ECC installs first dairy lagoon cover in New York State.
At Fessenden Dairy in New York State’s Finger Lakes region, Environmental Credit Corporation (ECC) has installed the first of 200 manure lagoon covers the company is providing as part of a methane reduction project to hog farms and dairies across the U.S. over the next several years.
The two lagoon covers at Fessenden Dairy will capture and flare methane emitted by manure, converting it to carbon dioxide and dramatically reducing the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the dairy’s 1100 cows. By capturing and converting the methane, the project will reduce carbon dioxide emissions comparable to the GHGs produced in one year by 693 cars.
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| Fessenden Dairy in the Finger Lakes district of New York State is the first of about 200 hog and dairy operations across the U.S. to receive manure lagoon covers from Environmental Credit Corporation (ECC). The installation is part of a project aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions on livestock operations. |
“By covering the lagoon, we can reduce emissions, help control the odors and do the best job we can for our neighbors,” says dairy owner Tim Fessenden. “And we can keep the rainfall out, which helps control the volumes in the lagoon. Last year, the rainfall added water to the lagoon, which carried into the cropland – and that’s not a good situation. I believe this lagoon cover will have a positive impact in improving the situation with greenhouse gases and in controlling the lagoon volumes.”
Fessenden Dairy was chosen for this project based on its herd size, the dimensions of the lagoon and its location in upstate New York, an area specified for attention by a Conservation Innovation grant ECC received from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in June 2007.
“The funds will allow us to extend our new lagoon cover and methane capture program to include several New York dairies that would otherwise be ineligible for our program at this early stage,” says Scott Subler, president of ECC. “It also will demonstrate how implementing market based approaches for attaining environmental benefits works.”
By adding the lagoon covers, it is hoped dairy producers will register the reduction in emissions as carbon credits on the Chicago Climate Exchange, giving each ton of greenhouse gas reduction a monetary value that can be sold to bring income to the farmers.
Farmer participation in the methane reduction project is expected to continue for more than 10 years. During that time, ECC will supervise the project, providing ongoing monitoring, documentation, verification and carbon credit registration. Funding for the project comes from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) Program. -end-
