The Problem

With a rapidly increasing human population, more and more organic waste is filling up local landfills each year at an incredibly fast rate. According to the EPA, 56% of total food waste generated in the United States was sent to landfills in 2018. ^[1]

Municipal Solid Waste Generation in the United States

According to EPA statistics, the amount of waste generated per capita increased steadily from 1960 to 1990. Since then, it has remained somewhat constant.

On the other hand, the total amount of waste generated in the United States has been increasing constantly from less than 100 million tons annually in 1960 to almost 300 million tons in 2018. ^[2]

Even worse, the landfilling of this organic waste has generated an alarming amount of two of the leading contributors of global warming: carbon dioxide and methane gas.

Trends in Farming Fuel Expenditure in the Midwest

According to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, farms in the Midwest spent a total of about $4 billion in fuel annually. Of these total expenses, about 65% ($2.6 billion) was spent on diesel alone while only 16% was spent on liquified petroleum, 15% on gasoline, and 4% on other fuels. ^[3]

Farming Fuel Expenses in Minnesota

Minnesota spends a total of about $700 million on fuel annually for farming. ^[4] Using the assumption that 65% of this total is spent on diesel, the value of diesel expenses was found to be about $450 million annually.

Farming Diesel Consumption in Minnesota

Using the average prices of diesel for each year ^[5], the annual diesel consumption rate was calculated to be about 150 million gallons for farming operations in Minnesota.

Diesel CO2 Emissions from Farming Operations in Minnesota

Using these consumption numbers and greenhouse gas emission factors for diesel ^[6], it was calculated that a whopping 1.5 million tons of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalents) are emitted due to farming operations each year just in Minnesota.

CO2 Emissions Due to Diesel Farming Operations in Central Minnesota Counties

According to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Stearns county has the highest number of farms (2950) in the central region of Minnesota out of a total of 14 counties. This is followed by Morrison county at 1760, Todd county at 1600, and Wright county at 1340 farms. ^[7]

Using an average annual fuel expense of $8000 per farm ^[8], the CO2e emissions were calculated for all 14 counties. By totaling up these counties, it was found that farming operations in the central Minnesota region accounted for more than a fifth of the entire state's diesel CO2e emissions.