Project Description
Middlebury College will continue to reduce its carbon footprint thanks to an innovative partnership with Goodrich Family Farm in Salisbury, Vermont, Vanguard Renewables of Wellesley, Massachusetts, and VGS. Vanguard Renewables owns and operates the Farm Powered Anaerobic Digestion facility at Goodrich Family Farm where cow manure and food and beverage waste are combined to produce Renewable Natural Gas (RNG). The Goodrich Family Farm is a generational dairy farm with 900 milking cows and is a member of the Agri-Mark Cabot Creamery Cooperative.
Much of the renewable natural gas produced by the Goodrich Farm digester travels by pipeline to Middlebury College’s main power plant. Middlebury has agreed to purchase the bulk of the facility’s output as part of Middlebury’s Energy2028, a 10-year commitment to shift completely to renewable energy to power its central campus.
We are constantly looking for ways to make our energy sources sustainable and diverse. The digester project is a great opportunity to further decrease our use of carbon-based fuels.
— David Provost, executive vice president finance and administration, Middlebury College
The Farm Powered project at Goodrich Farm does more than produce renewable natural gas. The project features an extensive phosphorus removal system to protect the Otter Creek Watershed which feeds into Lake Champlain. Additionally, the facility will generate high quality, low carbon liquid fertilizer that will reduce the farm’s reliance on synthetic, chemical fertilizers. The farm will also benefit with reduced greenhouse gas emissions, animal bedding, and an annual lease payment for hosting the anaerobic digester facility.
FARM FACTS
- Generational Vermont dairy farm
Located in Salisbury, Vermont
Owned and operated by the Goodrich family
900 milking cows on site
1750 acres of hay
650 acres of corn
DIGESTER FACTS
Two 660,000-gallon capacity tanks
Phosphorus management system
Hydrolyzer
FARM BENEFITS
Income diversification via annual lease payment for land use
Liquid, low-carbon fertilizer to increase crop yields and reduce chemical fertilizer use
Separated solids for animal bedding
Phosphorus reduction to protect sensitive watershed area
Reduced GHG emissions
Annual Digester Input
Annual Digester Output
RNG and Electricity
Gas produced by the Farm Powered anaerobic digester will travel by pipeline to Middlebury College’s main power plant. Middlebury has agreed to purchase the bulk of the facility’s output as part of Middlebury’s Energy2028, a 10-year commitment to shift completely to renewable energy to power its central campus.
Goodrich Farm in the News
Farm-Based Food Waste Repurposing Provides a Pathway to a Healthier Planet
The pandemic has forced us, as a nation, to focus on the issues of environmental and personal health. How food is manufactured and how it is disposed of turns out to have direct and significant impact on both the personal health of the American Consumer as well as on our environment.
Farm-Based Food Waste Repurposing is Good for Vermont and for the Planet
The remarkable thing about food waste is that it can become either a dangerous greenhouse gas or an incredible ingredient to produce renewable energy and low carbon fertilizer. The deciding factor is based entirely on how we dispose of it.
Sustainable Brews Are More Than a Tasty Beverage
There’s nothing like a frosty glass of delicious beer. But, the process of making that refreshing libation generates a good amount of waste and wastewater. Craft brewers are increasingly turning toward sustainable solutions, including reducing their water and energy consumption, so they can do better by the environment.
Cutting Greenhouse Gases From Food Production Is Urgent, Scientists Say
Rising greenhouse gas emissions from worldwide food production will make it extremely difficult to limit global warming to the targets set in the Paris climate agreement, even if emissions from fossil-fuel burning were halted immediately, scientists reported Thursday.