$6.4 million in anaerobic digestion funding announced for WI's small dairies
Consisting of thousands of small family dairies, Wisconsin is a proud leader in the US dairy industry and maker of some of the finest artisan cheese (and other dairy products) that this nation's citizens ever tasted.
Although the producers of WI's delectable dairy items are primarily, "located on approximately 12,000 small to medium sized dairy farms," the ability for WI dairy producers to utilize their manure with anaerobic digestion has traditionally been confined to operations larger than 800 cows, according to Focus on Energy.
However, $6.4 million in anaerobic digester funding for WI's small dairies (defined as under 700 head of cattle) has been announced by Focus on Energy to bridge this gap between the state's dairy majority and access to locally-produced energy, organic products and manure management. Approximately $500,000 in funding is available per project, with a grant application deadline of September 25, 2015.
Anaerobic digestion of manure can provide a variety of advantages to dairy farms. Some benefits include: creation of continuous on-farm electricity, heat, or vehicle fuel; odor reduction; energy offset; manure and nutrient management; organic byproducts such as livestock bedding or compost and fertilizer; and increased farm sustainability.
Feasibility studies, at no cost, for interested dairies and help understanding how farms can fit into the Focus on Energy program is being offered by WI-based anaerobic digestion company, BIOFerm Energy Systems. BIOFerm's experience includes 3 successful anaerobic digestion projects in WI made possible with Focus on Energy funding, including small farm anaerobic digestion.
8.18.2015