Manure

This summer, the EPA proposed a new set of regulations aimed at curbing methane emissions. This announcement has drawn a sharper focus on methane, a greenhouse gas almost 25 times more powerful than carbon dioxide.

Plenty of things have changed in the world of dairy farming. Advancements in milking systems mean that robots, not people, can perform the several-times-per-day task of milking cows.

Utilizing manure as fertilizer is one common approach to capturing the inherent value in manure and reducing the costs of off-farm inputs. But the approach has its limitations; particularly in situations where there is more manure than can be responsibly managed on the available land.

There are many things a farmer can do to help the environment. In the dairy industry, utilizing anaerobic digesters to capture methane gas and produce electricity is a primary way to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. While dairy farmers can actively take measures to reduce the industry’s carbon footprint, those efforts are not always economically viable.

One option often considered for dairy farmers currently operating an anaerobic digestion system is the co-digestion of off-farm substrates.

When Lawnhurst Farms outgrew its bedding recovery unit – a mechanical dryer – it decided it was time to take the next step to produce more bedding for the dairy.