News and Information Related to Sustainability in Dairy
A collection of articles relevant to dairies and their environmental impact.
Sustainable Solutions Through Manure Management
More than 250 dairies across the U.S. use some type of anaerobic digester system to generate electricity or renewable natural gas (RNG). The technology adds a revenue stream for the farm, aids in manure management and community relations, provides lower carbon fertilizer options and reduces greenhouse gas emissions, all of which enhance sustainability efforts.
Vanguard Renewables Acquired … Plus Other RNG News
Massachusetts-based Vanguard Renewables, an anaerobic digester developer founded in 2014, announced on July 20 that a fund managed by BlackRock Real Assets has acquired the company from Vision Ridge Partners, the original majority investor in the company.
Dairy farmers in Michigan look toward a competitive future
Michigan State University is planning to make some big changes to its greenhouses and Cattle Research Center, which are both more than 40 years old. The state of Michigan is giving the university over $53 million to help renovate the buildings.
Varcor: From Dairy Waste to Drinking Water
The VarcorTM system from Washington state-based Sedron Technologies converts dairy manure into high-value components in a continuous closed loop, all without tractors, manure spreaders, or waste lagoons.
Natural gas could power new chapter in manure-to-energy
Unlike electricity generated from methane, renewable natural gas doesn’t have to be sold to a utility company and put on the power grid, where returns are meager in most of the United States. Instead, it’s fed into pipelines and sold to municipalities or transit agencies for vehicles or to industrial users, generating credits under state clean air standards in California and, perhaps soon, New York and other states.
‘Cow power’ goes dark as manure-to-electricity fizzles
Absent a national commitment to make renewable energy from manure financially viable, cow power is unlikely to catch on the way its proponents hoped.
Scientist “confident” U.S. dairy will mitigate methane emissions
The U.S. dairy sector is well on its way to reaching methane emission mitigation, says Juan Tricarico, Ph.D.
Can Biodigesters Save America’s Small Dairy Farms?
The sustainable technology presents an opportunity to turn cow manure and food waste into renewable energy and added income. But biodigesters are not always easy to operate, and they can be costly to replace.
Farmers with sources of manure have advantage this year
With fertilizer prices soaring, old fashioned manure is a bargain.
Satellites detect California cow burps, a major methane source, from space
Satellites have detected methane emissions from belching cows at a California feedlot, marking the first time emissions from livestock – a major component of agricultural methane – could be measured from space.