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Sufficiently valuing small-diameter-stem (diameter < 9 in.) woody material in Pennsylvania forest product markets may incentivize increased utilization of that material, a resource opportunity that would provide economic and ecological benefits to the state's forests and forest products community. Debarking is one primary process that could enhance the value of these small-diameter-stem materials for secondary markets. The wood products community in Pennsylvania was surveyed as to their perceptions of the status and value of economical small-diameter-stem debarking. The largest perceived current market for debarked, small-diameter-stem material identified by respondents is for chips for pulp and paper, and anticipated future demand is expected to be highest for chips for pulp and paper, chips for energy, and small-dimension lumber. Respondents who currently supply a given market tend to be more optimistic about that market than respondents who do not serve that particular market. Shredded wood/hog fuel and mulch are the two markets with the lowest overall scores for anticipated benefit of additional processing by debarking. Seventy-six percent of all respondents indicated that economical small-diameter-stem debarking would benefit their operation., From a commercial wood products perspective, the value of an individual tree or community of similar trees is dependent on a number of factors, including size, species, quality, maturity, operational [...]

This article discusses 10 ways to improve energy efficiency on dairy farms. It emphasizes the importance of assessing a farm's energy use before making changes and warns against measures that may have negative impacts on cow productivity or increase costs. The article focuses on energy-saving measures for barn and milking operations, such as using variable speed drives for milking vacuum pumps, adding pre-coolers to cool milk, recovering heat from milk cooler compressors, and upgrading lighting and ventilation fans. It also suggests replacing motors with energy-efficient models and switching to horizontal feed storage systems. The article concludes by encouraging farmers to consider implementing these energy conservation measures to reduce energy consumption and save on monthly bills. [Extracted from the article]

The article offers tips on how to reduce summer energy costs through low-cost practices that can be followed by greenhouse growers. It suggests making sure ventilation fans are clean with tight belts to improve efficiency, avoid blocking the fans, and considering a bit of shade for greenhouse plants. It also suggests that pumps are working properly for irrigation and servicing refrigerated storage system to prevent excessive energy usage.