Making Money from Manure 2

 In yesterday’s report  we learned about manure digesters that can actually extract methane out of manure and transform it into a pipeline quality natural gas. This shows promise of taking Idaho cattle operators and dairy farmers from being scrutinized by the feds and ecologists to being a source of alternative energy. But how does the individual farm or ranch participate?

 Paul Kjellander,  Administrator for the Idaho Office of Energy Resources You put the digesters close to the dairies themselves, in fact right on the dairies,  and then you connect them up with a distribution system.”…meaning ag operators could sell methane. How large are these manure digesters? (Kjellander) “The ones I’ve seen look like a small silo. They’re not huge and they don’t have a large footprint.”

 The State of Idaho is now trying to look for ways to bring such technology into a fiscal reality…one that perhaps could end up underwriting a farmer’s set-up costs. (Kjellander) “What we’re trying to do is to find the right incentives that we can put in place to help a fledgling industry take off. “