ENERGY !!! By John Matuszak Extension Agent CVI Cooperative Extension Service Everybody talks about it. We're all supposed to be saving it. It's the basis of agriculture; solar energy and mineral energy com- bined with our energy provide us with food energy. In a practical sense, however, on the farm or in the home, how do we go about saving energy? This is not a new question to the Cooperative Extension Service. Last year we held a tractor workshop to improve the skill and efficiency of operations and cut down on gas cost. We were also a sponsoring agency working with the Caribbean Research Institute and V.I. Department of Energy in bringing about Sun Day, in May. This year again we shall help to make Sun Day a time when people become conscious of our energy use and how to conserve it. Apart from gasoline and our labor, fertilizer is the major energy item in the farm budget. That's not to say we shouldn't use it. Feeding plants is essential to agriculture here in the V.1. What the Cooperative Extension Service is advocating is correct timing of application, having soil tested so only necessary elements are used and rotation of crops to avoid nutrient depletion and pest build-up. We also encourage the use of legumes. Legumes can provide nitrogen for themselves and associated crops, and the regular addition of organic matter to the soil increases the nutrient holding capacity and prevents the loss of fertilizer with the first rain. All this is a big order and we don't expect it to happen overnight. Our soil testing program is just getting underway, but now is the time to get on board and help us help you. We want to know what you're growing, what you do to what you're growing, and how well it does. EDUCATION How else do we save energy? There are stacks of material coming from all over the country to tell us, but most of it is of no use here in the territory. So what is Extension doing about that? Upon invitation from Dr. Frank Prince. Director of the V.I.D.O.E.. the Cooperative Extension Service submitted a pro- posal to carry out energy education in the territory. Initially, this program will focus on youth and on homemakers. We shall be receiving and reviewing films on energy to arrange for showings and determine their applicability to the V.I. These showings will be arranged for school groups, homemakers, 4-H and other groups. We'll help organize Sun Day and can help you do an energy effici- ency review of your own home. We can recommend trees to shade and cool your home, or show you a design for a solar cooked. Promoting energy awareness to increase energy efficiency will be one aspect of our program. The other aspects of our pro- gram will be to investigate what energy alternatives are being tried in the Virgin Islands. We shall be visiting individuals and organiza- tions who are presently using wind and solar energy and document- ing efforts with pictures and conversation. Our purpose will be to determine how well things orik, what costs are involved, and what problems are encountered. ON-FARMS Finally, we shall be looking at the possibility of specific on-farm energy improvements. Besides our pest-management, soil testing,- and tractor programs, we plan on looking into the potential of solar, wind, and methane energy alternatives. Solar energy may be very useful in dairy operations for milk processing. Wind was, of course, one ol the first energy sources to be used on the island during the time when cane was king. Today we expect wind may be used in pumping water and in electrical current generation. These technologies may also be applicable to home- owners, but on the farm the need for power and water can often be a matter of life and death. Finally there is the possibility of methane gas production. The methane gas from animal waste and crop residue is already being produced. You smell the gas near many farms, and especially "with animal production it is often the source of neighbor's compi.:p;ts. Our program is determined to look into the possibility of capi, wig this gas for operating farm equip- ment. Capturing the gas wdl also serve the dual purpose of pro- viding a high quality organi; fertilizer and eliminating the offensive odors now associated with certain types of agricultural operations. That is what we propose to do. Now what about you? If you're involved in saving energy or want to start, get in contact with the Cooperative Extension Service Energy Program. We'll do what we can to help you begin a program and share what you've learned with others. --. COMPLIMENTS OF D&J FARM ESTATE DIAMOND ST. CROIX, V.I.