Photo: REUTERS
Dairy farmers and neighbors of dairy farmers rejoice! A growing trend among dairy farmers world wide are knee-deep in a more innovative way to rid themselves of manure, which according to the Environmental Protection Agency, livestock raised for slaughter, wool and milk production account for one quarter of methane emissions in the country. Many farmers are beginning to harvest said methane, either using it to run elelcticity on their own farms or selling it back to utitility companies. Californian rancher Albert Straus uses his herd of 270 cows to run his 75- kilowatt generator. Like many environmentally solutions, this one seems to have no flaws except for the financial investment each farmer or rancher must hand over. According to Chuck Fry, vice president of the Maryland Farm Bureau, a farm about Strauss’ size of around 200 cows, can be up to a $1 million investment, not including the cost of maintenance and extra labor. As for the benefits, methane capturing tanks not only keep the stench to a minimum, they also decrease greenhouse gas emissions and keep manure from ending up in waterways. This process has been recently employed in Maryland, where debate rages on about the effect of land-based agriculture on marine agriculture. While dairy farms themselves seems to be leading the way on such innovations, dairy agriculture as a whole is still being scrutinized for emissions that have to do with processing and transportation. Thus, children, we have two lessons to learn here: one, buy milk and other agricultural products locally whenever possible, and two, remember that cows are the only kind of animals that create excrement. As they say one man’s waste is another mans fuel, I paraphrase.