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Not all manure is conveyed equally, so to speak, because not all manure is subjected to the same environmental conditions after being “deposited” on the alley floor. One of those conditions is bedding, especially where sand bedding is concerned.
When it looked like electricity prices were about to skyrocket in 1985, the Hurst family of Lititz, Pennsylvania, decided to manage that risk by installing an anaerobic digester.
According to the U.S. EPA’sAgSTAR program, anaerobic digesters are technically feasible at more than 2,600 U.S. dairy operations, but many early adopters of methane digester systems find they are not supported by the current market conditions and energy policies.
Sustainability is a topic on the mind of today’s society.
“You almost can’t read anything without seeing something about climate change and water use,” said Dr. Jude Capper, Washington State University. “The anti-animal ag industries really try to get people’s attention. HSUS, PETA, Greenpeace know exactly what messages to put out there.”
This article was #22 of the Top 25 most well-read articles on www.progressivedairy.com in 2012. to jump to the article. It was published in the January 21, 2012 issue. Click here for the full list of the Top 25.
In addition to milk, cows also produce a fair amount of methane. Dairies across the country are developing new ways to utilize that byproduct of milk production. One instance is a project under way at Fair Oaks in Indiana to use biogas from its anaerobic digesters to power a fleet of milk trucks operated by Ruan Transport Corp.
Last year, I visited a large, progressive dairy in Vermont with the “Agriculture and the Environment” class taught by Steve Kramer. Our host was very gracious and gave us a guided tour of the farm where we learned a lot about their operation and nutrient management.
In Idaho, where the number of dairy cows has increased around 88 percent in the past 12 years, USDA scientists are collecting data on greenhouse gas emissions from dairy facilities and identifying how those emissions fluctuate daily and throughout the year.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that USDA is funding anaerobic digester projects in eight states to encourage renewable energy production, reduce energy costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and farm-based pollution. The announcement was made on the Secretary's behalf by Under Secretary for Rural Development Dallas Tonsager during a trip to Wisconsin.
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) are leading the way in learning more about "biochar," the charred biomass created from wood, other plant material, and manure.
The studies by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists at laboratories across the country support the USDA priorities of promoting international food security and responding to global climate change. ARS is USDA's chief intramural scientific research agency.
Soil scientist Jeff Novak at the ARS Coastal Plains Soil, Water and Plant Research Center in Florence, South Carolina, is coordinating the multi-location effort. In one project, he led a laboratory study to see if different biochars could improve the sandy soils found on the Carolina coastal plain, and Pacific Northwest silt loam soils derived from volcanic ash.
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