Dairy farms have received major flack for their contributions to climate change, but one dairy farmer in northern California is taking major steps to reduce – and even reverse – his farm’s effect on the environment. Albert Straus’ methane-generated electricity solution turns cow waste into fuel for his entire dairy farm, including his brand-new full-scale electric feed truck.

Straus Family Creamery: A Beacon of Sustainable Dairy Farming

The global carbon footprint of animal agriculture is astronomical: the industry contributes one-fourth of the total global water footprint according to WaterFootprint.org, 19 percent of which comes entirely from dairy production. Compounded with the fact that the methane produced by dairy cows alone makes up two percent of the total anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions worldwide according to the FAO report “Greenhouse Gas Emissions From the Dairy Sector: A Life Cycle Assessment,” dairy production seems pretty far from being even remotely environmentally friendly.

But in California, where 25 percent of the state’s methane emissions come from the dairy industry, the Straus Family Creamery has long been looking for ways to offset the environmental cost of producing dairy.

Albert Straus is the second generation owner of the family farm, founded by his father in 1941. Following in the footsteps of his parents, who were committed to sustaining small family farms in the area, Straus took over the management of the farm in the 1970s and immediately beginning to implement innovative practices that would keep the farm sustainable: he converted to a no-till system, developed a manure wastewater pond system, and even transitioned the farm to organic.

“I’ve always looked at how to minimize the effect on the environment, help to revitalize rural communities, and help to make a sustainable farming system that farmers can profit from,” says Straus.

The Truck that Runs on Cow Poop

Straus’ newest sustainable farming brainchild is a semi-truck that runs entirely on electricity, a project he’s been mulling over for about eight years with the goal of allowing his dairy farm to transform the waste it produces into something useful.

The method to the methane madness is a biodigester capable of turning manure into clean energy and heat, a tool that the Creamery has been using since 2004. The $330,000 system includes an 80 kW generator, which produces about 28,800 kWh of clean electricity every month. The investment should pay for itself within the next few years and will eventually save the farm up to $50,000 in costs per year, especially now that all of the farm’s electricity comes from methane gas.

With Straus’ new idea, methane gas also replaces fossil fuel: Albert Straus and a local mechanic collaborated to convert a 33,000 pound International Harvester into an all-electric hauler about a month ago, closing the dairy farm production loop: the truck brings the feed to the cows that make the waste to fuel the truck… and on and on it goes.

“The idea is that the cows will be powering the truck that feeds them,” says Straus.

While this is an exciting innovation, Straus doesn’t have lofty goals about making a whole fleet (so Elon Musk has no need to worry about competition with Tesla’s forthcoming electric semi truck).

“The truck goes, like, a mile up the hill to feed the heifers, and it doesn’t need to go that far or that fast,” says Straus. “I wasn’t trying to make a solution that was going to work for everybody – I was just trying to make a solution that would work for us and other farms.”

The Future of Green Dairy Farming

But Straus won’t stop here. He has worked with the Marin Carbon Project to develop a 20-year plan to sequester 2,000 metric tons of carbon every year (80 percent of which will come from the methane digester), becoming the first dairy in the state to embrace an on-site carbon farming plan.

The dairy farm is also taking steps to restore carbon to the soil via several techniques including composting. A 2014 study from the University of California at Berkeley showed that if between a quarter-inch and a half-inch of compost were applied to just 5 percent of California’s rangelands, it would sequester 28 million tons of carbon from the atmosphere (equivalent to the annual emissions of 6 million cars – nearly half of the vehicles in the state).

Straus isn’t just applying these policies on his own farm or demonstrating sustainable farming practices to the eight other family farms that provide milk to the Creamery. He’s working on helping to build and operate methane digesters for other farmers, especially given the new law passed in California dictating that farmers must reduce their methane emissions by 40 percent by 2030. As a farmer himself, Straus is perfectly positioned to advocate for farmers in the development of this project, noting that they already have a hard enough time managing their farms without having to manage their energy resources as well: any solution must be simple to implement for it to be a success.

“What I’ve tried to do is create a sustainable organic farming model that is good for the earth, the soil, the animals, and the people working on these farms,” Straus told Tree Hugger.

The truck, in other words, is just one piece of a much greater sustainable dairy puzzle.

“It’s kind of part of a bigger picture,” says Straus. “I’m trying to show that organic family dairy farms are part of the solution to climate change through carbon farming, methane digesters, organic farming practices… and now closing the loop using electric vehicles and getting off the fossil fuel.”

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This miracle of modern science uses solar power to desalinate seawater and grow 15,000 tons of hydroponic tomatoes per year.

“Our concentrated solar tower produces both heat and electricity to maintain the perfect conditions inside the greenhouses to help the plants grow,” Sundrop Farms writes to Al Jazeera. “This heat is also used to desalinate one million liters of seawater a day; the fresh water produced is used to water the plants and cool the greenhouses.”

While no artificial gases are used to ripen the tomatoes, carbon dioxide levels are elevated in the glasshouses to boost crop production by about 30 percent, making this new farm one of the most productive ever.

“This is the future,” Sundrop Farms CEO Philipp Saumweber told The Australian. “Just as the green revolution of the’70s gave us bigger tractors, more seed varieties and better irrigation, I think the next giant leap forward in food production will be the sustainable intensification of farming – doing more with less inputs but on a bigger scale and with greater efficiency.”

Sundrop Farms’ cutting-edge hydroponic technology has been in development for years, but its brand-new 20-hectare complex will avoid about 26,000 tons of carbon dioxide a year — this would coincide with the removal of 500 cars from the roads — as well as the same amount of water as would be contained by 180 Olympic size swimming pools. The farm also saves two million liters of diesel a year and reduces use of pesticides typically applied to conventional produce.

“Sundrop Farm’s innovative protected cropping system utilizes saltwater to ‘scrub’ the air that flows into the company’s greenhouses, minimizing the need for pesticide application,” writes Ag Innovators. “Good” bugs are also introduced to the greenhouse to help control disease and other more serious pests.

Not only does this method allow the farm to save money, it also enables it to guarantee large quantities of fresh produce year-round at a fixed price. It’s no wonder that supermarket chain Coles signed a ten-year contract with Sundrop last year.

So what’s the bad news? The price. The technology took $200 million to install.

That said, the resulting farm has fewer operating costs than a traditional farm, making this technology the ideal choice for countries facing shortages in fresh water and energy supplies, like the harsh, arid area around Spencer Gulf where Sundrop is located, or even parts of the Middle East, Spain, Portugal, the U.S., and Africa.

“If you can farm successfully here, you can farm almost anywhere in the world,” says Saumweber of the rocky, arid area of Australia. “I’m no eco-warrior but I wanted to create a new business model for farming, based on a concept of doing more with less and growing in the most sustainable or restorative manner. This is what we have achieved.”

While the model has yet to be exported — and likely won’t be popping up anywhere with access to fresh water, given the expense — the development of such a program is a harbinger of things to come in the world of sustainable mass food production. And with experts from FAO estimating that there will be one-third more mouths to feed in 2050, this development couldn’t have come at a better time.

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Running a sustainable farm is no small task. Add working with your family to the mix and you’ve got a potential disaster on your hands. But luckily, the family who runs White Oak Pastures works well together. And all their hard work has paid off because White Oak is sustainable and successful (and the the family who helms the farm still loves each other).

To find out more about White Oak Pastures and how the farm has evolved, we interviewed Jenni Harris, White Oak‘s marketing manager, and Jodi Harris Benoit, the farm’s events coordinator and agritourism manager. Harris and Benoit filled us in on how they came back to work on the family farm and how the farm embraced sustainable farming.

EcoSalon: Tell us about how you both came back to work on the family farm.

Jenni Harris: I graduated from high school ready to move on for college. I had a wonderful time at Valdosta State and managed to graduate with only a few bumps and bruises. I wasn’t quite ready to move home, so I embarked for Atlanta, where I got a good and lasting taste of city life. My dad had a rule: before we could come back and work on the farm for him, we had to work for someone else for at least one year. After 365 days in Atlanta, I returned home with my resume. I have worked at our family business since June 2010.

Jodi Harris Benoit: I always knew I wanted to be close to home but never knew there would be a place for me on the farm until we started transitioning into what we are today. Once I saw what my father was doing, I could not wait to get back and see what my contribution to the farm would be. I graduated from VSU in 2012 and worked off of the farm for a year and a half. I started full time at White Oak Pastures in January of 2014.

EcoSalon: How has the farm changed since it was founded?

Jenni Harris: The farm started to transition in the mid ’90s, which would put me around 10 years old. Like most kids, I didn’t really pay attention to the ins and outs of operations, but I do remember our transition to certified organic. After years of chemical use and giving up on fertilizer “cold turkey,” the grass was brown, the cows were hungry, and dad stayed disappointed. It’s amazing how far a little rain and green grass will take your attitude. The one thing that hasn’t changed and never will is that the farm was established on respect. While the operations have evolved over the years, the heart for respecting the land and the animals has not.

EcoSalon: What sustainable farming practices do you use at your farm?

Jenni Harris: Our zero-waste production model includes making our own fertilizer from offal and bones, making biodiesel from fat, accessories from hides, pet treats, soap, and much more. No part or piece goes to waste but becomes the core of another product we are able to offer our customers.

EcoSalon: What concerns you most about modern farming practices?

Jodi Harris Benoit: The excesses. It seems that every day industrial agriculture is constantly fighting nature.

EcoSalon: Are there a lot of female farming networking opportunities where you live?

Jenni Harris: Yes, there are opportunities, and none of them are limited to men. I think women are still trying to find their place in the agriculture equation.

EcoSalon: Any issues working with family?

Jenni Harris: Every family has their issues, but I’m happy to report my family’s issues are manageable. Honestly, I love working with my family, and working at White Oak Pastures has changed my definition of what family really is. I feel like I have 114 brothers and sisters.

Jodi Harris Benoit: Like every family we have our moments, but I look forward to getting up every morning to spend time with my family at work. We make it fun! We also have 114 employees that gives White Oak Pastures that family feel. I always feel like someone has my back.

EcoSalon: Where do you want to see the farm in five years?

Jenni Harris: Continuing to diversify and coming up with better ways to use what we already have.

Jodi Harris Benoit: Still changing and diversifying. I would love for us to acquire more land to grow our own poultry feed, be settled into our new store in Bluffton, and build a lodge!

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All images by Angie Mosier

The post White Oak Pastures Embrace Sustainable Farming and Family Ties appeared first on EcoSalon.

Who said what, this week at EcoSalon.

“According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, there are 129,817 federally licensed firearms dealers in the United States. That’s more than three times the amount of grocery stores in the U.S. (36,569), meaning that simply factoring in the numbers, it’s easier to get a hold of a handgun than a bag of spinach.”

“100: Number of orgasms experienced per day by a New Jersey woman, who suffers from Persistent Genital Arousal Syndrome. The rare condition is apparently completely unrelated to one’s sex drive.”

“For a company that purports to support local farmers and small businesses, FreshDirect doesn’t seem to have much regard for the community in its own backyard.”

“Fear of what people will think of you. Fear of failing miserably and publicly. Fear of not being able to pull it off. I was petrified myself in 2008. I got a $200,000/year job offer two weeks before I was scheduled to move to Madrid, after I had quit my GE job and my family thought I was an IDIOT when I said no. I mean, they were really just disgusted with me. I said at the time, “I’ve been working in this field for eight years now. I made a lot of money. I saved. When do I earn permission to do what I want with my life? When does it end?”

“As we documented the day with black and white images, it looked so romantic and felt like a moment from a Willa Cather novel. But the reality behind the black and white is a sordid, ugly history. I can’t pretend that I didn’t think about those that did this work because they had no choice. But I live TODAY and I WANT to grow organic cotton in the state of Alabama TODAY.”

The post The Friday 5: Say What? (Again) Edition appeared first on EcoSalon.

The Green Plate is always combing the web to see what’s happening in the world of organic, sustainable, fair, and tasty food. From recipes, to food and agricultural policy, there are dozens of great sites that I depend on for my daily diet of information.

So here’s the Green Plate’s list of the best organic, smart, green, newsy, tasty, seasonal, sustainable food places on the web to share with you readers:

Group Blogs – Cooking:

Food 52 launched with a splash last fall by New York Times food writer and cookbook author, Amanda Hesser, and friend and fellow food writer Merrill Stubbs. It’s unlike any other site out there, in that instead of telling readers what to cook, it showcases the fine work of talented home cooks. It’s interactive, fun, well-designed, and full of tasty recipes. Readers can rate recipes and cookbooks, and from the recipes readers submit, founders are creating an online community cookbook and recipe database.

Started by New York food writer, Ed Levine, Serious Eats combines community, recipes, and food news into one of the most respected voices about food on the web. Though not explicitly green, the recipes and news on Serious Eats are about what’s current, and what people want to talk about, so there’s plenty that’s seasonal, veg centric, healthy, and well-sourced, right alongside articles on where to get the best burger in New York.

Culinate also has a strong community component along with recipes, news articles, cooking tips, interviews, recipes, podcasts, food news, and blog posts. It’s all about real food and is focused on an audience who cares where their food came from and how it was produced. The reporting and writing is always high quality.

The Kitchn, part of Apartmenttherapy.com, has writers across the country contributing recipes, product reviews, store spotlights, and news. There are also giveaways, cool kitchen tours and more, all served up with a strong editorial voice. The focus is on what people who care about good, real food are cooking and eating, so though not explicitly “green” there’s plenty there to chew on. And always great recipes and tips.

Group Blogs – News, policy, stories:

The New York Times Diners Journal blog features the work of many of the Time’s best thinkers on food issues, including Mark Bittman. You’ll find New York-centric news but also plenty about what’s going on all over the country trend-wise, plus Bittman’s tasty, simple, seasonal, veg-centric recipes.

Cooking Up a Story is an online television series (and blog) about people, food, and sustainable living. The videos spotlight farmers, artisan food producers, and other individuals who are bringing sustainable food to our tables. Many are unsung heroes and all are fascinating and inspiring.

Civil Eats is a blog with contributors around the country (full disclosure: I am one of them). You’ll find interviews with food activists and farmers, book reviews, recipes, gardening and farming tips, policy discussions, and all kinds of news. Many contributors are activists and movers and shakers in the world of sustainable fair food, so this is info from the front lines.

Sustainable Table is also home to The Meatrix and the Eat Well guide and it focuses on educating consumers on food related issues and building community through food. You’ll find shopping guides, recipes, and more on this invaluable site.

The Food Section of activist hub Change.org dishes up thought-provoking news on the issues that affect our food system. You’ll find articles skewering corporate misdeeds and great reporting on policy developments – plenty to chew on.

EcoCentric is the new home that combines Sustainable Table, Eat Well Guide, Daily Table, The Green Fork, H20 Conserve, and Network for New Energy Choices to cover the intersections between sustainable food, water, and energy. It’s a smart choice since food, water, and energy are all essential for our survival. The reporting is wide-ranging and interesting.

It’s no surprise that the Big Daddy of green blogs, Grist.org would be one of the most definitive food voices on the web. It’s been my first stop for years. The reporting goes beyond parroting and digs into the issues. With top-notch writers like Tom Philpott, Tom Laskawy, Bonnie Powell, and Paula Crossfield (also managing editor of Civil Eats), this should be the first place you go for policy news, stories from around the country, and the exposure of hypocrisy in high places of all sorts.

Speaking of Bonnie Powell, the blog she founded, The Ethicurean, is a must read for curated news from around the web, as it offers well-researched, original feature articles, and stories about cooking and farming.

Combining cooking and policy news, the The Atlantic’s Food Channel is all about smart food journalism.

With the gossipy, tabloid tone of the rest of the Daily Beast, Hungry Beast is a fun, but not-always-feather-light destination for news about food, recipes, and features.

Individual Blogs – Cooking:

Uber-blogger Elise Bauer of Simply Recipes migrated from the tech world to become one of the first full-time food bloggers. Her site is one of the web’s best treasure troves of home cooking.

Another early entry into the world of food blogs, 101 Cookbooks, is at the top of every blogger’s blog roll. Created by technological and media 2.0 whiz, Heidi Swanson, who is also a cookbook author and professional photographer, 101 Cookbooks is one of the most beautiful and useful food blogs on the planet. All of Heidi’s recipes are vegetarian and healthy, but she doesn’t really talk about it. It just is. I like that.

Engaging writing, gorgeous photography, and creative, delicious, doable recipes are the hallmarks of Smitten Kitchen. This is where I come for inspiration and just to bask in Deb Perelman’s beautiful food.

Individual Blogs – Policy and News:

Sam Fromartz, author of Organics Inc., one of the first books about “big organics” and how things REALLY work in the world of food policy and business, has a blog called Chewswise. It’s refreshingly idiosyncratic. You’re just as likely to get a recipe for Sam’s famous baguettes as a serious discussion about the farm bill, but there’s always something to provoke thought.

James Beard award winner and former contributing editor of Gourmet Magazine, Barry Estabrook reports on food politics in Politics of the Plate. Alternating between news bites of food stories from the web and the kind of hard-hitting features he became known for at Gourmet, Barry’s site is a great place to catch-up.

Josh Friedland’s The Food Section is a rich stew of food news culled from around the web, commentary, features, and new product news.

Now it’s your turn. Leave a comment and tell us about your favorite food stops on the web!

This is the latest installment in Vanessa Barrington’s weekly column, The Green Plate, on the environmental, social, and political issues related to what and how we eat.

Image: wickenden

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