The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Rural Development (RD) USDA Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grant assisted the Brubaker Farms a diary and green energy producer in Mount Joy, PA on April 19, 2011 with an Methane Anaerobic Digester. The family farm owned by Luke, Mike and Tony Brubaker has approximately 850 cows and 700 young stock, producing 20,200,000 pounds of milk last year. It has 13 full-time employees and more than 1,500 acres of farmland. The digester can handle more than 41,859 metric tons of organic waste, to capture methane that powers a low emission generator producing 210 kWh that powers the digester and farm operations. Excess power is sold to the local power grid, allowing the community to benefit from a green energy source. After producing methane, effluent from the digester is pressed to separate liquid and solid materials. The farm uses the liquids in fertilizer; and solids become the cows’ bedding for Brubaker and other local farms, that is cleaner than sawdust. Mount Joy residents can enjoy the fact that the process removes 90% of the odor from the cow manure. The methane itself is odorless and colorless. The system can accept an additional 2,600 gallons of food waste per day from local sources that would otherwise dispose of it in a local landfill. Additionally, their nutrient credits can be sold to the local municipality to help it to meet federal requirements and to keep sewer bills from rising. These provide additional revenue for the farm, and environmentally friendly community partnerships. USDA Multimedia by Lance Cheung.

00:00 Text: United States Department of Agriculture

00:06 Text: Brubaker Farms, Mount Joy, PA Music: Banjo, fiddle and drums playing country music. Photo: Far away farm in distance with an overcast sky.

00:11 Text: Dairy and Energy Producer Music: Banjo, fiddle and drums playing country music. Photo: Large dairy farm buildings fills width of image, with farm field in foreground, and overcast sky above it.

00:15 Text: Multiple Green Revenues Music: Banjo, fiddle and drums playing country music. Photo: Entire length of a free stall barn with overcast sky above it.

00:19 Text: Methane Digester Music: Banjo, fiddle and drums playing country music. Photo: Ends of two free stall barns and two smaller buildings and the black rubber covered tank partially exposed above a grass area near buildings.

00:23 Text: 850 cows producing more than 20 million pounds of milk per year. Music: Banjo, fiddle and drums playing country music. Photo: Inside of free stall barn showing frame work above and heifers (black and white dairy cows) filling the free stall area below, except for a driveway in the middle.

00: 27 Text: 13 Full-time employees. Music: Banjo, fiddle and drums playing country music. Photo: Inside a free stall barn showing heifers with heads through open stalls facing the center driveway, eating feed on the floor. A tractor is seen at the far end of the barn.

00:31 Mike Brubaker: “Mike Brubaker, Brubaker Farms” Photo: Close up of the nose of a cow peering at camera from between fence bars.

00:33 Mike Brubaker: “Currently I am standing in front of our… Text: Co-owner Mike Brubaker Video: Mike Brubaker standing on gravel road between barn and methane digester generator building.

00:36 Mike Brubaker: “… methane digester project. And…” Photo: Mike Brubaker standing on the black rubber covering of the methane digester vessel (a portion of the approximately two foot high circular wall, more than 30 feet in diameter, and partially buried structure is seen).

00:40 Mike Brubaker: “…to my left, right here, are some reception pits under the concrete cap, with some pumps that feed… Video: Mike Brubaker standing on gravel road between barn and methane digester generator building and underground reception pits with exposed pumps. He uses his left arm to indicate the pits.

00:45 Mike Brubaker: “…the digester unit…” Video: Time-lapse video of digester with overcast skies moving quickly above it.

00:47 Mike Brubaker: “…over there with the black cover on it…” Photo: Closer view of digester cover with overcast skies above it.

00:49 Mike Brubaker: “And then directly behind me is the engine building…” Video: Mike Brubaker standing on gravel road between barn and methane digester generator building and underground reception pits with exposed pumps. He uses his left arm to indicate the building.

00:52 Mike Brubaker: “…that has an engine in it that is running all the time…” Text: Father and co-owner Luke Brubaker Photo: Luke Brubaker sitting on bench in front of methane powered engine and electrical generator.

00:55 Mike Brubaker: “…from the methane coming out of the digester vessel. Photo: Red banner on wall …”COW POWER”

01:00 Mike Brubaker: “We are generating electric all the time, 24/7. And currently, we been producing about 210 kilowatts per hour, 24/7” Photo: Close up view of generator and portion of engine connected to it.

01:11 Mike Brubaker: “A portion of that, we use. But, then a majority of it goes…” Photo: Row of cows eating feed in the barn.

01:15 Mike Brubaker: “…right out to the grid. It’s hooked up to the utility company’s grid through the transformers on the telephone pole” Photo: Digester project area with utility pole.

01:20 Mike Brubaker: “So we are selling. Selling all excess to the utility company. We are making the equivalent of enough electric...” Video: Mike Brubaker standing on gravel road between barn and methane digester generator building and underground reception pits with exposed pumps. He uses his right arm to indicate the utility pole.

01:27 Mike Brubaker: “to supply 200 houses with electric, all the time. So we are making our neighbors happy by supplying them with green renewable electric.” Photo: View of top of digester cover, with row of homes at edge of farm field.

01:40 Mike Brubaker: “Aside benefit of methane digestion is not only that we’re producing methane, which is a fuel to make electric; the effluent coming out of the digester has lost 90% of it’s odor.” Video: Mike Brubaker standing on gravel road between barn and methane digester generator building.

01:55 Mike Brubaker: “So when we apply the nutrient liquid portion to…” Photo: View farm with green fields, silos, and free stall barn.

02:00 Mike Brubaker: “…the fields around us and close to the houses, maybe next to their back yards.” Photo: View of neighboring homes along edge of farm fields.

02:04 Mike Brubaker: “The odor has been drastically reduced. It can help keep our neighbors happy. It's a good public relations thing” Photo: Luke Brubaker hand feeding some cows in the barn.

02:10 Mike Brubaker: “...to lower manure.” Photo: Local brick house on hillside, in a wooded area.

02:17 Photo: Side of barn.

02:20 Text 20110419-RD-LSC-0910 USDA Multimedia by Lance Cheung. Music "Campfire" by Apple

02:24 USDA Logo