It looks like New York is going to set the pace for dairy producers in waste management and the environment. According to the Associated Press, New York will host the Dairy Power Project, coordinated by the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. What do you think about this project? Will it be too costly investment for producers in the future? Will the environment benefit from this new manure management pilot program? I’m excited to see the results of this test project.

The project’s goal is to set a national model for using methane digesters on dairy farms to create electricity and reduce the farm’s carbon footprint. Methane digesters capture naturally occurring methane gas from stored manure and convert it into electricity. Officials say the technology has the potential to reduce the dairy industry’s greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2020. That’s equivalent to removing 1.25 million passenger cars off the road each year.

The Dairy Power Project was also explained in a press release by the New York State Department of Agriculture. In the press release, details for the plan are broken down and plans for the future are outlined.

“New York is committed to leading the nation in the production of clean energy and fighting climate change,” said Governor David A. Paterson. “Harnessing the waste from dairy farms to produce energy is an effective method of capitalizing on an existing resource to help us meet our ’45 by 15′ clean energy goal. We are pleased to have been chosen for this pilot project, and look forward to the positive benefits for our dairy farmers and the environment.”

Methane digesters capture naturally occurring methane gas from stored manure and convert it into electricity. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas – 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide – which contributes to global warming. Methane digesters effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the amount of methane released into the air and by also providing an alternative energy source to fossil fuels.