Project Description
Jordan Dairy Farms, Rutland, Mass.
Jordan Dairy Farms in Rutland, Massachusetts, founded in 1885, has been operated by the Jordan family for six generations. The farm is a member of Dairy Farmers of America (DFA). Operated by brothers Randy and Brian Jordan, the farm has survived despite an extraordinary decline in dairy farm numbers across Massachusetts.
Prior to becoming a part of the Vanguard Renewables partnership, Jordan Dairy Farm’s monthly electric cost alone was more than $2,400. Partnering with Vanguard on the Farm Powered anaerobic digester project, the farm now receives low-cost energy, hot water, and heat for reuse.
Nearly 22,000 tons of food waste and beverage waste is collected annually from food processors and users is combined with more than 9,000 tons of manure a year from the farm in a 500,000-gallon digestion tank. Manure and food waste are mixed and microorganisms convert sugars, fats, and other compounds into biogas annually producing more than 4,200 MWh of renewable energy and odor-free, low-carbon, liquid fertilizer to enhance soil health and increase crop yields. The anaerobic digester has revolutionized how the farm gets power, while fitting seamlessly into this quintessential New England dairy farm.
FARM FACTS
- 950-acre dairy farm
- 800 Holstein cows/300 milked 3X daily
- 700 Hybrid Double Breasted White Turkeys
- Founded in early 1885
- Located in the Rutland, Mass.
- Member of Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) Cooperative
DIGESTER FACTS
- Built 2011, expanded 2016
- 500,000-gallon capacity
FARM BENEFITS
- Income diversification
- Low carbon fertilizer to increase crop yields and protect area soils
- Odor reduction
- Reduction in chemical fertilizer use
- Enhanced nutrient management plan
- Heat reuse
Annual Digester Input
Annual Digester Output
Provides energy via net metering credits to area businesses including Polar Beverages and Wachusett Brewing Company
Jordan Dairy Farms 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.