The Farm Manure-to-Energy Initiative was launched in 2012 to demonstrate and objectively evaluate manure-based energy systems operating on several private farms in the Chesapeake Bay region. As a collaborative multi-state effort, the Initiative included farmers in Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland, with project management and support from foundations, nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, government agencies, and private businesses. Over the course of four years, thermal manure-based energy systems were developed and installed on five farms, and each was assessed for its technical, environmental, and financial performance.



Results

I love the concept of sustainability that works in an actual farm environment, where we can take a product, add more value to it, and everybody wins in this situation. Ultimately, it's good for the environment if we can move some of these nutrients out of the watershed to where they are actually needed.

— Glenn Rodes, Riverhill Farm