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VOLUME XIV, NO. 9 |
TEXAS DAIRY REVIEW |
SEPTEMBER 2005 |
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Texas Dairy Review Party is Oct. 29
Sign-up for third herd retirement is Sept. 16 |
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Texas Dairy Review Party is Oct. 29 |
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This year’s Texas Dairy Review Appreciation Party will be on Sat., Oct. 29 at the Pub, 1450 W. Swan, Stephenville, Texas, beginning at 6 P.M. The party is being held after Texas Ag Expo ends Saturday evening. Each year the Texas Dairy Review shows its appreciation for the many advertisers and dairy producers who have supported this publication for the past 14 years by hosting a party that includes food, dancing, beverages, and entertainment. Held in conjunction with what is familiarly known as the “Farm Show” but is now Texas Ag Expo, the party has been moved from its regular September date to the new October date to accommodate exhibitors and our vendor customers at the show. The TDR Party has become a dairy tradition in Erath County and will continue to be for years to come. We invite all dairy producers, exhibitors at Texas Ag Expo, and our advertisers to come share in the fun. It’s the one night out of the year that dairymen and vendors can mix, mingle and have a good time. We’re looking forward to your attendance. Texas Ag Expo exhibitors should wear their name tag from the show. Valid identification will be required at the door for all attendees. |
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Anaerobic digester project results in 80% phosphorus reduction in water |
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Phosphorus loadings in the Bosque River are a major issue among environmentalists, concerned citizens, and especially the City of Waco located downstream from dairies operating in the watershed. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) requires producers to operate under best management practices and enforces stringent regulations. But, environmental concerns have spiraled in the past few years, prompting state agencies and agriculture experts to find ways to reduce the content of phosphorus loadings. Three years ago, the Keith Broumley Dairy located in Hico, Texas, was selected to participate in the Anaerobic Digester Phosphorus Removal Project. The project was a coordinated effort initiated by several agricultural entities. All parties involved played significant roles in achieving a common goal that would produce an 80% phosphorus-reduction in water that is used to irrigate application fields. Although the construction portion is due to end in mid-September, Broumley said he is glad to have been part of an experiment that is helping to solve phosphorus-loading problems. “It’s been a long three years but worth the effort to achieve the phosphorus reduction and other benefits,” he said. A two year follow-up monitoring program is underway and will help optimize the system. Like other dairy operators located in the Bosque River watershed, Broumley has had his share of problems. He was one of 14 dairymen named in a lawsuit by the City of Waco in early 2004. Although he was released from the suit due to the digester project that had begun the year before, he is still concerned about the six dairies that remain in the lawsuit that alleges phosphorus from dairy cows is polluting Lake Waco, the city’s sole source of drinking water. Broumley said it is his hope that the digester project on his dairy offers a new and better way to address dairy waste and wastewater. “We’ve strived to capture phosphorus and also provide a source of energy that can have a positive impact on our bottom line.” The anaerobic digester is a unique and multi-purpose system. This particular system focuses primarily on purifying water to reduce phosphorus loadings into the river. It also provides electricity for the dairy of which the excess can be sold to outside utility companies. In addition, it reduces odor emissions. The digester system includes a static screen that separates solids and liquids that come from the dairy barn. Any materials greater than twenty-thousandths of an inch are routed to a compost management system that will later be used for barn bedding. The effluent is pumped into a large lagoon covered with a polyurethane tarp—referred to as a digester. The effluent is retained in the digester for 30 days, then sent through a series of other processes that includes a polishing pond, flush tanks, a recirculation pond, and an oxidation pond. The action of the aerators in the oxidation pond helps to add oxygen back to the effluent, which in turn, grows algae and consumes nutrients. The entire process removes phosphorus and several other nutrients in the water, ending up in sludge form that is dried and composted. The overall result is a targeted 80% reduction in phosphorus. The bio-gas trapped under the digester tarp provides fuel to a generator that produces electricity. Broumley said 75,000 gallons of water from the dairy intermittingly passes through the digester system each day. The Broumley Dairy is an all Jersey operation permitted for 990 cows. It is equipped with two free stall barns that house 400 cows each. The dairy is comfortably situated on 583 acres near the banks of the Bosque River that makes a picture-perfect setting. Broumley replaced his Holsteins with Jerseys after TB was detected a few years ago and he was forced to depopulate his herd. “I’ve got about 75% registered Jerseys, now. I went over to the Jerseys because of the component pricing in the area. But, I just like them better and they’re a whole lot prettier.” The family dairy includes Broumley’s wife, Dana, and his parents, Jim and Virgene, who helped him start the dairy in 1981. Broumley’s sons Justin, 21, and Dustin, 18, help him to oversee the daily dairy operations. The newest addition, 3-month-old Beau Ryan, is a fourth generation family member and the son of Justin and Hayley. “It’s a great place to raise kids,” Broumley said. On June 13 of this year, the Broumley family greeted more than 200 people who showed up at the dairy for a hands-on demonstration of the anaerobic digester. State representatives, environmental agencies and others shared in the success of the digester project. The project was a coordinated effort between Altria Corporation, Texas Farm Bureau, Brazos River Authority, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Services, Texas State and Soil Water Conservation Board, United Cooperative Services, and the U.S. Department of Energy. These and other agencies provided funding for the project. |
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Smells like natural gas ….Pangea to turn waste into fuel at new plant |
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Dairymen have always said that cow manure “smells like money.” While that may be an inside joke to some, Pangea Resources, LLC., based in Southlake, Texas, is thinking along the same lines but more in the form of natural gas which can ultimately provide a viable benefit to dairy producers in Erath and the Dallam - Hartley county areas. Mark Engeberg, senior vice president of the company, said Pangea plans to begin construction in early 2006 on its waste-to energy at Duffau, a small community located in the southern part of Erath County. The company recently signed long term contracts with eight dairies in the community that will help them manage and eliminate their manure. Additionally, Pangea has signed contracts with dairies and feedlots in the Dalhart area. In both cases, manure will be processed through Pangea’s anaerobic digesters to produce natural gas that will be sold to a local market. Ultimately, the collected manure from the dairies will help dairy and cattle producers to meet Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) as required by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) while decreasing waste and wastewater problems. “We’re pleased to provide a solution that helps both the dairymen and the environment, especially during a time when oil and gas prices are soaring,” Engeberg said. The Erath County facility is to be located at the old G&P Dairy on county road 209, originally owned by Pam and Gerald Oosten. The dairy site sold recently to Klaas Talsma of Frisia Farms who is negotiating the sale of a portion of property to Pangea. The Dalhart facility will be located east of Dalhart in the center of a rapidly growing dairy community and well-established cattle feeding industry. Pangea will collect the manure from the dairies and cattle operations, transport the material back to its facility, and process it through an anaerobic digester. The specialized digester is a closed-loop system with above ground storage tanks that eliminates nearly all emissions. The system will produce natural gas and 2-2-2 fertilizer. Phase two of the operation will include producing a synthetic diesel fuel. Engeberg said the idea for the facility was initiated after a study on state dairy and cattle operations showed a need for producers to eliminate their manure to meet state and federal regulations. Research facts showed approximately 150 dairies are operating in Erath, Hamilton, and Comanche counties. Together, these dairies have approximately 100,000 cows that produce an ample amount of manure per year. In the Dalhart area, there are feedlots that have a one capacity of over 300,000, head plus over 20,000 dairy cows. “The proposed Pangea waste-to-energy project appears to be a win-win effort for the entire watershed, community and state and should greatly aid dairymen and other parties in meeting the phosphorus load reductions targeted by the N. Bosque TMDL program,” said Dr. John Ellis, strategic planner for the Brazos River Authority. Pangea is the first of other companies who plan similar projects in Erath and Dallem Counties, and elsewhere. Ellis said two other firms are also actively investigating potential multi-million dollar investments in waste-to-energy projects in the region. “Norcon International and Microgy are examining possible production of ethanol and natural gas, respectively, from cattle manure and other waste products. Serious efforts are underway by both firms to obtain financing and the necessary permits to undertake such projects,” stated Ellis. “I look forward to the Pangea project and similar projects, being implemented in the area,” he added. Pangea will employ approximately 20 people at each site, an additional economic benefit to these areas. The company, organized in 2002, is a privately held New York corporation with offices in Southlake, Texas, whose board consists of investment bankers, real estate experts and scientists in the oil and gas fields. www.pangea-resources.com. |
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Sign-up for third herd retirement is Sept. 16 |
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This fall, a third herd retirement program, will be conducted by Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) with the expectation that there will be approximately 70,000 cows in this program to reach CWT’s goal of reducing future milk output by 1.9 billion pounds. CWT began accepting bids under this third herd retirement program on Mon., Aug. 15; all bids must be post marked by Fri., Sept. 16, to be considered. All dairy producers interested in submitting bids to sell their herds must be members of CWT, either through membership in a participating cooperative or as an independent member of CWT. Because this third herd retirement program is being funded for an 18-month period, the amount of milk those 70,000 cows would have produced is being calculated on an 18-month basis, rather than on a 12-month basis. This is the third year that CWT has conducted a herd retirement program. The first two programs reduced cow numbers by more than 83,000 head, representing reduced milk production equivalent to 1.6 billion pounds. In recent months, both milk cow numbers and milk production per cow have increased, which “doesn’t bode well for future milk prices,” said Jerry Kozak, president and CEO of national Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), which manages CWT. Estimated milk cows in June were up 34,000 head from a year earlier and up 64,000 from their low for this year, which was reached in Feb. “The CWT management committee, in looking at all of the economic indicators that we track, has decided that we need to proceed now to keep production from swamping demand and bringing prices down to unacceptably low levels,” Kozak continued. In its first herd retirement program, CWT accepted 299 of the 2,038 bids submitted, retiring 33,000 cows representing 608 million pounds of milk. Last year, it accepted 363 of the 736 bids submitted, retiring 50,478 dairy cows representing 908 million pounds of milk. CWT officials said that there have already been a number of inquiries from interested producers about a third round of bidding. “Despite the strengthened milk prices of the past few years, there are still many farmers who want to exit the business of dairy farming, and we know CWT offers a way for them to do so that benefits their fellow dairy producers and contributes to the health of the entire industry,” said Walt Wosje, CWT’s chief operating officer. Through the herd retirement program, if a farmer’s bid is accepted, CWT pays that farmer for the milk production value of his or her cows. The average bid accepted in the second retirement program was $5.24 per hundredweight of milk, with no bid accepted above $7.63 per hundredweight. The dairy farmer is responsible for selling the cows for slaughter, and keeps the proceeds from that transaction. In this third round, any producers who has his or her bid accepted in either of the past two rounds, and reentered the business, is not eligible to participate again. Also, those producers who have a financial interest in more than one farm must submit their milk production records for each of their dairy operations. As in the past, this third herd retirement program will operate under regional safeguard limits to guarantee that milk capacity reductions in any one region if the US do not negatively impact local milk supplies. The safeguard limits are strictest in the Northeast, Southeast, and Upper Midwest (which stretches as far as west as Iowa, Minnesota, and North and South Dakota), which are typically milk-deficit regions. In the second herd retirement program, about two-thirds of the cows that were retired came out of the two western regions, which are typically milk-surplus regions. The total milk volume represented by the production of those cows accounted for 70 percent of the total milk volume covered by the last herd retirement round. For more information in how to participate in CWT’s herd retirement program, visit www.cwt.coop. Call 888-463-6298. |
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Stet Corporation Taps Stephenville Dairy for Manure to Create Natural Green Insecticides and Soil Products |
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Stet Corporation, a Texas-based developer and manufacturer of natural green insecticides and soilproducts under the WisEarthT brand, announced they will be working with a major Stephenville, Texas, dairy as their first supplier of natural renewable resources. All of Stet Corporation’s insecticides and soil products are made with dairy waste manure. “Because of waste runoff and water quality issues, ConcentratedAnimal Feeding Operations (CAFO’s) face increasingly stringent federal and state regulations and state political pressures regarding the disposal of waste their animals produce,” said Dean Holz, CEO of Stet Corp. “By the nature of our product’s ingredients, Stet Corp has created a winning situation for the dairy farmers by removing a significant amount of manure from the watershed area to create our products.” Stet Corporation’s insecticides are the first and only to use the two natural compounds to produce a line of green, soft pesticides that also help the soil and plants. The WisEarthT suite of current products will be distributed by Organica Ideal, Innovative Sales, Enviro-Point, and STM Distribution, includes True StopT Fire Ant Killer, True Stop-T Whitefly Killer, True GrowthT Liquid Compost, and True GrowthT Root Stimulator. The products will be distributed in sizes from a quart to tanker loads. The company plans to add additional products this year. The insecticides utilize a technology that lasts just enough time to control the insect problem, and then degrades with sunlight, water and the soil. WisEarthT insecticide products are designed for Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs, which is one of the fastest growing movements in the world for controlling insecticides. www.stetcorp.com. |
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