- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
Zero-emission tractors perform many tasks of diesel tractors, without noise or exhaust
The University of California, a national leader in sustainability, has pledged to become carbon neutral by 2025. To reduce its reliance on fossil fuels, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources has replaced several of its diesel-powered tractors with electric tractors at its research and extension centers.
Seven of the nine UC research and extension centers – Intermountain located in Siskiyou County, Hopland in Mendocino County, Kearney and West Side in Fresno County, Lindcove in Tulare County, Desert in Imperial County and Hansen in Ventura County – started using the Solectrac e25 in July. The researchers plan to share what they learn from using the electric tractors.
“Charging is easy, we are using a standard 110V connection, no charging station needed,” said John Bailey, director of the University of California Hopland Research and Extension Center. “For faster charging, you can use a 220V connection – again, no charging station needed, just a regular receptacle – but we haven't gone there yet.”
The electric tractor runs for about five hours, depending on the type of use and the speed, on a charge.
“We will use the electric tractor to mix the soil for planting trees in the greenhouse,” said Ashraf El-kereamy, director of UC Lindcove Research and Extension Center in Exeter, which focuses on citrus research. “Also, for pulling the trailer with the fruit bins during harvest, it will be good as it does not emit any gases.”
The electric tractor is being used to move materials in the loader at UC Hopland REC. “It has worked well for this, functioning similarly to a standard diesel tractor,” said Bailey.
“We have also used it to clean our sheep barn, scraping the pens to get ready for lambing season,” Bailey said. “This involves pushing or dragging straw bedding and manure. The tractor functions well in tight spaces due to its compact size.”
Bailey learned one downside is that the front end is a little too light, making it difficult to generate enough downward pressure with the loader to effectively scrape the floor without reducing the front wheel traction.
“We are planning to add some weight to the front, a standard practice with tractors to increase traction. The tractor has the mounting to enable this so it should not be a big deal,” Bailey said. “Our operators really appreciate the lack of noise and exhaust, especially when working in the barn or in tight spaces.”
The small electric tractor is also being used in tight places at the UC Intermountain Research and Extension Center in Tulelake.
“The tractor that we obtained from the company is too small for the majority of our farm needs,” said Rob Wilson, Intermountain REC director. “We purchased a small box scraper and rototiller for the tractor and we are using it around our facility grounds. We also use it out in the field in tight spaces that are too small for our larger tractors to operate.”
“The tractor is quiet, powerful for its size and operates very similar to the diesel-powered tractors with regard to the controls, hydraulics and three-point assembly. The tractor also has a lot of torque and speed.”
Annemiek Schilder, director of UC Hansen Agricultural REC, added, “I think another advantage is that the tractors can go very slowly, which is helpful for some uses such as harvesting.”
Kearney, or KARE, will be using its electric tractor to mow and rototill in smaller, narrow blocks and will use the front loader to move and apply mulch and soil mixtures.
“We will use it around buildings because it's quiet and doesn't emit any gas,” said Vincent Silva, Kearney's superintendent of agriculture. “The main issue I have with the electric tractor is with it being so quiet, it may not allow us to hear any problems."
The researchers will continue to evaluate the electric tractors throughout the year.
“Our main usage will come in the spring, mowing around our headquarters and on roadsides,” Bailey said. “We are purchasing a 4-foot flail mower that can mount to the rear PTO, but won't really put it into use until April.” The power take-off, or PTO, is the shaft that transfers power from the tractor to the attachment.
Other benefits of electric tractors include no engine oil to change and no diesel fuel.
“If the farmer already has solar, they will see close to zero fuel charges,” Bailey added. “Even without solar, their fuel costs should be reduced depending on local electrical cost. Also, the engine only has one moving part compared to dozens in a diesel tractor so maintenance costs should be reduced significantly, something that is proving true in electric cars.”
The Solectrac e25 tractors each cost $27,999 and the optional loader was about $4,000.
The California Air Resources Board is offering incentives to buy zero-emission equipment through its Funding Agricultural Replacement Measures for Emission Reductions Program. FARMER provides funding through local air districts for agricultural harvesting equipment, heavy-duty trucks, agricultural pump engines, tractors and other equipment used in agricultural operations.
- Author: Madison Sankovitz
The University of California's nine Research and Extension Centers (RECs) are the only statewide program in the UC system that provides a premier research management environment including land, labor, facilities and equipment that delivers services to academics and the public.
But have you ever wondered what this kind of research looks like or who the researchers are? In a new spotlight series, we showcase REC researchers and their work.
Through these interviews, you will learn how these scientists became interested in their chosen field, what it is like to carry out research at the RECs, and what results may come from their work.
Scientists across the state are hard at work to bring new research-backed information and solutions to make California agriculture and natural resources management more sustainable. Visit the Researcher Spotlights to learn more about this work, the benefits of conducting research at the RECs and how these talented researchers from a wide variety of backgrounds came to love their chosen fields.
Visit https://recs.ucanr.edu/researcherspotlights or click the linked names below to view their story:
Ali Montazar is studying irrigation and nutrient management at Desert REC.
Ben Faber is researching how plants grow at Hansen REC.
Brooke Latack is identifying techniques to improve cattle productivity at Desert REC.
Dan Preston is working on amphibian disease ecology at Hopland REC.
Danelle Seymour is measuring traits related to fruit size, shape and quality at Lindcove REC.
Daniel Putnam is testing alfalfa varieties at Intermountain REC.
Eric Seabloom is testing how global changes are altering ecosystems at Hopland REC.
Gaby Maier is working on research projects involving grazing cattle at Sierra Foothill REC.
Gail Taylor is working on lettuce at Desert REC.
Ian Grettenberger is working on the management of alfalfa pests at Intermountain REC.
John Angelos is researching pinkeye in cattle at Sierra Foothill REC.
Laura Snell is studying livestock mortality at Intermountain REC.
Nestor Kippes is studying the performance of northern California crops at Intermountain REC.
Oleg Daugovish is studying how strawberries respond to soil-borne pathogens at Hansen REC.
Oli Bachie is looking at new and alternative crops at Desert REC.
Pedro Carvalho is researching feed additives to enhance cattle growth at Desert REC.
Philippe Rolshausen is researching the citrus disease huanglongbing at Lindcove REC.
Scott Lewis Stephens is studying fire and chaparral at Hopland REC.
Sonia Rios is testing herbicide efficacy on avocado trees at South Coast REC.
Themis Michailides is a plant pathologist and researcher at Kearney REC.
Tom Dudley is conducting invasive species projects at Hansen REC.
Valerie Eviner is investigating how plants provide key ecosystem functions at Hopland REC.
- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
UC ANR operates nine Research and Extension Centers (RECs), each location representing a unique climatic zone of the state. Extending from the Oregon border in the north, through the Sierra Foothills and Central Valley, along the Pacific Coast and south to the Mexico border, the REC System covers rich and unique resources connecting research and extension activities to regional challenges and issues. Now you can tour all of them without leaving your desk.
A virtual tour of UC ANR's nine research and extension centers is posted online at https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/3eac885337854895bd7039d7d4a131f1.
“The new REC tour was made to showcase a taste of the research and extension that goes on within the UC ANR REC System,” said Kathy Eftekhari, chief of staff to the vice president. “It was developed for general distribution to possible new partners across UC, CSUs, other research and Extension institutions across the country, private industry, state and local agencies, etc.
Employees are encouraged to view the tour and share it with interested stakeholders.
“Many people even within ANR are not fully aware of what goes on at each REC,” Eftekhari said.
Each REC director now has information regarding the amount of funds they have available for FY18-19 to fund down projects. The REC directors are working with Deb Driskill and the appropriate REC business officer to determine the researcher cost for each line of service. Full cost rates will be posted for each REC. Project investigators who have requested to conduct projects at a REC will be notified of the researcher cost for their project. It is intended that this information is available and shared by each REC director in the next couple of weeks.
We appreciate your patience while each REC works through this process. The overarching goal is to support research to the greatest extent possible with funds available. Furthermore, it remains the goal to be able to provide researchers who are applying for multi-year grants, the cost for the duration of the grant submission. This represents a change from past practice and one of the primary goals of the transition to a new way of costing research.
Sincerely,
Glenda Humiston, vice president
Wendy Powers, associate vice president
Tu Tran, associate vice president, Business Operations
Jeff Dahlberg, director, Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center
Jairo Diaz, director, Desert Research and Extension Center
Jose Fernandez De Soto, director, Hansen Agricultural Research and Extension Center
Beth Grafton-Cardwell, director, Lindcove Research and Extension Center
Darren Haver, director, South Coast Research and Extension Center
Bob Hutmacher, director, West Side Research and Extension Center
Jeremy James, director, Sierra Foothill Research and Extension Center
Kim Rodrigues, director, Hopland Research and Extension Center
Rob Wilson, director, Intermountain Research and Extension Center
To address these budgetary issues, cost increases must be offset by increasing the proportion of research costs covered by research projects. We project that approximately 25 percent of today's central funding will need to be redirected to cover increases in personnel salaries and benefits, deferred maintenance, strategic investments to ensure long-term operation of the REC system for generations to come, and increases in operating expenditures that are not included in research expenses. Increased expenses will be covered over time through a combination of fund development, increased revenue generated through increased programming and services, increased efficiency of business operations, and a reduction in the current level of research funding by UC ANR which, at present, averages approximately 80 percent across all REC supported projects.
For over a year now, we have been working to secure a bright future for the REC system by looking at the research that is conducted at each REC and considering how we do business now and in the future. In addition to the current work and programming that occurs at each REC every day, there is incredible untapped potential for new research and programs. Improved understanding of the cost to conduct research has been a key part of the review process undertaken at each of the centers over the past year. A deep dive into the accounting and cost structure has occurred at each facility; identifying the lines of service at the facility and the costs to provide those services. The FY 2018-19 cost structures for each center have been submitted to the UC ANR Rate and Recharge Committee for review this past week. Following review, the REC system will receive feedback and recommendations for changes to be made prior to rate approval.
We aim to have the full cost structures approved by late April 2018. Concurrent with the effort to identify costs for each line of service is work by each REC director to identify the level of funding that will be available in their individual budgets to reduce those costs to support research projects at each facility. We anticipate these rates will be available in late April for projects conducted in FY 2018-19 and with estimates for FY 2019-20 available at the same time.
Continuing a long tradition of supporting impactful research at each REC to solve agricultural and natural resource issues remains our highest priority. Ramp up of fund development efforts and identification of new or additional income opportunities at each REC will take time as will the ability for these strategies to offset research costs. In the meantime, the REC directors have identified that providing extra financial support to UC academics who have been in their jobs six years or less is critical to the success of new and early-career UC academics. To the extent that UC ANR funding permits, extra financial support may also be provided to support exploratory or high risk/high reward projects, projects that extend critical, under-funded, long-term research, and projects conducted by PIs who are first time users of the REC.
While the current budgeting efforts come with uncertainty and discomfort in the short-term, change is needed to secure long-term success. The leaders of each REC and UC ANR senior leaders are committed to transparency of research costs, exemplary customer service and investment into facilities and infrastructure that further our ability for sustained growth of the REC System.
Sincerely,
Glenda Humiston, vice president
Wendy Powers, associate vice president
Tu Tran, associate vice president, Business Operations
Jeff Dahlberg, director, Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center
Jairo Diaz, director, Desert Research and Extension Center
Jose Fernandez De Soto, director, Hansen Agricultural Research and Extension Center
Beth Grafton-Cardwell, director, Lindcove Research and Extension Center
Darren Haver, director, South Coast Research and Extension Center
Bob Hutmacher, director, West Side Research and Extension Center
Jeremy James, director, Sierra Foothill Research and Extension Center
Kim Rodrigues, director, Hopland Research and Extension Center
Rob Wilson, director, Intermountain Research and Extension Center
View or leave comments for ANR Leadership at http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRUpdate/Comments.
This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.