Vermont dairy farm tunrns
manure into renewable energy
By Lisa Halvorsen
Editor’s note: The article was contributed by
the University of Vermont Cooperative
Extension Service.
ike many top dairy
producers in Vermont,
Brian and Bill Rowell
attribute their success
in large part to their
ability to think outside the box to
maximize available resources to
maximize profits. Cow comfort ranks
high on their agenda, as does
communicating effectively with their 15
fulltime employees and using
sustainable practices to protect the
environment and preserve the land for
future generations.
The owners of Green Mountain
Dairy LLC, a 1,050-cow operation in
Sheldon, Vt., also embrace changing
technologies to improve their herd
average and increase revenue from their
cows beyond what they get for their
milk. Installation of an anaerobic
methane digester system two years ago
enables them to convert manure
produced on the farm into renewable
energy. The Rowells milk 900 cows on
a twice daily milking schedule in a
double-15 milking parlor, shipping their
milk to the St. Albans Cooperative
Creamery.
For their innovative practices, this
dairy farm has been named the 2008
Vermont Dairy Farm of the Year.
University of Vermont (UVM)
Extension and the Vermont Dairy
Industry Association, in cooperation
with the New England Green Pastures
Program, select one outstanding
Vermont dairy operation for this
prestigious award every year. Each
nominee is evaluated on several criteria
including pasture, crop and herd
management programs; production
records; conservation practices;
contributions to the dairy industry and
local community; and overall excellence
in dairying.
Glenn Rogers, a UVM Extension
farm business management specialist
based in St. Albans, notes that “this is a
very clean, very well-kept operation.
They do an outstanding job with their
cows. They pay attention to detail, as
indicated by their well-managed herd
and quality crops going into the
bunkers.
“They also provide lots of outreach
to the community with open houses for
the public and other farmers to tour the
farm and the methane digester system.
An estimated 7,500 people from more
than 20 countries have toured the farm
since 2006. That all played into the
judges’ decision to present the award to
this farm this year.”
Numbers needed to make
system work
Green Mountain Dairy is one of the
largest farms in Franklin County,
milking 900 cows and growing corn and
grass for haylage on 1,200 tillable acres
on farms purchased in Sheldon,
Swanton and Highgate, as well as some
leased land.
While the farm is regulated by the
Large Farm Operations Program of the
Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food
and Markets, Brian Rowell is quick to
point out that this is a family farm. The
numbers are what make it work
economically, he explains. “When we
were in the planning stages 10 years ago
for this farm, we ran the numbers and
found we needed 800 cows. Having 400
cows would have worked for us back
then, but to succeed, you need to make
it work for today and for tomorrow.”
“Every farm, be it big or small, in
order to be sustainable and continue to
be viable in future years, needs sound
financial management,” says Tony
Kitsos, a farm management educator
with UVM Extension’s Farm Viability
Enhancement Program. The Rowells
talk daily and consult with their
financial advisors on a monthly basis to
fine tune their ongoing financial
management strategy.
The higher producing animals are
milked three times a day. Their rolling
herd average is 22,000 pounds of milk
per cow with 3.8 percent butterfat and
3.1 percent protein. To ensure that the
herd gets proper nutrition, the Rowells
consult with two nutritionists every
week. These recommendations enable
them to feed their cows a total mixed
ration of corn silage, haylage, and
grains, balanced according to the
energy, protein, and fiber needs for
each group of cows according to their
stage of lactation.
Managing manure for energy
As with any sizeable dairy operation,
efficient management of manure is
important. While many farmers invest
in larger storage lagoons to handle the
volume, the Rowells decided that an
anaerobic methane digester system to
turn manure into energy was a viable
economic option for them. They were
the third farm in Vermont to sign up
with Central Vermont Public Service
(CVPS) for its Cow Power Program.
The installation of the digester cost
$2.37 million, which was offset partly
through $755,000 in grants from
USDA Rural Development, the
Vermont Department of Public
Service’s Clean Energy Development
Fund, CVPS and the Vermont Agency
of Agriculture, Food and Markets.
The projected payback period
“pencils out at 4.3 years, but in reality is
closer to six years,” says Bill Rowell.
“Right now, it’s not feasible for farms
with a small herd size to use this
technology,” Rogers points out. “For a
100-cow operation, even a 300- or 400-
cow operation, this isn’t an
economically sound option. But for
farms with high cow numbers, like this
one, capturing waste production and
recycling that waste into a usable commodity
makes smart economic sense.”
The Rowells’ herd produces 10
million gallons of manure yearly, which
is converted into enough methane to
produce 1.8 million kilowatt-hours of
electricity annually. The energy is
purchased by CVPS and sold to its
customers interested in “green energy.”
The additional four cents per kilowatthour
paid by the consumer goes to the
participating farmers and effectively
covers the carbon offset, Brian Rowell
explains.
In addition to the projected revenue,
the process has resulted in other
benefits. “It's lowered our somatic cell
count,” Bill Rowell says, “and we are
able to provide all our bedding needs
for the milking cows.” He estimates the
farm is saving $100,000 annually by
using the dry bio-solids from the
treated manure instead of sawdust for
bedding in their state-of-the-art freestall
barns. They also supply dry
bedding for two local farms and several
nurseries and greenhouses.
Stewards of the land
The dairy farmers have developed a
comprehensive nutrient management
plan in accordance with USDA’s
Natural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS) Nutrient Management
Conservation Standards, according to
Kitsos. They follow Accepted
Agricultural Practices, established by
the Vermont Agency of Agriculture,
which were designed to help farmers
conserve and protect natural resources
through regulated spreading of manure,
crop rotation and installation of buffers
along drainage ditches to control
sediment, nutrients and pollutants in
runoff.
“We are all just stewards of the land,
only here on earth for the time we are
granted,” Bill Rowell believes. “It is our
responsibility to care for the land and
resources until the next generation
takes over.” Both of Brian’s children,
Matthew, 13, and Megan, 11, help out
on the farm.
Kitsos notes, “This dairy also is
working towards providing a scientific
database for the state of Vermont and
UVM for nutrient management in
conjunction with its anaerobic digester
and proposed settling pond, an
enhancement to the digester process.”
Off the farm, Brian has been a town
selectman in Highgate for 15 years. Bill
was appointed by Governor Jim
Douglas to the CVPS Rural
Development Executive Committee,
which is charged with implementing
clean energy projects in the state, and
was a member of the Dairy Task Force
that worked with the U.S. Secretary of
Agriculture on the Farm Bill. He
recently was asked to serve on the
search committee for the new dean of
the UVM College of Agriculture and
Life Sciences and was instrumental in
establishing the Farmers Wetlands
Assistance Committee, which acts as a
liaison between Vermont’s dairy
producers and USDA/NRCS.
“Green Mountain Dairy will
continue to succeed into the future
because they have a sound vision of
their business; are committed to solid
dairy, economic, and environmental
practices; and work with their families
and employees to further the success of
the farm,” Rogers concludes. “In
addition, they are willing to try new
ideas that make sense, fit the farm,
improve the environment and help the
community.”
