MaryBeth Matzek: Sheboygan dairy invests in new technology to deal with manure

This is an excerpt from a column posted at BizOpinion

Wisconsin is home to a lot of cows and, unfortunately, that means a lot of manure. But farmers across the state are looking to a variety of solutions to help manage it.

Under rules from the Department of Natural Resources, all farms with more than 1,000 animal units need to file a management plan with the state to address how they’ll deal with manure. New technology is providing more options to farmers. For example earlier this year, Shiloh Dairy near Brillion in Calumet County put in a system that converts manure to potable water and nutrients that can be used as fertilizer and now Majestic Meadows Dairy in Sheboygan Falls is installing a first-of-its-kind fully integrated manure management system.

Digested Organics LLC began construction over the summer at Majestic Meadows on a new integrated manure management system, which will process 20,000 gallons of manure per day, effectively harvesting energy through biogas generation, concentrating nutrients for more targeted crop use, and reclaiming clean water for farm use and surface water discharge. The goal is to have it operational before the World Dairy Expo later this month in Madison.

“We had been looking at manure treatment systems for years, but we just couldn’t get comfortable with either the technology or the costs involved,” says Dean Strauss, managing partner and co-owner of the Majestic Meadows Dairy. “Digested Organic’s solution is the right fit for our farm, allowing us to concentrate key nutrients for our crops into substantially less volume at a competitive operating cost – that means getting manure trucks off the road and reduced hauling costs.”

Read the full column