Farmers Take Another Look at Wind Energy

Joe Weisshaar always knew the winds whipping across his family’s farm could offer more than a cool breeze.

He just didn’t how to harness it.

“I started going to a bunch of seminars, trying to figure out how to do this. But I was going no place,” said Weisshaar, who has farmed on family land for 50 years in Creston, about 75 miles southwest of Des Moines.
That’s when Weisshaar linked up with his son-in-law, a grad student with an expertise in grant writing. Finally able to navigate the paperwork, he obtained a federal grant and the Weisshaar Family Farm added an electric wind turbine in February.

“It’s always been windy here,” says Brian Zachary, Weisshaar’s son-in-law and next-door neighbor. “It’s a resource that’s just been slipping away.”

Squeezed by high energy prices and more overhead costs, some small farms are exploring ways to increase their energy efficiency and lower costs. By erecting wind turbines, making biodiesel fuel and adopting more efficient tilling practices, farmers have cut costs and reduced their environmental impact.

ABC News