Economic Feasibility Case Study of Co-Digestion of Manure and Food Waste on a Northern New York Dairy Farm




Event Details

Date

December 1, 2022

Time

12pm - 1pm EST

Location

Webinar

Host

Cornell CALS PRO-DAIRY
cals.cornell.edu/co-digestion-webinar

Lauren Ray



Are you interested in exploring whether a manure and food waste co-digestion enterprise might be feasible at your dairy? This webinar will present the economic feasibility of two scenarios of anaerobic co-digestion on a case dairy farm located in Northern New York.

Scenario 1: addition of food waste (20% by volume) to an existing manure anaerobic digester to electricity system.

Scenario 2: new construction anaerobic digester to renewable natural gas (RNG) system taking in food waste (up to 50% by volume) with manure.

Food waste sources and tipping fees, biogas generation and utilization for energy, and digested effluent storage and nutrient management planning are described. A question and answer session is included.

Speakers
Lauren Ray, Agricultural Sustainability & Energy Engineer, Cornell CALS PRO-DAIRY

Peter Wright, Agricultural Engineer, Cornell CALS PRO-DAIRY

Moderators:
Lindsay Ferlito, Regional Dairy Specialist - North Country, Cornell Cooperative Extension
Angela George, Dairy Environmental Systems Specialist, Cornell CALS  PRO-DAIRY
Grant funding for the project was provided by the farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program.

December 1, 2022 from 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

REGISTER





more content - left
Field Crops

Field Crops

Dairy

Dairy

Business

Business

Livestock

Livestock

Grains

Grains

more content - right

Upcoming Events

Crops, Cows & Critters - Southwest New York Dairy, Livestock & Field Crops Newsletter Sponsorship

December 19, 2025

Our two forms of publications feature research-based and timely information from our four specialists, listed to the right, along with local event notifications and Cornell University outreach. This information is provided to participants who range from dairy, livestock, and field crops producers to agricultural suppliers and consultants.

Weekly Email Update: Shared with 625+ households who have signed up with our program.
Monthly Paper Mailer: To reach our stakeholders and farmers who lack internet access, we send out a monthly mailer where your company's logo and contact information would be featured with a mailing list of 330+ households.

If you sponsor our weekly and monthly publications you reach approximately 955 households.

Visit our website to view our newsletters!

2025 Cornell Food Beverage & Animal Feed Manufacturer Survey

December 19, 2025

Industry and Educational Advocates for New York State's Food, Beverage, and Animal Feed Manufacturing industries:

As you know, NYS has a diverse food and beverage manufacturing industry, in both the types of industries that exist and the wide distribution of firms by scale. Many manufacturing firms have strong backward linkages to agricultural production sectors in the state that support both farm-level and downstream food industry firms and consumers. In collaboration with the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, a team from Cornell University's Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management has recently rolled out the 2025 New York State Food, Beverage, and Animal Feed Manufacturer Survey. The industry will benefit from an updated assessment of the industry that informs private and public investments and opportunities to support firm growth and improved profitability. 

Cornell Organic Field Crops & Dairy Conference

March 6, 2026
Waterloo, NY

Farmers, researchers, educators, and agricultural service providers from across the Northeast are invited to the 2026 Cornell Organic Field Crops & Dairy Conference, held Friday, March 6, 2026, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Lux Hotel & Conference Center in Waterloo, N.Y.

Co-hosted by New York Soil Health and Cornell CALS, the annual conference brings together leaders in organic grain, dairy, and livestock systems to share practical tools, new research, and farmer-tested strategies to support resilient and profitable organic production.

Announcements

No announcements at this time.