SYRACUSE, N.Y. — New York State and the US dairy industry have established climate goals that will require a reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with a specific focus on methane reduction by 2050. Recent NYS legislation requires large producers of food waste to divert disposal in landfills to recycling or use as feed. The use of manure anaerobic digestion (AD) and food waste co-digestion are meaningful ways to reduce methane emissions, while also producing renewable energy to offset fossil fuel GHG, and recycling nutrients. Markets for AD energy, especially renewable natural gas (RNG), are being established through other state fuel standard programs and climate strategies. It is critical that farmers have the information they need to better assess the opportunity to participate in co-digestion as a new business enterprise with an estimated potential revenue of $600 million per year. This project, led by Lauren Ray at Cornell University, will provide an economic feasibility analysis of the co-digestion enterprise, including required food waste tipping fees and RNG pricing, for 3 system sizes.
The New York Farm Viability Institute runs a competitive grant program that seeks to create and share knowledge. This project is one of 17 that were funded in our most recent grant round. To learn more about the organization and other work it has supported, please visit www.nyfvi.org.
–New York Farm Viability Institute