Goodrich Family Farm in Salisbury, Vermont, is getting the most out of its manure by turning it into renewable natural gas, thanks to a partnership with VGS (Vermont Gas Systems), Vanguard Renewables and Middlebury College.
The multigenerational farm, operated by siblings Chase and Danielle Goodrich, is one of only three farms in the country to receive a 2021 U.S. Dairy Sustainability Award for Outstanding Dairy Farm Sustainability from the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy.
The award recognizes the unique project that takes biogas from manure and food waste and converts it to pipeline-quality gas for use by Middlebury College and VGS’s customers. This project is the first to sell RNG to end customers and is bringing diversity to the industry by developing markets for RNG, according to VGS. With a 1.32 million-gallon anaerobic digester put into operation last year, the farm can produce 180,000 Mcf of RNG annually.
RNG produced at the farm travels by pipeline to Middlebury College’s main power plant and supplies about half of the college’s energy needs for heating and cooling. Massachusetts-based Vanguard Renewables built, owns and operates the digester. —Carolyn Kimmel