Meat + Poultry - November 2005 - 87

ENERGY EFFICIENC Y

"There's an enormous amount
of fat cattle that get trucked from
(Missouri) out to (Kansas), then they
get slaughtered, put on a refrigerated truck and hauled to New York,"
he says. "To me, it would make a lot
more sense to slaughter these
Missouri fat cattle in Missouri, save
the trucking all the way to Kansas
and all the way back when the
meat's going to New York and the
East Coast. You'd save 1,000 miles
worth of trucking per load."
Driving unnecessary miles is a
serious concern for the transportation industry, which is addressing the
issue through improved technologies
such as Global Positioning Systems,
says Fletcher Hall, executive director
of the Agricultural & Food Transporters Conference, a division of the ATA.
Trucker down time is also another
concern that is being addressed
through technology. Companies are
using technology to more effectively
track the flow of commodities and
products to relieve down time and
thus increase productivity, Hall says.
Improved logistics is one workable solution to the fuel problem.
Driving efficiency is another. "You

Despite raising his rates this year, Scott Clevenger, an owner-operator livestock
hauler serving the Midwest, is still taking a 14 percent hit to his income due to
rising energy costs.

don't turn a knob and make the
trucks twice as efficient," Whittington
says. But he can influence how his
drivers drive the trucks. Computerized diesel engines in Whittington's
fleet of several hundred trucks print
readouts of how well the driver is

Alternative legislation
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 provides incentives for traditional
energy production, as well as newer, more efficient energy technologies
and conservation.
Among hundreds of provisions, the Policy Act:
■ Authorizes subsidies for wind energy and other
alternative energy producers
■ Increases the amount of biofuel that must be
mixed with gasoline sold in the United States to
triple the current requirement (7.5 billion gallons by 2012)
■ Authorizes $50 million annually over the life of
the bill for a biomass grant program
■ Offers a $1.3 billion tax break for alternative
motor vehicles and fuels (ethanol, methane,
liquified natural gas, propane)
Source: Wikipedia.com

8 FSI

FOOD SYSTEMS

ınsıder

NOVEMBER 2005

driving. With the current value of
fuel, there is a $6,000 per year difference in how the driver treats the
piece of equipment, he says.
Although local food systems, a
reexamination of rail, a reduction of
miles and better driving are all potential solutions to the fuel problem,
the best way to address the situation
is through relationships, according to
Whittington.
"It bothers me that you got
a truck going empty one way and a
truck going loaded back the other
way," he says. "Efficiency and communication are going to be a big
factor in the way we survive in
today's world. You're going to have
to look at some real partnerships in
transportation and industry." ■
By Kristal Arnold
Food Systems Insider
FOR MORE INFORMATION

* www.ethanolfacts.com
* www.biodiesel.org/resources/
fuelfactsheets/default.shtm
http://www.ethanolfacts.com http://www.biodiesel.org/resources/ http://www.Wikipedia.com
Meat + Poultry - November 2005

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