Want to better understand natural gas production on agriculture lands? Be sure to register for the Keystone Energy Forum’s “Agriculture Forum” on October 29th in Williamsport, Pa. Held in partnership with the Professional Dairy Managers of Pennsylvania (PDMP) and PennAg Industries Association, the “Agricultural Forum” will focus on natural gas development and its interaction with Pennsylvania’s agricultural community. The October … Read More
Curtimade Dairy Goes Solar
Curtimade Dairy based in Tulare, California, has added solar energy into its agribusiness operations. The 100 year old, 3,000 cow dairy business recently completed the installation of a 719 kilowatt (kW) solar array featuring SunSeek Tracker, a technology developed by SPG Solar. It is estimated Curtimade will save $145,000 per year in energy costs and fuels nearly 85 percent of … Read More
Cheese Waste Product Powers Utah State Dragster
A team of engineering students from Utah State University has set a new land speed record using a car that burns a new form of sustainable biofuel made from a waste product of the cheese manufacturing process. “How many people get to drive a car they helped build with fuel they created from a living microorganism?” asks USU undergrad biochemist … Read More
Dairy Producer Supports Farm Bill Energy Programs
The House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy and Forestry was urged to reauthorize Farm Bill energy programs and provide them with mandatory funding during a hearing on “Formulation of the 2012 Farm Bill: Energy and Forestry Programs” on Friday. Steve Reinford of Reinford Farms in Mifflintown, Pennsylvania testified about how investing in an anaerobic digester with the help of USDA … Read More
Webinars Available on Digester Systems
Two educational webinars, planned for March 14, will examine finance issues and technology options for installing and maintaining anaerobic digester systems. The webinars, each three hours in length, will address two critical issues in the decision-making process: financing installation and operation of a digester system, as well as the rate of return on the investment, and technology options–what they are … Read More
Funding Available to Increase Energy Efficiency
The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy® — established by dairy producers in 2008 to foster industry-wide innovation and efficiencies — urges dairy producers interested in cutting on-farm energy costs to contact their local Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) office. Funding is available right now to help producers address on-farm energy use and increase efficiency. “One of the goals of the … Read More
SaveEnergy Resource for Farmers
The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy® has launched the SaveEnergy online resource that connects dairy producers to financial assistance programs and educational materials to help them reduce on-farm energy use and related costs. The tool is part of the U.S. Dairy Sustainability Commitment, an effort established by dairy producers to reduce environmental impact and create business value across the supply … Read More
Crave Brothers Unveils Green Cow Label
Crave Brothers is promoting their commitment to the environment and renewable energy on the farm and in the farmstead cheese factory with a newly unveiled logo. The new Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese logo features a dairy cow inside a green circle with the words “Produced with Renewable Energy.” In producing their family of award-winning artisan cheeses, the Crave Brothers use … Read More
Lakeland Dairy Adds Solar Energy to Operations
Adding a solar power system can give dairy operations a double-benefit. Solar can reduce you utility bills while at the same time helping your business become more sustainable. One dairy farm in Hanford, California has added a 891 kilowatt solar energy system designed and constructed by SPG Solar. It is comprised of 3,240 Suntech solar modules and two Solaron inverters. … Read More
Project to Study Renewable Energy Production on Dairies
The dairy industry is working on a new national research project designed to “to advance the science and best management practices of renewable energy, environmental stewardship and life cycle analysis of dairy systems and processes.” The joint project between the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy™, the Dairy Research Institute™ and Idaho’s Center for Advanced Energy Studies (CAES) hopes to develop … Read More