Jacks PAEP reflection

Jack Baglivi
Ethics and the Environment
Rob Williams
12/3/13

           Prior to this PAEP project I knew nothing of Cow Power, in fact i was unaware that technology such as the "digester" could produce the incredible amount of energy that it does. Looking back, i wish i could have made the trip out to Audets Blue Spruce Farm, i think it would have been a great learning experience. Although the Cow Power movie served as a great substitution for the trip as I learned everything i needed to know from the movie as well as their very informative website. Farms in general produce a lot more pollution than you would think, mostly from the livestock. Manure can either pollute nearby water sources or the very air we breathe. Audet`s Farm reduces most of the pollution that normal dairy farms would produce by using the manure to power not only the farm but local homes and businesses.

            In 1958 Norman and Mary Rose Audet purchased the farm and ambitiously went onto expand the size and productivity of the farm. Until 1970 when their barn caught fire, destroying the barn and milking system. Luckily the eighty cows were saved and the fire turned out to be a minor setback for the ambitious Norman Audet. As the years went on, the focus turned to the cows well being as well, installing thermostats and rubber matting into the barns. Gradually the herd increased as multiple barns were constructed, allowing them to produce more milk, and energy! Today Audet`s farm milks around 1300 cows, that`s a lot of manure.
         
            First and foremost, the farm is intended to produce a steady flow of income which is why they milk such a large number of cows multiple times a day. But the price of milk is always fluctuating up and down so there is no telling how much money they`ll make. Even with that to in mind, the Blue Spruce Farm really stresses their policy of the fair treatment of livestock. Audet`s cows are treated like kings in comparison with other dairy farms that aren't fortunate enough to have a digestor to power their farm. Which is because this modern technology that Audet`s employs such as the digestor, wind turbine, rubber scrappers, and thermostat controlled barns are not attainable on a normal dairy farm budget. Fortunately, for Audet`s the digester produces more than enough energy for not only the farm but the surrounding area as well.

            The Bio-digester is what makes Cow Power possible, without a digester to produce methane gas, there would be no way of affording so many cows and the technology that keeps them comfortable. The digester is a sixteen foot deep insulated tank that simulates the same process that a stomach undergoes. The manure is collected by a squeegee that runs along the barn floor, the waste is then pumped into the digester where it turns into a gas. The temperature inside the digester is regulated through a hydraulic system using hot water, which keeps it at the very same temperature as a cows stomach, 102 degrees Fahrenheit. The gas is collected at the top of the pit where it is sucked through a pipe in order to power the engine that drives the generator. This generator makes it possible to produce hot water and electricity, the excess power runs through the utilities grid where it goes onto powering other homes. Using the digester, Blue Spruce Farm produced 1M- kilowatt hours within the first year. I think its really great that a dairy farm can give back to the local area in more ways than one.

            This PAEP project turned out to be a great experience that opened my eyes to the fact that even a simple dairy farm with a modest past can be a tremendous advocate for sustainability and community. When our group first chose Audet`s farm for our project I didn`t realize that they had such a huge impact on the local area, selling clean energy to thousands of homes and businesses. However, after reading their website and watching the movie I understood the positive effects of their family farm. Audet`s farm should be a model for other farms and businesses to follow, as they seem to be doing everything with the environment in mind.