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2007 AgSTAR National Conference
Thomas Foegen and Alexis Klassen, the Chief Financial Officer and Project Coordinator respectively, at Byrne & Company Limited, recently attended the 2007 AgSTAR National Conference.
Sacramento, CA – The 2007 AgSTAR National Conference was held on November 27th through November 28th in Sacramento, California. The event was held at the Sacramento Convention Center in downtown Sacramento. This year’s conference is thought to be the largest AgSTAR Conference to date; attracting nearly 30 exhibitors in the tradeshow and over 25 speakers throughout the two day event.
The AgSTAR National Conference is the result of the continuous education and promotion efforts by the AgSTAR Program. The program is a joint voluntary effort between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Department of Energy. The focus of the AgSTAR program is to advance the development and usage of methane recovery (biogas) technology; specifically on confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs). Methane recovery is increasingly appealing to livestock producers as outside pressures increase: manure management issues, odor issues, environmental issues, economic issues, and continually rising utility costs.
The event commenced with a keynote address by Susan J. Brown, a special advisor to the Vice Chair, and James D. Boyd, of the California Energy Commission. Brown focused on California’s current energy outlook and how methane recovery plays into the State’s energy future. Later in the day, Susan Tikalsky, of Resource Strategies, Inc. of Madison, Wisconsin, presented her findings of a study of 64 farm operations. The farms were in the process of developing methane recovery projects and applying for grants. Tikalsky discussed the top concerns and challenges that these farmers faced and how they varied by state, as well as the outcome of the project. Out of the 64 farm projects that were surveyed – 14% were discontinued, 44% were delayed, and 42% were developed.
Through the remainder of Tuesday, attendees heard from individuals from Western United Dairymen, the New York State Soil and Water Conservation Committee, USDA Rural Development, three carbon credit trading companies, investment bankers, farmers, project developers, and researchers. The diversity of presenters addressed all angles of methane recovery, and attendees were able to gather valuable insight from professionals of all trades. An exhibit and poster session reception concluded day one of the conference.
The second day of the conference conveyed the experiences of four anaerobic digester operators throughout the U.S. – Nebraska, Minnesota, and two from California. These operators discussed the development of the digesters, the challenges, and the exceedingly positive impact these digesters have had on the farms overall performance.
The second day concluded with an introduction to two anaerobic digester projects, which were part of an optional tour for conference attendees. Deanne Meyer, a PH.D in the Department of Animal Science at the University of California-Davis, presented the overview in addition to introducing some of her academic research experiences on one of the farms. Castelanelli Brothers Dairy, in Lodi, California and Cal-Denier Dairy, in Galt, California were the two stops on the tour. Tour participants were able to hear from owners at both dairy operations, as well as hear from the company who developed and constructed the digesters. The staff at Byrne & Company can assist with feasibility studies, project development, project management, business plans, and grant writing assistance, to assure that your methane digester project is a success.
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