Bar-Way Farm, Inc. is a multi-generational dairy farm in Deerfield, Massachusetts, founded in 1919 and operated by Steven Melnik and his son, Peter. The farm encompasses 600 acres of cropland. More than 300 cows are milked each day producing an average of 2,000 gallons of milk daily. The farm is a member of Dairy Farmers of America (DFA).
The Vanguard Renewables Farm Powered Anaerobic Digester at Bar-Way Farm was constructed in 2016 and features a 660,000-gallon capacity anaerobic digester tank. The facility combines more than 9,000 tons of manure and 36,500 tons of food waste annually and converts it to renewable energy. This offsets more than 2 million pounds of CO2 emissions annually. The 7,700 MWh of renewable energy produced each year by the Deerfield anaerobic digester system is enough to power 1,600 homes.
Manure from the dairy farm operation and organic food and beverage waste are combined in the anaerobic digester and microorganisms convert sugars, fats, and other compounds into biogas to produce renewable energy and low carbon fertilizer. The farm receives an annual lease payment for hosting the anaerobic digester, hot water, heat, and energy savings.
FARM FACTS
DIGESTER FACTS
FARM BENEFITS
Annual Digester Input
Annual Digester Output
Receives organic waste from food manufacturers and provides renewable energy via net metering credits to businesses