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Imagine manure that doesn’t "turn off" neighbors’ noses and "turns on" utility savings. That’s exactly what producers learned about at the Jan. 29 Methane Digester Conference in Hillsdale, Mich.

With support from the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation (OFBF); Fulton, Henry and Williams county Farm Bureaus, Ohio State University; Purdue University; Michigan State University Extension and Michigan Farm Bureau invited producers from all over the country to the first Methane Digester Conference.

The conference outlined how the practice of on-farm methane digestion is regaining popularity as more farms look for ways to improve environmental quality and add value to their products. An addition to a producer’s manure handling system, methane digesters remove methane gas from manure for the on-farm production of electricity and heat. As added benefits, the raw manure that remains is not as foul smelling and makes nutrients more readily available for farm application.

The lineup of conference speakers included federal, state and university experts as well as dairy farmers who shared their experiences and success using methane digesters. Additionally, information was provided on AgSTAR, a voluntary federal program that encourages the use of effective technologies to capture methane gas generated from the decomposition of animal waste, for use as a biogas energy source. Converting animal waste into an energy source, according to AgSTAR, can help agribusinesses increase bottom-line profits while meeting or exceeding environmental regulatory guidelines.

The conference also featured a small trade show by vendors and other organizations involved with on-farm methane digestion and a roundtable question-and-answer session.