Editorial

Vermont needs more cows

The Maxwells’ Neighborhood Farm in Coventry is putting in a methane digester.  With 1,000 cows, the farm will be able to produce enough electricity for about 200 homes.

That means it takes five cows to make enough electricity for an average home.

It will reduce greenhouse gases and bedding costs for the farm.  It will save sawdust for other uses such as wood pellets or chips for heat. The liquid fertilizer will have just as many nutrients as it ever had, but it will smell better.

With about half the cost of $1.5-million covered by grants, the project is likely to pay for itself in five years.

This altogether seems like such a great idea for everyone involved that every farm ought to have one. Some priority should be given to making these systems cost effective for smaller farms.

With 142,000 cows in Vermont right now, if all that methane was harnessed we could make enough electricity for 28,400 average homes.  Vermont has a population of about 600,000 people and about 240,000 housing units.

So more cows are what we really need in Vermont.  With the possibility of a more stable income for farmers, Vermont could conceivably reverse the recent downward spiral of farm numbers.

Wouldn’t that be a bright vision for the future? — B.M.D.