Anaerobic Digestion at AA Dairy

AA Dairy is a 600-cow dairy operation located on 2,200 acres in the town of Candor in Tioga County, New York The dairy began operating in the summer of 1993. Odor issues began to cause local concern, and thus, the decision was made to construct an anaerobic digester The digester was commissioned in June 1998 Benefits (other than odor control) derived from this digester include: Electricity and heat generated from the biogas Compost from the post-digested separated solids Irrigation liquid from the separated liquid effluent The electricity produced by burning biogas in the engine-generator set, is used for on-farm needs and any excess is sold to New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG) under the provisions of the New York State Net Metering law (See Fact Sheet NM-1) The post-digestion separated solids are cured and marketed as compost to local buyers under the name “Field of Dreams Compost” The separated liquid effluent, mixed with milk house wastewater, flows by gravity to an HDPE-lined long-term storage, and is eventually land applied by tanker truck or irrigation by way of underground pipin

Pump Performance Tests as a Method of Determining Influent Mass Flow to Dairy Farm Anaerobic Digesters

A new on-farm anaerobic digester (AD) monitoring protocol, recently released by the Association of State Energy Research Technology and Transfer Institutions (ASERTTI) is being used to assess seven anaerobic digesters on dairy farms in New York State. A key component of the ASERTTI protocol is to perform a mass balance of the AD system. Mass balance data is needed to determine system performance values such as: degree of manure stabilization, biogas produced per unit of influent, and subsequent electrical power produced per unit of influent. The optimal location in the system to obtain AD influent mass flow data is at the AD influent pump. However, pumps used to pump manure generally lack performance data, making it difficult to quantify mass flow without knowing the performance characteristics of the influent pump

Anaerobic Digestion at Aurora Ridge Farm

Aurora Ridge Dairy is a 2,000-cow dairy operation located near the Village of Aurora in Cayuga County, New York. The farm is owned and managed by William Cook. Digester construction began in late summer 2008 and commissioned in August 2009. Digester construction was funded in part by a USDA Rural Development grant and by NYSERDA. Digester effluent is separated using FAN screw-press separators and post-digested separated solids are used for freestall bedding

Greenhouse Gas (ghg) Emission Reductions Due to Anaerobic Digestion of Dairy Manure

Livestock agriculture is a source of greenhouse gas (ghg) emissions in the U.S., and emits one of the most potent greenhouse gases – methane (CH4). Through manure anaerobic digestion technology, a portion of these emissions can be mitigated. The Association of State Energy Research and Technology Transfer Institutions (ASERTTI) protocol, released in 2007, is being used by Cornell University to monitor seven on-production farm anaerobic digesters (ADs) in New York State. Among many other requirements, this protocol recommends to use the EPA Climate Leaders methodology to quantify ghg emission reductions attributed to the anaerobic digester (AD) systems being monitored

Anaerobic Digestion at Twin Birch Farm

Twin Birch Farm, owned by Dirk Young, is located in Cayuga County, New York The farm milks 1,270 Holstein cows. The AD system was commissioned in 2003 (See: Anaerobic Digestion at Twin Birch Farm: Case Study) with several equipment upgrades made on an ongoing basis and a new biogas utilization system added in 2012

Anaerobic Digestion at Swiss Valley Dairy

Swiss Valley Dairy milks about 900 Holstein dairy cows The farm is owned by Hubert Wick Swiss Valley is located outside the town of Warsaw, NY The onsite digester was commissioned in October of 200

Biogas Casebook: NYS On-farm Anaerobic Digesters

This casebook provides case study synopsis reports of all on-farm animal waste anaerobic digesters (ADs) in New York State (NYS) as of July 2010. Over the past decade in NYS, anaerobic digestion technology has been increasingly implemented as an on-farm manure treatment strategy to reduce odors and environmental pollution and to produce renewable electricity. More recently, the issue of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture have received increased attention and anaerobic digestion is seen as a viable solution to managing methane gas – one of the more potent GHGs

Animal Agriculture in a Changing Climate Online Course: An Effective Tool for Creating Extension Competency

There is a need to create competency among Extension professionals on the topic of climate change adaptation and mitigation in animal agriculture. The Animal Agriculture in a Changing Climate online course provides an easily accessible, user-friendly, free, and interactive experience for learning science-based information on a national and regional level. The web-based curriculum is proving to be a useful tool and valuable resource for Extension educators in gaining knowledge and being better equipped to inform and influence livestock and poultry producers regarding climate issues

Building Capacity within Extension to Address Animal Agriculture in a Changing Climate

The Animal Agriculture in a Changing Climate project was formed to build capacity among Extension professionals and other livestock advisors to address climate change issues. We offer a case study of how a small team can build national capacity for new topics. We used a coordinated multiregional approach to leverage national efforts applied to locally relevant climatology, production systems, and climate issues. Key insights on overcoming challenges centered on (a) engaging audiences with local, historical trends and agricultural impacts, (b) beginning with adaptation, rather than mitigation of climate change, and (c) providing strategies for effectively communicating science during controversy. Program participants found the project valuable and substantially increased their ability and motivation to apply climate science