Western NY Farm Powers Up on Manure, Wastewater and Food Scraps

By LESLIE SHELDON
Empire Farm & Dairy magazine

PAVILION — Not much goes to waste at Noblehurst Farms in Livingston County.
 

Noblehurst Farms anaerobic digester.

An anaerobic digester is processing the farm’s manure, waste water and milk, and food scraps from stores, restaurants and universities to generate enough energy to power its dairy farm and creamery.
 
Noblehurst, a 1,750-cow dairy farm, built its first digester in 2001-02.
 
“We liked the ability to reduce or eliminate our electricity costs on the dairy and to reduce the odor in the manure,” said Chris Noble, who is Noblehurst’s vice president and an eighth-generation farmer. “We were also able to convert some of the effluent from the digester into bedding for the animals.”
 
Noblehurst Farms is a multi-family business that has 31 shareholders ranging in ages from 26 to 88 with 17 of those shareholders involved in the farm or affiliated businesses.
 
About 40 employees work at Noblehurst Farms, which also raises 1,400 head of youngstock.
 
The farm harvests about 3,000 acres of corn for silage and grain, alfalfa haylage, wheat and triticale.
 
Noble is involved in the financial side of the business. He has responsibility as the manager of Craigs Station Ventures, a joint venture with DFA in Craigs Station Creamery, Noblehurst Green Energy, which involves the anaerobic digester, and Natural Upcycling, a food waste collection partnership.
 
A fire in 2011 destroyed the generator portion of the original digester. During 2013-14 the farm built its second digester, which was larger and was designed to accept various types of food waste.
 
“We thought that was an important feature of the new digester so that we could add income (in the form of tipping fees) that would help further offset the cost of the system,” Noble said.
 
Natural Upcycling collects food waste from more than 30 Wegmans locations in Rochester, Buffalo and Syracuse areas.
 
Natural Upcycling works with other composting and digester sites, notably Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency in Syracuse where the Wegmans food scraps are destined. They collect from a variety of other customers as well, universities, food manufacturers, restaurants, etc.

“We process approximately 10-12 tons per day of food scraps and packaged food waste at the digester,” Noble said. That food waste would normally go to a landfill.

The digester’s generator produces approximately 450 kilowatts of power (per hour?). That electricity powers 100 percent of the dairy farm’s needs and 100 percent of Craigs Station Creamery’s needs, Noble said. During certain times of the year the farm also sells some power back to National Grid.

Noble said the farm has considered other sources of producing energy. They have solar panels on the the roof of the dairy’s milking parlor and the creamery for generating energy to heat hot water.
 
“We have looked at both solar and wind power but biogas-fueled power offers the best bang for our buck based on electricity produced per kilowatt hour produced,” Noble said.

Funding and assistance

“Anaerobic digesters support New York’s nation-leading energy strategy to incorporate energy efficiency and renewable energy into business operations to lower energy costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” a NYSERDA spokesman said. 

“Through the use of clean energy technologies, farms across the state are helping the state reduce its carbon footprint and protect our environment for generations to come,” the spokesman said.

Noble said the best source of information for others considering implementing digesters is from farmers who have already installed them.
 
“They would be able to tell you what works and doesn’t work,” Noble said. “Cornell University PRO-Dairy has a great team of people with vast knowledge of these systems.”

The digester itself does not really get rid of the manure – only about 3-4 percent is consumed by the process. itself.

New Craft Beverage Trail Set for Livingston County Area

From the office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo:

Livingston County in Western New York has been awarded $185,000 for the development of a new craft beverage trail.

The money was awarded by New York state through the Finger Lakes Economic Development Council and the region's Finger Lakes Forward economic development initiative, which is driving revitalization efforts throughout the region. 

The money will help establish a Brewing Microenterprise Program, beginning with four local businesses that will create 16 full-time jobs and leverage $400,000 in additional resources from across the region.
New York is now home to nearly 1,000 licensed wineries, breweries, distilleries and cideries. The number of farm wineries in New York has increased by more than 65 percent, from 195 in 2010 to 322 today. 

The number of farm distilleries grew from just 10 in 2010 to 110 today, while micro-breweries have increased four-fold, from 40 to 163. New York is also home to 150 farm breweries and 28 farm cideries, new licenses created in 2013 and 2014 respectively.
Seventy-five individuals originally expressed interest in the Brew IN Livingston competition through completion of a survey. Ultimately 35 semifinalists were invited to submit video pitches, and 15 finalists went through Business Boot Camp – a five week course focused on formation of a business and the nuances and liabilities associated with owning a brewery.
Four equal prize packages were awarded to three startups and one existing Livingston County business for expansion, including: Battle Street Brewery in Dansville, Mortalis Brewing Co. in Avon, Quiet Storm Brewing Co. in Geneseo and Original Stump Blower Ciderworks in Lakeville. 

Each will receive:

• $35,000 microenterprise grant for furniture, fixtures, and equipment (Community Development Block Grant funding from New York State Homes and Community Renewal);
• Loan of up to $100,000 at 1 percent through the Livingston County Development Corporation’s Revolving Loan Fund; 

• One year membership to the New York State Brewers Association; and
• Complimentary CPA tax assistance from accounting firm EFPR Group.

Alternate funding sources are being pursued for three additional winners, including: Amber Lantern Brewing Co. in Geneseo, Dublin Corners Farm Brewery in York, and Horns & Halos Craft Brewing in Caledonia.
Additionally, all seven winners will receive the following services from local businesses:  Technical and marketing assistance through Livingston County Development, the Livingston County Chamber of Commerce and the Small Business Development Center; 


• Discounted payroll and administrative services from Complete Payroll;

• Complimentary headshot session with the purchase of a small business package from Hudson Street Studios;
• Complimentary award-winning logo design with branding package purchase from Novus Be Known;
• One trademark clearance search for one mark from Tracy Jong Law Firm; and
• One-year free subscription from Tracy Jong Law Firm to Boot Legger Journals.

"By cutting red tape, lowering costs, and providing more opportunities for businesses to grow, New York has helped foster a booming craft beverage industry that is creating jobs, boosting tourism and supporting our local farms, along with producing some of the world's best beer, wine, cider and spirits," Cuomo said.  

"Our investments continue to spur economic development in communities across the state, and with the creation of a new craft beverage trail, the Finger Lakes will attract even more visitors to experience all that the region has to offer," he said.

Winners were selected with input from Livingston County Economic Development, the Livingston County Area Chamber of Commerce, the Small Business Development Center, and Business Coaches Jeff and Mike Fitch who facilitated the Business Boot Camp course.

 A recommendation was ultimately approved by the Board of Directors of the Livingston County Development Corp.

New York Invests in Western New York Cheese Enterprise

From Empire Farm & Dairy

By JIM KRENCIK

LINWOOD — New York is investing $2 million into WNY Cheese Enterprise, the latest development by a collaborative of eight Wyoming and Livingston County dairy farms, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Dec. 23.
 
The Empire State Development-backed funding comes from $1.3 million taken out of the half-billion Upstate Revitalization Initiative Capital Grant program, and $700,000 in Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits tied to the 30 new jobs expected from the business.
 
“Agribusiness is a crucial part of the Upstate New York economy and this new manufacturing facility and the innovative collaboration it will house, will be a big boost to area dairy farmers looking to grow their businesses and create jobs,” said ESD President and CEO Howard Zemsky in announcing the award.
 
The $49.7 million production facility is a partnership between Craig’s Station Creamery, Dairy Farmers of America and Arla Foods. It will be located near the nexus of Livingston, Wyoming and Genesee counties at Noblehurst Farms, where the Craig’s Station Creamery opened in 2014.
 
Craig’s Station Ventures partner Chris Noble said the new 30,000-square foot facility broke ground just south of the creamery facility in August, and will hopefully be making Cheddar cheese by the end of 2017.
Member farms, with the support of DFA — a national dairy cooperative; and Arla Foods — an international dairy cooperative; are making their first foray into finished products after teaming on raw milk and dairy components.
 
“The last few years have been prolific from our dairies, we geared up to meet the needs (of the yogurt industry),” said Noble, Vice President of Noblehurst Farms. “Some of those needs haven’t materialized, so we were left with an oversupply of milk and an interest in having a facility to drive more production.”
 
Why Cheddar?
 
It’s the most consumed cheese in America, Noble said. They expect to produce 15 million pounds of cheese annually from 16 million pounds of raw milk by member farms, which will then be processed in the DFA-operated facility and sold to the retail market by Arla Foods.
 
“We have a tremendous opportunity to not only positively impact the dairy farmers in this area, but also the local community,” said Brian Paris, the general manager of Craig’s Station Creamery.
 
Arla USA CEO Donald Stohrer, Jr. said his company, which has a 20 percent stake in the venture — DFA has a majority stake, with the farms holding the rest — sees the project aligning with customer needs.
 
“(The product will be a) great-tasting, clean label product from a trusted, sustainable and traceable source,” Stohrer said. “Today’s mom has a lot to worry about in her daily life. By providing her with the Cheddar cheese produced through our partnership with DFA, we give her one less thing to fret about, thus making her life just a little bit easier.”
 
A $560,000 Community Development Block Grant from the state was also awarded to support the project. Large scale projects are viable because of good partnerships like these, Livingston County Board of Supervisors Chairman Eric Gott said as part of a chorus of local officials praising the investment.
 
“We are thrilled to add WNY Cheese Enterprise to the growing lineup of food production businesses in Livingston County,” said Livingston County Industrial Development Agency Executive Director Bill Bacon. “The project builds on our strengths in agriculture through milk quality, workforce in food production and central proximity to major markets in the Northeast.”
 
For DFA and Craig’s Station, the creamery has been a success in a market that faces challenges, from a yogurt boom that busted at Mueller Quaker Dairy to Canadian protectionism measures and low commodity prices. WNY Cheese Enterprise is a big project, but it’s fueled by clear goals.
 
“The main drivers for this project are even stronger today than they were over two years ago when we opened the Creamery,” Noble said. “Consumers want to know who produces their food, and they want to know that it was produced in a sustainable way. We thought the timing was right to bring that same message into a high-quality Cheddar cheese.”

Western New York Farm Wins Sustainability Award

News from the American Dairy Association and Dairy Council:

Seen holding the award is Chris Noble with his wife Jennifer, family members Rob and Terri Noble (far left), and Sustainability Award host Phil Lempert

The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy has recognized Noblehurst Farms Inc. in Linwood, Livingston County, with an award for Outstanding Achievement in Community Partnerships as part of the organization’s fifth annual U.S. Dairy Sustainability Awards. 

The awards program recognizes dairy farms, businesses and partnerships whose sustainable practices positively impact the health and well-being of consumers, communities, animals and the environment.

Noblehurst Farms was recognized with the community partnership award for its food waste cooperative, which was created by Chris Noble. Noble represents the seventh generation of leadership at Noblehurst Farms, where he holds the title of vice president. 

Noble had the vision to do the right thing with food waste by getting it out of landfills and back into the system. Through the cooperative, food waste and scraps from Wegmans Food Markets stores, as well as universities and schools, are gathered and delivered to a digester at the dairy farm that harvests methane gas from the food scraps and manure to create electricity, liquid fertilizer for crops, and dry materials that can be used for animal bedding. 

The collaborative effort not only keeps tons of food waste out of landfills, but also provides enough energy to power the entire dairy. 

“We started collecting food waste from six Wegmans grocery stores a little more than two years ago,” Noble said. “While Wegmans does a simply phenomenal job with its food donation program, in the end, there’s still food that can’t be eaten by people – things like melon rinds or orange peels. That’s where we come in.

"Currently we’re taking in food waste from more than 30 Wegmans stores throughout Western and Central Through its food scraps collection affiliate Natural Upcyling, Noblehurst Farms and its food waste recycling partners divert 500 tons of waste from local landfills per month, eliminating 409 tons of carbon dioxide emissions, the equivalent of taking 1,046 cars off the road.

“We truly value our partnership with Noblehurst and all the benefits it offers to everyone involved and throughout the community," said Jason Wadsworth, Wegmans sustainability manager. "The process is easier, safer and more efficient for our people, it reduces carbon emissions generated by landfills, helps farmers in our community achieve their sustainability goals, and creates a whole new business model for farmers and food waste haulers, adding jobs to our region."

“This is the very definition of sustainability and a project that the whole community can feel good about,” Wadsworth said.

“This year’s honorees have truly integrated sustainability into their businesses to achieve not only economic success, but also to support the well-being of their communities and our planet,” said Barbara O’Brien, president of the Innovation Center. “Their achievements throughout the value chain, both large and small,
significantly advance the dairy community’s leadership in sustainable business practices.”

For more information about Noblehurst Farms, visit www.linwoodag.com/noblehurst.html. 

To learn more about the U.S. Dairy Sustainability Awards, the winners and the best practices in place at their operations, The Innovation Center, established under the leadership of dairy farmers, aligns the collective resources of the industry to offer consumers nutritious dairy products and ingredients, and promote the health of people, communities, the planet and the industry.

American Dairy Association North East promotes dairy and its nutritional benefits to 50 million consumers within a six-state region including New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, the District of Columbia and four counties in northern Virginia. 

Established in March 2016, through the consolidation of
American Dairy Association and Dairy Council Inc., Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association and Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program, the organization represents the collective power of more than 13,500 dairy farm families to market their products in an increasingly competitive marketplace.