June 2004 Newsletter

Dairy digester a first for Washington state

Friday, June 25, 2004
By Cookson Beecher, Washington State Staff Writer

LYNDEN, Wash. - Construction of the first commercial dairy anaerobic digester to be built in Washington state was celebrated this week during a festive groundbreaking ceremony at the Vander Haak Dairy in Whatcom County, just south of the U.S.-Canadian border.

The digester, which will use manure from up to 1,500 cows to produce enough electricity to power 180 average homes, is expected to begin operating in late October.

In addition to the Vander Haak Dairy, two neighboring dairies - one owned by Doug Bajema and the other by Glen Blankers - will supply the digester with manure.

Seventy percent of the cost of the $1.2 million project will be borne by dairyman Darryl Vander Haak, with the rest of the money coming from grants and other resources.

Payback is expected within five to seven years, possibly sooner.

During the groundbreaking ceremony, Vander Haak described the project as a shift into the future.

"If west side dairy farming is to survive, we need to move ahead with projects like this," he told the crowd of about 60 people who attended the event.

Partnerships with private industry and public non-profit institutions were key to getting the project onto the drawing board.

The project won a cost-share grant from USDA's Rural Development Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements Program, as well as assistance from Washington State University's Climate Friendly Farming Project, which is funded by the Paul G. Allen Foundation.

In addition, Puget Sound Energy agreed to purchase the digester's electric output through contributions from approximately 12,000 participants in its "green power" program.

While many people worked together to get the first shovel of dirt turned on the project, much of the praise was showered on Vander Haak during the groundbreaking ceremony.

Rep. Kelli Linville, D-Bellingham, said she gives high marks to Vander Haak for saying "I'll do it first." She believes that decision on his part marks an important milestone for farming, the economy and the environment.

"If Darryl is successful, others will do it, too," she said.

Craig MacConnell, WSU Whatcom County Extension chairman, also praised the Vander Haak family for its vision of what agriculture and dairying can be in Whatcom County.

On an economic note, MacConnell said the digester provides another income stream so a farmer is not solely reliant on milk checks.

Going beyond the benefits to dairy farmers and their local communities, MacConnell said that this sort of system can help reduce the nation's reliance on foreign oil and helps preserve the fabric of rural America.

Marlin Statema, president of Andgar Corp., which is managing and building the project, explained that when drought pushed power rates through the roof three years ago, Andgar started looking at methane digesters.

One of his company's goals was to design a system that would help farmers in Washington. With that in mind, the company patterned the model at the Vander Haak Dairy after digesters that are already successfully operating in the Midwest.

"Agriculture is a major part of the economy, and dairying is the lion's share of it," Statema said at the groundbreaking. "For the economic well-being of the state, agriculture has to succeed."

Statema said the digester tackles an array of environmental problems, among them global warming, water quality and odors - while also providing the farm with additional income.

Describing the anaerobic system in layman's terms, Statema said the digester's huge tank recreates the insides of the cow, but with some adaptations.

The methane gas produced from the manure is sucked off and powers an engine that turns a generator. As part of the process, the water in the manure is separated out and can be used to irrigate crops and pastures. The sterilized dry matter can be used for bedding or compost.

During his turn at the mike, Chad Kruger of WSU's Climate Friendly Farming Project, said people are probably wondering why Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, whose foundation is funding WSU's Climate Friendly Farming Project, cares about dairying in Whatcom County.

"One of the big pieces of this project is how to make dairy farming climate-friendly," he said.