The topics in this newsletter are considered to be timely and
of interest. Comments and suggestions are invited. The use of trade names in
this newsletter is not an endorsement of any company or product by the Maryland
Cooperative Extension, University of Maryland, College Park.
David S. Ross, Extension Agricultural Engineer
When it comes to lawn mowers and engine emissions, some newspaper articles have distributed information that is outdated, misstated or simply untrue. This information includes making unrealistic comparisons between today's lawn mowers and automobiles.
According to the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI), an industry trade association, comparing cars to lawn mowers is misleading for various reasons. For example, an average automobile is driven approximately 14,000 miles (22,400 km) per year and uses hundreds of gallons of gasoline. A typical walk-behind lawn mower is used an average 25 hours per year, using only a few gallons of gasoline. Furthermore the estimated number of lawn mowers in the United States today is approximately 38 million, compared to 159 million automobiles.
Another inaccurate claim that has surfaced in newspaper articles is that after two years, the average lawn mower will produce 34 times as many smog-forming emissions as an average passenger car. The fact is that on an annual basis, new automobiles generate 10 times more emissions than new lawn mowers. A new automobile would generate 20 lb. (9 kg) of smog-forming emissions in two years. A new walk-behind lawn mower would generate 2.1 lb. (0.945 kg) of emissions in that same amount of time.
More misleading information still being used by reporters today stems from data taken from a 1991 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) study on emissions. The study reported that small, non-road engines were the source of 10% of total emissions in the United States. Based on this information, a false assumption is often made that lawn and garden equipment generates 10% of the nation's airborne pollution. However, many articles fail to note that lawn and garden equipment is only a small part of the EPA's non-road engine category, which includes marine engines, construction and agricultural equipment, industrial engines, airport service equipment, and other commercial sources. Actually, the total contribution of smog-forming emissions from all of today's lawn and garden equipment is less than 2%. For walk-behind mowers, it's less than 1%.
Based on the figures in this article, a walk-behind lawn mower converts a gallon of gasoline into approximately 0.175 lbs. of emissions while an automobile converts a gallon of gasoline into approximately 0.015 lbs. of emissions. This is where the figure of "34 times" (12 times by this estimate) comes from and it reflects the conversion rate of gasoline to emissions rate but not the load on the environment.
Today's outdoor power equipment is powered by engines that run an average 70% cleaner than those built in 1990. Design improvements have produced a new generation of outdoor power equipment with engines that are more fuel efficient, durable and cleaner running. Over the past 30 years, both the public and the industry have become more aware of air pollution and are mutually concerned about finding ways to reduce it.
New technologies engineered by environmentally conscious manufacturers have led to the production of small, non-road, four-cycle engines. These engines comply with standards established by the EPA for small spark-ignition engines of 25 hp or less, manufactured as of September 1997. The engines are substantially cleaner running than similar 1990 models.
As consumers purchase and use the newer equipment, they will be doing their part for cleaner air.
* OPEI represents manufacturers of powered lawn and garden maintenance products, component and attachment suppliers and industry-related services. Member products include walk-behind and riding mowers, lawn and garden tractors, snow throwers, engines and similar equipment.
(Adapted from Resource July 1999 article by Peggy Douglas)
CA Storage: Meeting the Market Requirements, NRAES-136, is a new publication surveying key issues for fruit growers and storage operators and packers who aim to maximize market quality, especially those who have controlled atmosphere (CA) facilities or who are considering constructing CA facilities. Published by the Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service (NRAES), CA Storage: Meeting the Market Requirements ($16.00 plus S&H/sales tax, 82 pages, August 1999) is the proceedings of the CA Storage: Meeting the Market Requirements Workshop that was held August 18, 1999, at Cornell University.
CA Storage: Meeting the Market Requirements includes nine papers: "Issues for the New York Storage Industry"; "Storage Physiology 101: Fundamentals of Product Response to CA"; "CA Storage Technology"; "New York Recommendations for Controlled Atmosphere Storage and Application of Diphenylamine"; "Ethylene Technology: Ethylene Scrubbing, ReTain, and MCP"; "Economics of CA Storage"; "Postharvest Decays: Research Results and Future Directions"; "Packing House Sanitation"; "Maintaining Firmness of Apples: Effects of Packing, Cooling, and Transport." In addition to fruit growers, packers, and storage operators, horticulturists, fruit and vegetable scientists, and specialists in related areas of agricultural engineering will find the book a useful new resource.
The CA Storage: Meeting the Market Requirements Workshop was organized by Cornell Cooperative Extension. Sponsors of the workshop were Abbott Laboratories, Elf-Atochem North America, Novartis, Pace International, and Storage Control Systems, Inc.
CA Storage: Meeting the Market Requirements, NRAES-136, is priced at $16.00 per copy, plus shipping and handling and sales tax. The shipping and handling charge is $3.75 for a single copy within the continental United States.
Successful vegetable farmers do much more than produce vegetables; they also manage money, people, and natural resources effectively. A new book from NRAES, the Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service, can broaden the knowledge and guide the planning of those who grow vegetables or are considering beginning a vegetable production business. Sustainable Vegetable Production from Start-Up to Market, NRAES-104 ($42.00 plus S&H/sales tax, 280 pages, August 1999), introduces the full range of processes for moderate-scale vegetable production using ecological practices that minimize the need for synthetic inputs and maximize stewardship of resources. The book includes in-depth profiles of 32 vegetable producers.
Sustainable Vegetable Production from Start-Up to Market provides practical information on such essential matters as selecting a farm site; planning and record keeping; marketing options; and systems for starting, planting, protecting, and harvesting crops. The 280-page book is enhanced by 91 illustrations, 36 sidebars, and 20 tables. Individual chapters cover fundamental aspects of economic and environmental sustainability. Initial chapters address principles and practices essential to planning and launching a business: the practical implications of sustainability, getting started, farm business management, and marketing. The chapters that follow discuss essential production processes, focusing on soil fertility, composting, crop rotation, cover crops, tillage equipment and field preparation, seeds and transplants, irrigation and spraying systems, harvest and postharvest handling, season extension, integrated pest management, and environmentally friendly strategies for managing insects, diseases, weeds, and wildlife. A final chapter profiles the experiences of individual vegetable growers and provides their enterprise budgets for a number of crops. The grower profiles offer real-life examples of how farmers think about and deal with specific conditions. Appendixes include additional information resources, sources of supplies, a work sheet for developing vegetable enterprise budgets, vegetable crop nutrient recommendations, and useful conversions and calculations. A glossary and references are also included.
Sustainable Vegetable Production from Start-Up to Market was written by Vernon P. Grubinger, vegetable and berry specialist for University of Vermont Extension and director of the University of Vermont Center for Sustainable Agriculture.
Recommended for anyone concerned with the balance between crop production and stewardship of resources, Sustainable Vegetable Production from Start-Up to Market will be a valuable resource for aspiring and beginning vegetable growers, experienced growers, extension personnel, and serious gardeners, and a useful text for college-level vegetable production courses.
Sustainable Vegetable Production from Start-Up to Market, NRAES-104, is priced at $42.00 per copy, plus shipping and handling and sales tax. The shipping and handling charge is $5.50 for a single copy within the continental United States.
The Dairy Reference Manual, NRAES-63, 293 pages, covers all facets of dairying--from youngstock to nutrition to housing. This wire-bound manual will be invaluable to extension educators, farm planners, consultants, engineers, veterinarians, manufacturers, and salespeople. Topics covered include farm management, dairy housing, handling and behavior, dairy nutrition, reproduction, milking equipment, and more. Much of the information is included in the manual's 240 tables, 88 illustrations, and three appendixes. Buy now and get the book for half price -- $20.00. The shipping and handling charge for a single copy is $5.00 within the continental United States.
The Mid-Atlantic Orchard Monitoring Guide, NRAES-75, 361 pages, was $75.00; now you get it for $48.00. This comprehensive, regional guide provides the background and instruction necessary for an effective orchard monitoring program. The guide will help fruit growers, consultants, chemical field representatives, and extension personnel manage the complex agroecosystem of an orchard. Early sections provide background information on the production components for which monitoring is essential. Later sections focus on developing a monitoring plan and schedule. A unique feature of the plan and schedule is the division of each tree fruit into six or seven periods of the season. This user-friendly guide features 13 chapters, 18 appendixes, 322 full-color photos, 13 figures, 26 tables, a glossary, and a reference section. The shipping and handling charge is $7.00 for a single copy within the continental United States.
Orders should be sent to NRAES, Cooperative Extension, 152 Riley-Robb Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853-5701. Quantity discounts are available. Major credit cards are accepted, and checks should be made payable to NRAES. For information about quantity discounts, or for a free publications catalog, contact NRAES by phone at (607) 255-7654, by fax (607) 254-8770, or by E-mail at nraes@cornell.edu. NRAES also maintains a web site at http://www.nraes.org.
NRAES -- Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service (formerly Northeast Regional Agricultural Engineering Service) was founded in 1974 through an agreement among the cooperative extension programs in the Northeast. In 1998, the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University became an NRAES member.
Mission of NRAES -- NRAES is an interdisciplinary, issues-oriented program focused on delivering educational materials and training opportunities in support of cooperative extension. The mission of NRAES is to assist faculty and staff at member land grant universities in increasing the availability of research- and experience-based knowledge to (1) improve the competitiveness and sustainability of agriculture and natural resources enterprises, (2) increase understanding of processes that safeguard the food supply, and (3) promote environmental protection and enhancement. All NRAES activities are guided by faculty from member land grant universities.
