AMELIA COURT HOUSE, Va. (RFD News) — A Virginia dairy farm is using manure and food waste to create renewable energy.
At Oakmulgee Dairy Farm, Brandon Moyer and his brother Jeremy run the fifth-generation operation alongside their father. The farm spans about 1,500 acres of crops, pasture and forestry. The family recently partnered with Vanguard Renewables on a project to convert manure and food-and-beverage waste into renewable natural gas.
Brandon Moyer says the partnership adds another layer to how the farm operates.
“Partnering with Vanguard completes the circle for us, from us growing the crops, making the feed, feeding the cows, and then instead of just land applying our manure for our crops, we can get a whole other benefit from the manure. So we get the energy to supply homes and businesses with power. On the backside of that, we still get our fertilizer for our fields.”
The digester combines manure with organic waste to produce methane, which is then used as energy while also keeping waste out of landfills.
Javier Vargas with Vanguard Renewables says the Moyer family was a strong fit for the project.
“When it comes to the Moyers, they have been in this land operating this farm for five generations, and what strikes me is that they’ve never really stopped innovating,” Vargas said, “For us, it’s such an important partnership to have. These commitments are 20 to 40 years long, in order for us to reliably run these facilities for decades, we need to have a partner that shares that value of innovation and stewardship of the land and sustainability.”
The partnership also provides a long-term agreement that helps support the farm’s future, while making better use of waste.
Virginia has more than 350 dairy farms. While that number has declined, the industry still has an economic impact of nearly $5 billion.
