BNF Energy Savings Although BNF itself is a process that can be exploited by man for free, BNF requires special techniques that require more energy than typical fertilization. However, when the energy to produce artificial fertilizers are considered, significant energy savings can be acheived, with the overall effect of reducing the myriad harmful effects of energy utilization (particularly CO2 production). The effects of switching to a BNF scheme for two different crops are summarized in the table below. Source: Jensen & Hauggard-Nielsen The two crops analyzed are a field of grass and clover that is used for grazing and a barley crop that is used primarily as feed. In both BNF schemes (labeled as "organic" in the figure) energy is saved mainly because no fertilizer is needed as an input. However, as the figure shows, the heavily fertilized grass-clover field has a much more significant reduction in energy usage (65%) than the barley field (14%). In light of the cost in terms of crop yield (12% and 25% in the clover and barley fields, respectively) the data suggest that the gains of energy efficiency from BNF may be practical but only in some instances. (Jensen) BNF's effect on soil integrity