Washington — A plan being spearheaded by Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., is aimed at helping dairy farmers in his state purchase biodigester facilities, which could result in a sizeable amount of fertilizer from cattle manure. He is seeking to reinstate an expired energy grant program that essentially would give farmers upfront cash to pay for up to 30 percent of biodigester facilities. At the same time, N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo is working on a legislative change to enable farmers with fewer than 200 cows to increase their herd sizes up to 300 without violating the state concentrated animal feeding operations program. It all has to do with growing demand on dairy production to serve the booming Greek yogurt industry in the state. “With more cows there’s going to be more manure, and with more yogurt production there are more waste products,” Schumer pointed out. “As dairy production grows, this will reduce waste costs and increase the efficiency of dairy farms with fertilizer and electricity. It’s an absolute game-changer.” With biodigesters costing up to $7 million, he added, farmers can form joint efforts to make purchasing the equipment feasible. Called the Federal 1603 Grant Program, the energy grant funding can provide valuable startup costs to get projects off the ground. Synergy Biogas in Wyoming County, N.Y., for instance, used the program to garner a $2.4 million grant for its facility, which converts manure and waste products from local food processors into energy and generates nutrient-rich fertilizer for the dairy farm. That facility, which sells electricity on the energy grid, creates enough electricity for 1,600 homes.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain