Focus Team Year in Review

Transcription

1 Focus Team Year in Review January December 2010 G1F5 Bio energy Faculty (as of 2/14/11 data are preliminary; do not distribute as final or use in reporting) Faculty Name Unit Effort* 1 Alleyne, John C Highlands County South 20% 2 Bactawar, Basil R Union County 1% 3 Baucum, Leslie E Hendry County South 5% 4 Beckford, Fitzroy B Lee County South Central 10% 5 Borkhataria, Rena R Wildlife Ecology and Conservation 10% 6 Breman, Jacque W St. Johns County Central 10% 7 Cohen, Jamie A Marion County Central 10% 8 Crane, Jonathan H Tropical REC Homestead 2% 9 Dahl, Geoffrey E Animal Sciences 15% 10 Davis, Courtney B Okeechobee County South 15% 11 De Vries, Albert Animal Sciences 5% 12 Dinkins, David A Putnam County Central 1% 13 Evans, Edward A Tropical REC Homestead 5% 14 Gaul, Steven A Nassau County 5% 15 Gaver, Timothy P St. Lucie County South 10% 16 Goodchild, Michael J Walton County Northwest 10% 17 Hanlon, Jr, Edward A Southwest Florida REC Immokalee 25% 18 Harris, Rebecca L Orange County Central 1% 19 Hodges, Alan W Food & Resource Economics 10% 20 Hogue, Patrick J Okeechobee County South 5% 21 Kirstein, Arthur Palm Beach County South 5% 22 Li, Yuncong Tropical REC Homestead 10% 23 McAvoy, Eugene J Hendry County South 2% 24 Newman, Yoana C Agronomy 1% 25 Olson, Clay B Taylor County 24% 26 Raid, Richard N Everglades REC Belle Glade 5% 27 Taylor, Jennifer FAMU 10% 28 Tong, Zhaohui Ag & Bio Engineering 99% 29 Vendramini, Joao M B Range Cattle REC Ona 10% * Represents the faculty member s estimated time spent in this focus area as a portion of all programmatic effort expended during the year. 1

2 Clientele Contacts (as of 2/14/11 data are preliminary; do not distribute as final or use in reporting) Educational Materials Field Visits Office Visits Participation Phone Consults Consults Web Visits* G1F ,375 1,133 1, ,207 Goal 1 13,343 17,553 29, , , ,931 30,738,009 All Goals 38, , ,737 3,292, , ,856 57,855,216 *Web Visits may contain duplicated counts. Volunteers (as of 2/14/11 data are preliminary; do not distribute as final or use in reporting) Volunteer Headcount Volunteer Hours G1F5 41 2,031 Goal 1 3,356 7,826 All Goals 36,508 1,428,897 Multi State Activity (as of 2/16/11 data are preliminary; do not distribute as final or use in reporting) State Faculty Headcount Alabama 1 Arkansas 1 Colorado 1 Georgia 1 Louisiana 1 Mississippi 1 Oklahoma 1 South Carolina 1 Tennessee 1 Texas 1 Washington 1 Southern Regional 1 Unduplicated Headcount 3 Outcomes (as of 2/17/11 data are preliminary; do not distribute as final or use in reporting) Evaluated for Change in Knowledge Evaluated for Change in Behavior Evaluated for Change in Condition G1F % % % Goal 1 63, % 40, % 27, % All Goals 457, % 340, % 155, % 2

3 Impacts (as of 2/18/11 data are unedited and preliminary; do not distribute as final or use in reporting) Faculty (Author) Unit Impact/Outcome/Success Story Beckford, Fitzroy B Lee County South Central By 2010 Lee County had become the epicenter for Jatropha information, with dozens of articles referencing this work published in the local, State, national and international media. Seventeen farms of 1 to 3 acres exist across south Florida, 3 farms of 10 to 20 acres have emerged, and 2 farms of 40 acres or more are located in Hendry and Palm Beach Counties. Borkhataria, Rena R Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Lee County policy makers have become increasingly open to the idea of alternative energy as a direct impact of this specific objective of the Small Farm Program. In 2010, the company Algenol was awarded an incentive of $10 million dollars from the Lee County Economic Development Authority in exchange for the establishment of an algae ethanol farm which will supply a significant percentage of local fuel for County fleet. The agreement also mandates that the company will provide at least 120 high paying jobs ($85,000) in the bio energy sector by The expected value of these jobs is $10.2 million dollars per annum by Illustrated that biodiversity should be considered in the development of biofuel crops. Dahl, Geoffrey E Animal Sciences Educational programming on introduction of anaerobic digestion of dairy waste to reduce nutrient loading and generate additional revenues on dairy farms. De Vries, Albert Animal Sciences I answered several questions regarding a spreadsheet on the feasibility of anaerobic digesters on dairy farms. Gaul, Steven A Nassau County Gaver, Timothy P Hanlon, Jr, Edward A Hodges, Alan W St. Lucie County South Southwest Florida REC Immokalee Food & Resource Economics As a result of regular meetings with county stakeholders, decision makers are aware of the opportunities in the bioenergy industry and are exploring the possibilities of bringing this industry to Nassau County to boost economic development. Results of a post program survey following the Stone Fruit and Blueberry Workshop indicated that 100% of the survey respondents learned useful new information at the workshop, 80% would share that new information with others, and 100% would attend workshops with this subject matter in the future. On a negative note, 100% of the survey participants indicated they probably would not be planting stone fruits or blueberries in the future. As the PI for the Hendry County Sustainable Biofuels Center (DOE grant), I worked with Dr. F. Roka to offer a 1/2 day training to growers on nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon credit trading and water storage potential payments. Seven presenters discussed the current and future perspectives, often from national and global perspectives. I was not hopeful that the topic would be popular, but we filled the auditorium (107 participants), and the measured knowledge gained was impressive. I have subsequently had follow up discussions with both large and small growers about these agriculturally based ecosystems services as potential alternative income streams, and been able to link the Biofuels Center objectives to these outcomes. A research/extension project evaluating the economic impacts of increased utilization of woody biomass for electric power generation showed that there would be substantial economic benefits to the state of Florida, including job creation, by reducing imports of fossil fuels and substituting locally available resources. 3

4 Olson, Clay B Taylor County Olson, Clay B Taylor County Raid, Richard N Everglades REC Belle Glade Biofuel crops are becoming of great interest in the agricultural, business, and government arenas. Much remains to be discovered pertaining to production, management and process handling. Taylor County has significant plantings of eucalyptus, switch grass, poplar, and energy cane. Camelina is one crop the Florida Feedstock Association is interested in for DOD aircraft fuel. Trials were set out at the UF/IFAS North Florida Research and Educations Center (two locations Quincy and Live Oak)in December to evaluate variety, yields and nitrogen rate influence. Data should be evaluated by May 2011 in time for the next planting season. Wood gasification is a technology that had its hay day during WW II when Germany took all petroleum based fuels for its war machine. Energy needs for transportation, public safety, shipping and agricultural were all accommodated by the gasification of wood. As $80 barrel oil rises to $90 and beyond other energy technologies for fixed base use and transportation becomes attractive. A flex fuel vehicle utilizing this technology was displayed at the statewide UF/IFAS Small Farms Conference in Orlando in August this year. The truck has a highway speed in excess of 80 mph and has a fuel cost of $10 for every 2000 miles of highway driving. We have just initiate work in this rapidly developing area and our research and education program regarding pest management on sorghum has gained much attention locally. As this area expands, so will our impact. Taylor, Jennifer FAMU Sustainable Development: Building a Sustainable Alternative Energy Model for Small Farms and Innovative Communities Developed and implementing The FAMU Whole Farm Sustainable Biofuels Demonstration Project began in 2006 when the first hands on Using Alternative Fuels Workshop was held on an organic methods farm Alternative energy capacity building training sessions have been provided in varying levels from beginners to advanced. In February 2010 we focused on developing sustainability in by growing oilseed crops and pressing to make biofuels/ to provide alternative energy for the whole farm including farm equipment, farm house, vehicle, etc. This viable alternative energy pathway when added to the mix is expected to provide a sustainable option that will impact climate variability and change. Students will assist with project implementation, monitoring and workshops. A paper addressing the potential global impact of this project was accepted for presentation at the 2010 ISEIS Conference, Beijing, China. Tong, Zhaohui Ag & Bio Engineering Promoting Biofuels and Biochemicals for Florida Extension Understanding sustainability is to seek the best solution to the resources and materials by considering the long term value and future generation needs. Florida sustainability is promoting sustainable principles to balance the economic interest, environmental and social need. To simultaneously consider preserving our natural resources and alleviating the depletion of petroleum oil, a shift of renewable resources to produce fuel and value added chemicals is becoming a significant sustainable development approach. Situation: A flood of new residents primarily boosts economic development of Florida. The state population is expected to reach about 21.3 million by As a sun paradise, Florida is very attractive to new residents and tourist because of its attractive natural resources, conservation lands, natural water flow and wildlife. However, can we 4

5 continue to preserve the unique environmental treasures? Can we reduce the pollution into the minimum level? Can we guarantee the high quality of life by current residence? Can we meet the growing energy needs while reducing the greenhouse emission? These are important questions for now but also affecting the next generations. Therefore, my extension program focuses on Promoting Bio energy for Sustaining and Fueling Florida. From energy to petroleum based chemicals like plastics, they are almost everywhere in our daily life. However, on one hand, these materials are not renewable and will be depleted about 70 years according to the research done by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis. On the other hand, most petroleum based plastics are extremely stable and these municipal solid waste results in the landfill problems and the significant pollution problems by its treatment (combustion). We must be early aware of these problems because the demands of energy and daily necessities are expected to enhance with the growth of the Florida population. The sustainability impacts not only this generation but also next generation. Response: To promote biofuels and biochemicals for Florida communities, organization and individual, our team has generated education materials, involved in field trip, consulted engineers and holds visitors by using UF biofuel pilot plant as platform. Through these approaches, we have provided the knowledge for the bioenergy process, engineering design consultant of bioenergy process to Florida extension specialists, industries, farmers, and other practitioners. My group has been exploring new methodologies to fulfill the utilization of biomass waste materials and synthesize the smart functional bio based composites from renewable materials. Based on these active research projects, my extension has improves three responses: 1) Increase awareness among public and county communities about the significance of bioproducts (biofuels and biochemicals) and sustainability; 2) Transfer knowledge of bioproducts (biofuels and biochemicals) from renewable materials through education activities (field trip, classroom presentation, Pilot plant visiting, etc.); 3) Assist government agencies and stakeholders in the delivery of biofuels extension project through actively participating the adopting the new technologies ( Engineering design of Perry Bio ethanol Pilot Plant by reviewing about 100 drawings and holding the meeting with design engineers). 5