevention and Cleanup

No evidence of significant involvement for this activity category was found in the Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting sector.

Recycling and Waste Reduction

When agricultural establishments are raising a diverse group of crops and livestock, natural processes transform “waste products” into valuable inputs like fertilizer and compost. Many modern agricultural establishments, however, are monocultures producing a single crop or type of animal. In these operations, waste is created via unusable portions of the plant product or from manures produced by the animals being raised, but it is not transformed back into farm inputs. Many of the advances in the renewable energy activity category within the agricultural sector include finding valuable uses for what have been considered waste: bagasse, tree trimmings and biogas production. These activities provide a waste reducing service and provide new energy sources that can serve to reduce a farm’s energy costs or be an additional revenue stream.

A small collection of loggers are also providing a green service that reduces waste by recovering sunken logs from Louisiana’s waterways for sale to specialty furniture and woodworking operations.37 A century ago, logging and drilling companies cleared cypress swamps and floated the logs through waterways on their way to sawmills. Some of these logs sank and were preserved in the silt at the bottom of the waterways. By retrieving these logs, these forestry establishments are recycling a resource that would have otherwise been wasted. These logs are from a time when cypress was plentiful and competition for nutrients and sunlight was more prevalent than in today’s sparser cypress swamps. The slower intake of nutrients and sunlight in the old cypress swamps caused


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trees to have much smaller growth rates than are measured today. The slow growth caused growth rings to be very close together, making a very attractive wood grain. These finely grained trees are highly valued in the production of custom wood furnishings.38

Sustainable Agriculture, Natural Resource Conservation and Coastal Restoration

According to the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service, a project of the National Center for Appropriate Technology funded by a grant from the USDA’s Rural Business-Cooperative Service, sustainable agriculture produces abundant food without negatively affecting the earth’s resources or polluting the environment. Sustainable agriculture follows natural processes for raising crops and livestock that are self-sustaining. This approach to agriculture promotes biodiversity, the recycling of plant nutrients, soil protections, water conservation and integrated crop and livestock enterprises.39

The Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting sector’s most significant contribution to sustainable agriculture is the production of organic food. The environmental benefits associated with organic farming include benefits to the soil, water, air, biodiversity and other ecological services. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, organic processes such as crop rotations, symbiotic associations, cover crops and organic fertilizers help improve the medium and long-term health and nutrient consistency of soils and reduce soil erosion. Water pollution by runoff synthetic fertilizers and pesticides is reduced and organic methods are seen as restorative measures in some heavily polluted areas. Organic agriculture also decreases fossil fuel dependence by avoiding petrochemical-based fertilizers and pesticides. Organic agriculture can also increase carbon storage by

The poultry production industry in Louisiana is the largest animal production industry in the state, employing more than 4,300 people in 2008. Poultry litter can be turned into energy through burning, charcoaling or through biological processes performed by bacteria.Photo CCPL: Terrie Schweitzer/www.flickr.com/people/terriem/.


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integrating higher levels of carbon into soils. Many organic farming operations are also supporting biodiversity at the genetic, species, and ecosystem levels through plant selection and by avoiding pesticides that can harm native species.40

Foods and other items carrying the organic label are officially regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The USDA Organic label guarantees that certain environmental or health considerations were taken into account in the production, raising, or harvesting of crops, livestock and poultry, and processed foods. For processed foods to be labeled organic, no less than 50 percent of their ingredients (excluding salt and water) by weight must have been raised organically. Livestock and poultry producers must agree to use feed that is organically produced and disallow plastic pellet that are sometimes used for roughage in feed. They must also agree not to use manure re-feeding and feed formulas with urea, abstain from using hormones, growth promoters, sub-therapeutic antibiotics or medications on animals without illness. Seafood caught in the wild may also be classified as organic.41 According to the Southern Organic Resource Guide, Louisiana has one of the longest-running state certification systems for organic food, and yet, there were only 66 certified organic acres in Louisiana in 2002, a decline from 371 in 1997.42 Since 2002, the amount of certified organic farmland has increased dramatically. By 2008, Louisiana’s organic crops and pasture and rangeland inhabited 1,175 acres spanning 15 different operations.43

Education, Compliance, Public Awareness and Training

The national trends toward drawing deeper connections between food, its source, and how it is produced are providing new avenues for the promotion of sustainable agriculture and other environmentally beneficial practices. Restaurants, local farmers markets, grocery stores and cooking magazines are featuring demonstrations, recipes and other promotions that emphasize and popularize environmental issues through discussions of food and farms. Although these features do not generally tease out the environmental benefits of one food trend or another, they are often part of larger discussions about food and culture.

Green Business Practices

Establishments in the Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting sector are benefiting themselves and the environment by adopting sustainable business practices. Tools are available to help farmers assess their energy needs and plan for upgrades to reduce their energy usage. New technologies are allowing for the adoption of highly precise planting and fertilizing processes that help reduce fuel and fertilizer usage. Other practices being adopted by this sector include methods for reducing nonpoint-source pollution from animal and crop producing operations as well as partnership programs to assist with the implementation of waste-to-energy systems that reduce waste and greenhouse gases and also produce renewable energy. Finally, this sector is improving production processes by insuring the sustainability of forestry operations, particularly for Louisiana’s cypress swamps.

Renewable Energy

Renewable energy technologies are not yet widely used in agricultural settings, but serve as an option to farms wishing to produce their own electricity. For example, a three-year


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research project on solar powered poultry houses has been in operation in Delaware since 2009. The $500,000 solar system supports the fans, watering systems and lighting for three commercial poultry houses. The research project aims to determine the economic feasibility of such projects.44

As research and technology advance in renewable energy production, the byproducts of many establishments in the Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting sector will become viable energy sources. It is conceivable that the establishments producing these inputs of renewable energy production may be able to generate a portion if not all of their own energy from these renewable sources.

Energy Efficiency

Farm operations can have significant energy needs. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Energy Consumption Awareness Tools help farmers to reduce their energy consumption by helping them predict how facility and equipment choices will affect their energy use. By seeing these effects before design and capital choices are made, a producer is better able to plan strategically and take energy costs into account. Online energy estimating software is available that is specifically tailored to animal housing, irrigation, nitrogen tools and tillage.45

A cotton field in Tensas Parish, Louisiana. Over two-thirds of louisiana cotton growers use some sort of precision agriculture technique, which helps reduce overall energy usage during the harvesting process.Photo CCPL: Ken Lund/www.flickr.com/people/kenlund/.


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Precision agriculture methods are also helping farmers to reduce their energy needs. These techniques and technologies have revolutionized practices of seeding, fertilizing and planting. These highly efficient practices allow farmers to cover more area with fewer passes, thus using fewer inputs like diesel and fertilizer.46 Precision agriculture begins with highly efficient equipment paired with technology such as global positioning systems (GPS) and geographic information systems (GIS) to limit energy and fertilizer use. In phase one, information gathering, GPS or other satellite imagery is used to collect specific information about the farm area. The second phase, variable rate management, involves soil sampling at various points around the property to determine exact fertilizer needs and ideal crop placement. In the third and final phase, GPS guidance on farm equipment reduces the number of passes needed to cover the crop rows using highly detailed mapping. The reduced number of passes resulting from this improved accuracy leads to reductions in required energy inputs in the form of fertilizers, pesticides and fuel.

A survey of cotton producers conducted by the University of Tennessee found that 69 percent of Louisiana cotton producers had adopted some type of precision agriculture technology.47 Many farmers have adopted one or more of these technologies, but currently only 25 percent utilize all three in combination. The further development of precision agriculture usage depends largely on access to technologies and their ease of use as well as the availability of documented research on their benefits.


The greenhouse gas of most concern in the Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting sector is methane. The largest single source of methane emissions in the US is direct emissions from animal production, primarily from cattle.48 Cattle production creates methane in two critical ways: from gaseous cow emissions and from manure decomposition gases. Methods for capturing methane from cattle production have been researched for years, and there is some promise in several areas. Research is being done on methods to reduce the direct gaseous emissions by changing feed practices to reduce the number or activity of methane-producing gut flora. Research is also being done on methods to capture and utilize the GHGs produced from manure. Manure gases are over 50 percent methane, and most of the rest is carbon dioxide.49 By capturing the methane, producers can purify the gas and use it as a natural gas substitute. This fuel can be used either for on-site power generation, or for use in compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles. Some research has also been done on capturing the direct emissions, but thus far it appears to be cost-prohibitive and fairly ineffective. Instead, efforts have been focused on reducing the amount of methane that is generated. Many feed strategies have been shown to be effective at reducing the methane produced and thus emitted.50

One technology that is helping some operations reduce their methane emissions is on-farm biogas recovery systems used to capture the greenhouse gas emissions from animal wastes. The EPA, the Department of Energy and the USDA established the AgSTAR program to assist agricultural establishments with the implementation of on-farm biogas recovery systems. As discussed previously, these anaerobic digesters can produce power from combustible biogas. But, an added benefit of anaerobic digesters is their benefit in capturing those greenhouse gases before they are released into the atmosphere. According to AgSTAR, these systems are in operation at 151 farms around the United States, primarily


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in dairy operations, and they can be preferable to other waste management systems such as lagoons from both an environmental and financial perspective. AgSTAR offers digester extension events and conferences, “how-to” development tools, public recognition for farms implementing the technology and collaboration with federal and state renewable energy, agricultural and environmental programs.51 The EPA currently reports no operational digesters in Louisiana.52

Another agricultural practice that reduces greenhouse gases is Management Intensive Grazing (MIG). According to the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service, “MIG is grazing and then resting several pastures in sequence. The rest periods allow plants to recover before they are grazed again.”53 This process not only increases the quality and diversity of plant life on the pasture lands, but also the growth of the animals on a per-acre basis. MIG has also been shown to reduce methane emissions by up to 22 percent in one Louisiana study via the more efficient digestion and nutrient utilization that came with the forage rotation.54

Pollution Prevention and Cleanup

Pollution prevention is a major concern of the Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting sector. According to the 2005 National Water Quality Inventory published by the EPA in 2009, agriculture was the leading contributor to river and stream impairment and the third leading contributor to the pollution of lakes, ponds and reservoirs.55 Nearly all of this agricultural pollution is nonpoint source, meaning it is aggregated from many sources as rainwater or snowmelts flow across an area before being deposited into a waterway. Animal wastes, sediment erosion, poorly managed feeding areas, overgrazing, and excessive or poorly timed pesticide and fertilizer use all contribute to nonpoint source pollution.56 The accumulation of nonpoint source pollutants from the Mississippi River’s tributaries and wide watershed eventually makes its way into the Gulf of Mexico where it leads to the creation of a “dead zone.” The Dead Zone is a large area of water that is too low in oxygen to support life.

Many government programs exist to help farmers and ranchers prevent and control nonpoint source pollution. Section 319 of the Clean Water Act provides for grants to assist in these efforts and many programs of the USDA do as well.57 The EPA has also established a National Agriculture Center as a “first stop” for information about environmental protections that agricultural establishments can enact to ensure compliance with regulations. Information on topics such as pesticides, animal waste management, ground and surface water, tanks and containment, and solid and hazardous wastes are provided.58 The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality also maintains a nonpoint source pollution unit to educate the public about the issue and teach best practices to help prevent and reduce this type of pollution. The Nonpoint Source Pollution Unit’s webpage provides details on pollution prevention projects and best practices applicable to cotton, crawfish, dairy, poultry, pasture, rice, sugarcane and soybean farmers.59 The Unit also has a list of forestry projects designed to eliminate nonpoint source pollution from their operations.60

Research is also being done on other runoff reduction methods, including wastewater lagoon treatment, which shows much promise for south Louisiana and the Mississippi Delta.61 Many Louisiana poultry producers are also taking steps to reduce nonpoint source pollution from their farms. By adding phytase to their chicken feed the birds are able to utilize more of


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the phosphorus content in their diet.62 When the resulting poultry litter is applied to fields as a fertilizer, the nitrogen-phosphorus ratio is improved, and phosphorus run-off is reduced.63

Recycling and Waste Reduction

Many environmentally beneficial activities that fall under the mantle of sustainable agriculture are also helping to reduce waste. A number of organic farming practices rely on the repurposing of wastes into compost, fertilizer and other useful products.

Sustainable Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation and Coastal Restoration

Forest Management

The proper management of forests is beneficial to the environment and essential for maintaining the sustainability of forestry resources. One element of proper forest management is a forest management plan. According to the USDA and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), a forest management plan is a site specific plan, which addresses one or more resource concerns on land where forestry-related conservation activities or practices will be planned and applied.64 These plans assist forest managers with meeting the needs of timber owners while minimizing impacts to the environment. In hardwood settings, forest managers determine the proper amount of thinning to maximize the reproduction of new trees. In pine and other soft wood settings, managers also determine land use patterns and controlled burns to maximize forest health. Much like precision agriculture, forest management utilizes GIS and GPS technologies to map and characterize different areas of timberland and to quantify feedstock availability.65

Cypress Logging

Natural resource conservation and sustainable forestry is particularly important in Louisiana’s cypress swamps. The changing hydrology of Louisiana’s wetlands brought on by levee construction, pipeline operations, oil and gas exploration, shipping concerns and subsidence has had an effect on the regeneration of cypress forests.66 Bald cypress is highly susceptible to the combined stress of flooding and salinity,67 and there are concerns that cut trees will not be able to be regrown. The EPA has ruled that permitting for cypress logging, even on private lands previously exempt from the 1972 Clean Water Act, will be banned unless landowners can establish that the cypress will successfully regenerate.68 The enactment of these EPA permitting rules has nearly eliminated cypress logging in Louisiana. Research is currently being conducted to ensure the regeneration of new cypress trees and the sustainability of Louisiana’s cypress logging industry.69

Education, Compliance, Public Awareness and Training

The primary mechanism by which agricultural and forest product companies increase public awareness of green products is through certification programs which use visible stamps and insignia to designate sustainable and green products. Certification of wood products such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) certifications ensure the use of sustainable practices throughout growth, harvest and manufacturing. The use of certifications in wood products has influenced practices in both the forestry and logging industries and through the wood products supply chain. These certifications are entirely voluntary and ensure the sustainability of participating companies’ products through chain-of-custody certifications.70 FSC certification ensures that the forest


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products are from responsibly harvested and verified sources.71 Similarly, SFI certifies that wood and paper products are manufactured with raw materials from a responsible source.72 The SFI is sponsored by the Louisiana Forestry Association (LFA) in Louisiana. Every major forest products company in the state has agreed to abide by the recommendations of the SFI as mandated by the American Forest & Paper Association.73

Agricultural producers can seek organic certification as a means to “advertise” their sustainable production processes. All USDA certified organic foods are branded with an official label. Another labeling system introduced by the USDA in January 2011 signifies the use of biologically-based renewable plant, animal, marine or forestry materials in manufactured products. The new, “Biobased” label has been approved for nearly 5,100 products for preferred purchasing by federal agencies and aims to promote the sale of these environmentally preferable products to consumers.74 This label will verify that products like linens, fuel additives, cleaning products and tableware that claim to be derived from biological materials actually are sourced as manufacturers maintain. The USDA established minimum requirements for the renewable content for many product categories that manufacturers must meet to earn the biobased label. For all products without USDA-established criteria, a 25 percent minimum biological, renewable threshold must be met.75

Foresters rely heavily on certified forest managers to ensure the sustainable management of timberland. Organizations such as the LFA offer continuing education programs and specialized courses ranging from the proper utilization of precision technologies to compliance with endangered species statutes.76

Economic Factors

Green business practices and processes that represent cost savings through reduced energy consumption are the most quickly adopted. In the Agriculture, Farming, Fishing and Hunting sector these cost-saving business practices include implementing precision agriculture techniques. Other green initiatives, like the construction of advanced biofuels plants and anaerobic digesters to produce on-farm renewable energy, represent a significant investment of time and capital that many firms are unable to make prior to further technological advancements. Eventually, establishments in this sector could see substantial cost savings from turning byproducts of production, like chicken litter, into an on-site, renewable energy source.

During the first six months of 2009, over 21 percent of the capacity of the ethanol industry was lost due to plants shuttering operations.77 While Louisiana does not have any commercial scale ethanol production at this time, the downturn in ethanol investments does create a decrease in demand for the feedstocks that come from the agriculture industry. The production of advanced biofuels like cellulosic ethanol will require even greater commitments from the agriculture industry to participate in feedstock development since the crops themselves require multiple years to become harvestable.78 Seeing the degree to which the biofuels industry suffered during the recession, feedstock producers might be considerably more wary of uncertainty in their ability to buy their feedstock for the long term. This uncertainty could result in lower levels of participation, or in a higher demanded


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price to commit land to feedstock development. Either of these developments could hurt the fledgling advanced biofuels sector before it even gets off the ground, as margins in biofuel production tend to be razor thin and highly volatile.79 For other large investments like anaerobic digesters to be worthwhile for Louisiana’s poultry farmers, multiple farms would have to pool resources to both build and supply the system for it to be able to produce enough methane to be commercially viable.

Another economic factor that is certain to influence environmentally beneficial activities in agriculture is the price of oil and of energy in general. As of 2006, fuel costs represented about 15 percent of the average cost of agricultural production in the US, but for some crops, the share is much higher. For rice and corn, the energy share is over 40 percent of the cost of production.80 On the upside of the issue however, the higher oil prices go, there may be greater demand for substitute energy sources. While ethanol demand may not see an overall benefit, more direct substitutes like renewable crude or other “drop-in” petroleum replacements may see an increase in demand accompanied by an increase in the market price. Producers of the feedstocks for these renewable energy sources will benefit from both the increase in quantity demanded and from the increase in price received.

Public Policy

The Biomass Crop Assistance Program

In the 2008 Farm Bill, the United States Congress established a program called the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) which was intended to spur investment in renewable energy technologies that use biomass. As part of the program, funds were made available to incentivize the collection, harvest, storage and transportation (CHST) of eligible materials.81 Crop producers that were selected to participate in the program were eligible for reimbursements of up to 75 percent of the cost of establishing a bioenergy perennial crop. Producers also could receive up to five years of annual payments for grassy crops and up to 15 years of annual payments for woody crops. Assistance for collection, harvest, storage and transportation of biomass to biomass conversion facilities was made available for two years, per producer, in the form of a matching payment for up to $45 per ton of the delivery cost to the facility. However, these CHST payouts were suspended pending investigation into adverse economic effects on primary-product biomass markets such as wood product manufacturing.

A revised BCAP was announced in October 2010 with new restrictions and clarifications. Updates to BCAP ensured that existing markets would be protected by disqualifying eligible materials for matching payments for BCAP purposes if USDA determined that in those distinct localities that the materials were used for pre-existing markets. For example, wood waste and residue on federal and nonfederal lands that otherwise might be used for higher-value products was prohibited from the program. Kent Politsch, public affairs branch chief for USDA’s Farm Service Agency, says the prohibition proposal resulted because of concerns from segments of the wood industry, specifically the pulp and pressboard/fiberboard manufacturers. By paying matching funds for the collection, harvest, storage and transport of forest items like bark, sawdust and shavings, the program was directly causing increased prices and competition in the fiberboard industry. With the matching funds in


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place, particleboard makers would essentially have to double the price they typically paid for the materials they use.82

The updated BCAP also withholds payment to pre-existing users of biomass waste products such as those used for energy and heat production in sugarcane and wood products processing facilities.83 Relative to other states, Louisiana has received a rather large share of BCAP funding that allows residents to participate in the green energy market. While the payments were being made under BCAP I, $6 million was distributed in Louisiana.84 Funding distribution is not available by crop, but bagasse is on the federal list of eligible materials.85 The available payments provided producers with additional revenue streams, but since the collection, harvest, storage and transport of these materials was already ongoing, it is difficult to say that BCAP payments stimulated any additional production of renewable energy from crop residues.86

The Renewable Fuel Standard

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 established the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), which called for increases in the nation’s production of ethanol. Under the law, 7.5 billion gallons of renewable fuels were to be blended with gasoline by 2012.87 Until 2007, the increase in ethanol production was largely supplied by conventional corn ethanol. With the passage of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, additional feedstocks for biofuel production were mandated. The new Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2) mandated that of the 36 billion gallons of ethanol demanded for production by 2022, 21 billion were to come from non-cornstarch derived biofuels, and 16 billion gallons were to come from cellulosic ethanol.88

In February 2010, revisions were made to the Renewable Fuel Standard that created a new category of biofuels known as “advanced biofuels.” In order for fuels to qualify as advanced biofuels they must be shown to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 percent over gasoline. Ethanol derived from sugarcane has been designated as an advanced biofuel. Since the RFS standards call for 21 billion gallons of advanced biofuels by 2022, and 16 billion gallons of that from cellulosic ethanol, that leaves a 5 billion gallon mandate for other advanced biofuels that could be filled by ethanol from sugarcane juice.89

Most sources of renewable liquid fuels currently rely on economic incentives to compete with fossil fuels. Beginning in 2009, companies could apply for up to $250 million in guaranteed loans for the development and construction of commercial-scale biorefineries or for the retrofitting of existing facilities for the development of advanced biofuels.90 The program known as the Biorefinery Assistance Program provides funding through 2012 and has recently awarded $241 million in loans for the Diamond Green Diesel project in Norco, La.91 Producers of advanced biofuels from biomass other than corn that are operating in rural areas may also apply for funding offered by the Bioenergy Program for Advanced Biofuels.92 Tax credits are also available for companies producing certain types of renewable fuels: registered cellulosic biofuel producers may be eligible for a tax incentive of up to $1.01 per gallon under the cellulosic biofuel producer tax credit,93 small producers (under 60 million gallons/year) of corn-based ethanol may qualify for a $0.10 per gallon credit in the small ethanol producer tax credit,94 and blenders of ethanol can receive a $0.45 per gallon credit for adding pure ethanol to gasoline under the volumetric ethanol excise tax credit.95 In 2009, the biodiesel tax incentive was allowed to expire, which had a negative impact on the


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Lake Charles-based Aquatic Energy has a 30 acre plant with 400-foot long algae “ponds.” Harvested algae have the oil extracted for biofuel production and the remaining biomass is utilized as a protein source for animal feed.Photo © Aquatic Energy.

agricultural sector which had come to depend on the biodiesel industry as a critical buyer of their goods. Marc Curtis, chairman of the United Soybean Board, estimates that biodiesel has added about $.25 to the farm gate price of a bushel of soybeans over the last several years.96 The credit was retroactively reinstated through January 1, 2011, by the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act of 2010.97

The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Export Initiative

In December 2010, a trade initiative was announced that could increase the export of biomass and biomass processing technologies. Known as the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Export Initiative, this combination of 23 new commitments from eight government agencies aims to create a noticeable increase in the United States’ clean energy technology exports. This initiative will promote the export of all equipment and services related to the production of electricity from renewable sources (such as biomass-


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based wood pellets), but biofuels and other aspects of clean transportation will not be included. The United States aims to capitalize on the growth of biomass power plants, the co-firing of biomass within coal plants, and carbon reduction policies in Europe and certain countries in the developing world to promote U.S. biomass exports.98 When the European Union mandated that 20 percent of electricity in member states had to be produced from renewable sources, the wood pellet became the cheapest method to achieve that goal. In the United Kingdom alone, 12 million tons of pellets will be needed a year to achieve their renewable targets.99 European demand has created a market for pellet producers that have access to low-cost feedstocks and water transportation. The outlook in Europe promises a demand of over 73 million tons per year by 2020. North American biomass companies will supply a substantial proportion of the biomass to meet European demand.100 In 2010, 600,000 tons of pellets were shipped from the U.S. to European countries. This figure represents more than 5 percent of Europe’s 11 million ton pellet demand.101 This trend could mean jobs in renewable energy feedstock production for Louisiana residents. This increased reliance on wood pellets is also increasing demand for the specialized boilers and equipment used to generate power from wood pellets. In 2009, the U.S. exported $176.4 million in biomass energy equipment and feedstock, representing an average annual growth of 54 percent from 2007. In 2009, imports of biomass energy equipment and feedstock totaled $349.2 million, representing an average annual growth of 28 percent since 2007.102

Other Legislation

New legislation in the European Union that bans timber imports from illegal sources promises to increase exports from the United States to countries in the EU. This legislation targets illegal logging practices in countries such as Russia, China, Brazil and Indonesia that currently supply at least 21 percent of demand in the EU. The ban was put into place because illegal logging is largely non-sustainable and one of the leading causes of deforestation. This ban offers suppliers in the United States an opportunity to gain a share of the timber market that previously went to illegal logging and helps to solidify its position as a wood pellet supplier as well. According to a European study assessing the environmental and economic impact of the illegal timber ban, the U.S. stands to raise timber exports to the EU by 2.3 percent.103

The 2002 Farm Bill provided energy provisions that supported research and development through renewable energy grants that included areas such as biofuels and biorefineries. Support included grants for education, development of renewable energy systems for farmers and development of biorefineries for biomass conversion.104

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) provided loan guarantees for biomass and biofuels technology to refiners and blenders. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) received funding to restore close to 40,000 acres of flood prone land to its natural state, helping to decrease soil erosion and improve wildlife habitats. The NRCS is also partnering with state and local governments to protect watersheds, prevent flooding and improve water quality.105

Long-standing policies such as the Clean Water Act have greatly influenced the implementation of sustainable agricultural practices and have increased adoption of runoff mitigation practices. For instance, phytase supplementation in chicken feed has a positive


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outcome for the poultry farmer due to the increased utilization of the feed, but also has a positive impact for the farmer who uses the litter, due to decreased phosphorus runoff.

Also in animal production, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) helps farmers develop and implement conservation plans and practices through subsidies. Louisiana payouts from the program increased from under $8 million in 2005 to over $13 million in 2008 (the latest data available).106

Technology

Under strong economic pressure to both lower production costs and increase production capacity, the agricultural sector has been a technological innovator for decades. As with any commodity production industry, early adopters of new technologies often gain significant competitive advantages that can change the industry landscape. Examples from agriculture’s past include such devices as the cotton gin and the combine harvester.107 In the area of environmentally beneficial economic activity, technological development has accelerated rapidly since the 1990s. Technologies in agricultural production range from general use technology for increasing efficiency to forward-looking research in the areas of advanced bioenergy like cellulosic ethanol and captured biogases.

One of the fastest-adopted new techniques has been GPS-based precision agriculture. Precision agriculture is being widely implemented in row crop production, where it can greatly reduce fertilizer and planting costs by ensuring that there is minimal overlap in rows and also by accounting for intra-field variability in soil chemistry.108 This technology is primarily taken on as a cost-reducing measure, but by reducing fertilizer application, adopters of this technology also reduce runoff and leaching from over-application of chemical nutrients.109

Other growth fueled by technological change is in the renewable energy sector. High-pressure boilers, which are designed to burn biomass more completely and make better use of the resulting steam in CHP systems, have been installed and are showing significant gains over traditional boilers.110 In addition, new technologies for the production of biofuels are being studied extensively. Several different methods of pretreating cellulosic biomass could make cellulosic ethanol from Louisiana agricultural residues and purpose-grown energy crops into a highly competitive biofuel. Other technologies for the direct conversion of agricultural products or wastes into renewable energy are also advancing. Processes such as pyrolysis could turn wastes into petroleum-like products although no commercial capacity yet exists in the state,111 and improvements to anaerobic digesters that capture methane are also making the systems more accessible.

A number of technologies are under development to commercialize the production of biofuels from a new variety of cellulosic materials. A recent study by Forisk Consulting and the Schiamberg Group, however, warns that technology for processing cellulosic biofuels from woody materials is still an average of 11 years away. Researchers evaluated 12 technologies in 36 projects that converted wood to fuels like ethanol, butanol, diesel, gasoline, and jet fuel and found “major technical hurdles” impeding commercialization.112


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Job Growth and Workforce Development

Green employment in the Agriculture, Farming, Fishing and Hunting sector is projected to follow a similar path to overall employment in the sector. The most recent industry projections for Louisiana estimate that total employment will decrease by 17.9 percent over the 10-year period from 2008 to 2018. Those 2018 projections were revised in 2011 to reflect new information available since the initial projections release including new developments identified through the Green Jobs Consortium research effort. These declines reflect a long-run trend of increases in the use of ever more complex farm equipment with less labor to carry out work that had previously required large amounts of labor.

A significant share of employment in this sector was identified as either primarily involved in or supporting green activities. However, due to the use of non-farm employment as a sampling frame for the survey, those estimates may not accurately reflect the overall level of employment in the Agriculture, Farming, Fishing and Hunting sector. To convey the overall trends anticipated for this sector, a projection was carried out based on that estimate. The projection implies a decrease from 2,196 in 2010 to 2,153 in 2011. That projection shows green employment following a similar trend through the remainder of the forecast period with decreases to 2,111 in 2012, 1,990 in 2015 and 1,803 in 2020.

Since most of the environmentally beneficial activities discussed in this report are not labor intensive, it is conceivable that green employment will decrease over the projection horizon even if participation in green activities increases. Those employed in the sector may require some retraining and additional education for many practices, like methane capture, Management-Intensive Grazing and proper application of lower-phosphorus poultry litter, as these practices differ from traditional methods.

Much of the advancement in the forestry and logging sectors has resulted in the adoption of automation technologies that have reduced employment needs. However, the green production processes and practices being investigated and implemented do offer the potential for job creation to offset potential losses elsewhere in the sector. The production of renewable energy from agricultural wastes and byproducts in particular, represents a source of potential job growth for the state. Trees are the state’s largest source of renewable biomass, creating opportunities for the forestry and logging industries to benefit from the future production of renewable energy from this resource. Utilizing woody biomass residuals from existing forest practices for the production of biofuels and biofuel components could create new jobs and markets, particularly in rural areas. Education and training will be necessary for land managers and loggers to ensure sustainable harvesting of both timber and biomass. Other developments like CHP adoption and anaerobic digestion of animal wastes are not labor intensive and will not present a large workforce requirement. For some green occupations, existing workers will need training to enhance their skills. For other occupations, curricula may be needed to provide a more comprehensive training for new workers or those entering a new occupation.


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Key Players

Louisiana agriculture is made up of thousands of small farmers and landowners, but is largely dominated by a few larger players. In addition, several public and industry groups are very important to the sector.

AgSTAR: www.epa.gov/agstar Joint program between the EPA, the Department of Energy and the USDA that seeks to assist farmers with the adoption and implementation of methane recovery systems.

Crosby Land & Resources

Dynamic Fuels, LLC: www.dynamicfuelsllc.com A joint-venture of Tyson Foods and Syntroleum Corporation that produces next-generation renewable, synthetic fuels from animal fats, greases and vegetable oils.

Forest Capital Partners: www.forestcap.com An independent investment firm that acquires and manages large-scale, investment-grade forests across North America.

Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC): www.fscus.org Non-profit organization that sets principles, criteria and standards designed to guide forest management toward sustainable ends.

Kleinpeter Farms Dairy: www.kleinpeterdairy.com A family-owned and independently operated dairy that produces milk products for Baton Rouge and surrounding areas.

Louisiana Agricultural Center (LSU AgCenter): www.lsuagcenter.com Provides research-based educational information to individuals and businesses in Louisiana and other states.

Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service: www.lsuagcenter.com/en/administration/about_us/extension Disseminates the information gathered from research conducted by the LSU AgCenter and Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Stations.

Louisiana Farm Bureau: http://www.lfbf.org/Louisiana’s largest general farm organization representing farmers, ranchers and rural residents.

Louisiana Forest Products Development Center (LFPDC): www.lsuagcenter.com/en/our_offices/departments/Renewable_Natural_Resources/research/forest_products


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Part of the LSU School of Renewable Natural Resources and provides technical assistance to the primary and value-added processing wood products industries in Louisiana.

Louisiana Forestry Association (LFA): www.laforestry.com/site A statewide, private, nonprofit association made up of more than 3,500 members, which includes landowners, foresters, employees of forest products industries, wood suppliers, loggers and related industries.

Louisiana Institute for Biofuels and Bioprocessing: www.lsuagcenter.com/en/crops_livestock/crops/Bioenergy/biofuels_bioprocessing

Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry: www.ldaf.louisiana.gov State agency responsible for the promotion, protection and advancement of Louisiana’s agriculture and forestry industry.

Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS): www.nrcs.usda.gov Division of the USDA that works with landowners to assist with the conservation and benefit of soil, water, air, plants, animals and productive, healthy ecosystems.

Raceland Sugar

RoyOMartin: www.royomartin.com One of the largest independently owned lumber companies in the South.

Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI): www.sfiprogram.org Non-profit certification system that ensures wood and paper products are derived from sustainably managed forests.

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA): www.usda.gov Federal agency providing leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources and related issues.


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Notes

1 “Sector 11—Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting.” North American Industry Classification System. U.S. Census Bureau. Web. 27 Apr. 2011. <http://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/sssd/naics/naicsrch?code=11&search=2007%20NAICS%20Search>.

2 Louisiana. Louisiana Workforce Commission. Labor Market Information. Employment and Wages 2nd Quarter 2010. Louisiana Workforce Commission. Web. 11 Apr. 2011. <http://www.laworks.net/LaborMarketInfo/LMI_WageData2002toPresent.asp?year=2010&qtr=2>.

3 United States. Department of Commerce. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Economic Downturn Widespread Among States in 2009: Advance 2009 and Revised 1963-2008 GDP-by-State Statistics. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Commerce, 2010. Regional Economic Accounts. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 18 Nov. 2010. Web. 11 Apr. 2011. <http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/regional/gdp_state/gsp_newsrelease.htm>.

4 “Table 18: U.S. Production of Beet Sugar and Cane Sugar by State, Monthly, Quarterly, Fiscal, and Calendar Year.” USDA Economic Research Service, 18 Jan. 2011. Web. 2 Mar. 2011. <http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/Sugar/data/Table18.xls>.

5 “Agriculture, Food & Wood Products.” LED. Louisiana Economic Development. Web. 2 Mar. 2011. <http://www.louisianaeconomicdevelopment.com/opportunities/key-industries/agriculture,-food--wood-products.aspx>.

6 “Agriculture, Food & Wood Products.” LED. Louisiana Economic Development. Web. 2 Mar. 2011. <http://www.louisianaeconomicdevelopment.com/opportunities/key-industries/agriculture,-food--wood-products.aspx>.

7 Louisiana. Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Office of Management and Finance. 2007 Louisiana Shrimp Marketing Survey Report. By Jack C. Isaacs and David R. Lavergne. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, 2008. Print.

8 LSU Agricultural Center. 2010 Summary of Louisiana Agriculture and Natural Resources. Publication. Baton Rouge: LSU AgCenter, 2011. Louisiana Summary Agriculture and Natural Resources. LSU AgCenter. Web. 19 May 2011. <http://www.lsuagcenter.com/agsummary/>.

9 Oswalt, Sonja N, Mike Thompson and W Smith. U.S. Forest Resource Facts and Historical Trends. Arlington, VA: USDA Forest Service, 2010. US Forestry Service and Overview http://www.fs.fed.us/documents/USFS_An_Overview_0106MJS.pdf

10 “2010 Louisiana Forestry Facts.” Http://www.laforestry.com. Louisiana Forestry Association, Jan. 2010. Web. 2 Mar. 2011. <http://www.laforestry.com/site/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=5SffF6ccno8%3d&tabid=40>.

11 “U.S. Energy Consumption by Energy Source.” U.S. Energy Information Administration: Renewables and Alternate Fuels. U.S. Department of Energy. Web. 19 May 2011. <http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/alternate/page/renew_energy_consump/table1.html>.

12 Elliott, Todd. “Lake Charles Company Producing Algae for Food, Fuel.” AmericanPress.com. American Press, 27 June 2011. Web. 29 June 2011. <http://www.americanpress.com/lc/blogs/wpnewssum/?p=22749>.

13 “Table 18: U.S. Production of Beet Sugar and Cane Sugar by State, Monthly, Quarterly, Fiscal, and Calendar Year.” Sugar and Sweeteners: Recommended Data. ERS/USDA Briefing Room. Web. 19 May 2011. <http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/Sugar/Data.htm>.

14 Hofstrand, Don. “Brazil’s Ethanol Industry.” AgDM Newsletter January, 2009. Iowa State University Extension, Jan. 2009. Web. 31 May 2011. <http://www.extension.iastate.edu/agdm/articles/hof/HofJan09.html>.

15 Jacobs, James. “Ethanol from Sugar.” Http://www.rurdev.usda.gov. USDA Rural Development. Web. 02 Mar. 2011. <http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/pub/sep06/ethanol.htm>.

16 Day, Donal, Giovanna DeQueiroz, and Benjamin Legendre. “Turning Sugarcane Cellulose into Ethanol: Energy for the Future?” The Louisiana State University Agricultural Center | LSU AgCenter - To Innovate, Educate, and Improve Lives Through Research and Education. Louisiana Agriculture Magazine, Spring 2008. Web. 21 Jan. 2011. <http://www.lsuagcenter.com/en/communications/publications/agmag/Archive/2008/Spring/Turning sugarcane cellulose into ethanol Energy for the future.htm>.

17 Day, Donal, Giovanna DeQueiroz, and Benjamin Legendre. “Turning Sugarcane Cellulose into Ethanol: Energy for the Future?” The Louisiana State University Agricultural Center. Louisiana Agriculture Magazine, Spring 2008. Web. 21 Jan. 2011. <http://www.lsuagcenter.com/en/communications/publications/agmag/Archive/2008/Spring/Turning sugarcane cellulose into ethanol Energy for the future.htm>.

18 “Wyoming Plant Will Produce Ethanol from Sugar Cane Waste.” Tribe.com. 25 Aug. 2010. Web. 02 Mar. 2011. <http://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/article_af1ebcc2-d4ad-51b2-a511-ffdb277c9ad6.html>.

19 Schmidt, Dean. “Biomass Energy Opportunities from Hybrid Poplars in Minnesota.” University of Minnesota Extension. Proc. of Woody Biomass Harvesting and Utilization Workshop, St. Cloud, Minnesota. Web. 19 May 2011. <http://www.extension.umn.edu/agroforestry/biomass/schmidt.pdf>.


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20 Schultz B. (2010) Eucalyptus tree offers money-making opportunity for La. landowners, LSU AgCenter, Baton Rouge.

21 United States. Department of Agriculture. Farm Service Agency. SUMMARY OF ACTIVE AND EXPIRING CRP ACRES BY STATE. 29 Apr. 2011. Web. 19 May 2011. <ftp://ftp.fsa.usda.gov/crpstorpt/rmepegg/MEPEGGR1.HTM>.

22 “Conservation Reserve Program.” Louisiana NRCS. United States Department of Agriculture. Web. 31 May 2011. <http://www.la.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/CRP/index.html>.

23 Voosen, Paul. “USDA Weighs Plan to Bring GM Eucalyptus to Southeast Pinelands.” The New York Times. The New York Times Company, 29 June 2010. Web. 19 May 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/201%1/29/29greenwire-usda-weighs-plan-to-bring-gm-eucalyptus-to-sou-90133.html>.

24 “Wood Transportation Fuels: Study Finds 11-Year Gap Between Announced Production and Viability of Technologies.” Forisk’s Blog. Forisk. Web. 19 May 2011. <http://forisk.wordpress.com/2011/05/19/wood-transportation-fuels-study-finds-11-year-gap-between-announced-production-and-viability-of-technologies/>.

25 “Basic Information.” Combined Heat and Power Partnership. US Environmental Protection Agency. Web. 13 May 2011. <http://www.epa.gov/chp/basic/index.html>.

26 Dolan, N. “Raceland Raw Sugar - Sugar & Energy Combination.” Unpublished conference proceedings. Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge. May 2010.

27 “On-site Biogas Generators Supply Power to US Dairy Farmers.” PennEnergy. PennWell Corporation. Web. 19 May 2011. <http://www.pennenergy.com/index/articles/display/366788/articles/cogeneration-and-on-site-power-production/cospp-news/on-site-biogas-generators-supply-power-to-us-dairy-farmers.html>.

28 Paudel, KP, K. Bhattarai, and D. Bhandari. “Use of Poultry Litter and other Biomass in Electricity Production and Its Implication for Economic Development” Agricultural and Applied Economics Association Annual Meeting, July 25-27, 2010, Denver, Colorado. Unpublished conference paper, 2010. http://purl.umn.edu/61805

29 Paudel, Krishna P., Keshav Bhattarai, and Doleswar Bhandari. “USE OF POULTRY LITTER AND OTHER BIOMASS IN ELECTRICITY PRODUCTION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.” AgEcon Search. Web. 02 Mar. 2011. <http://purl.umn.edu/61805>.

30 Slack, Eric. “Fibrowatt: Poultry Power.” Welcome to Energy Today Magazine, Covering the North American Energy Market. Energy Today Magazine - Red Coat Publishing, 1 Sept. 2009. Web. 19 May 2011. <http://www.energytodaymagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content>.

31 Brown, Robert C., and Jennifer Holmgren. Fast Pyrolysis and Bio-Oil Upgrading. Honeywell UOP. Web. 19 May 2011. <http://www.ars.usda.gov/sp2UserFiles/Program/307/biomasstoDiesel/RobertBrown&JenniferHolmgrenpresentationslides.pdf>.

32 “7. The Research Progress of Biomass Pyrolysis Processes.” FAO: Corporate Document Repository. Food and Agriculture Organization United Nations. Web. 19 May 2011. <http://www.fao.org/docrep/t4470e/t4470e0a.htm>.

33 Kelleher, B.P., J.J. Leahy, A.M. Henihan, T.F. O’Dwyer, D. Sutton and M.J. Leahy. “Advances in poultry litter disposal technology—a review.” Bioresource Technology 83.1 (2002): 27-36. Print.

34 “EPA Finalizes Regulations for the National Renewable Fuel Standard Program for 2010 & Beyond.” EPA. US Environmental Protection Agency, Feb. 2010. Web. 02 Mar. 2011. <http://www.epa.gov/oms/renewablefuels/420f10007.htm>.

35 “Biomass Program: Federal Biomass Policy.” EERE. U.S. Department of Energy. Web. 02 Mar. 2011. <http://www1.eere.energy.gov/biomass/federal_biomass.html>.

36 “Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).” EPA. US Environmental Protection Agency. Web. 02 Mar. 2011. <http://www.epa.gov/otaq/fuels/renewablefuels/index.htm>.

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