22
ANAEROBIC DIGESTER FITS IN
WELL AT BROADMEADOWS Anaerobic Digester offers a consistent input to the Awde family’s business which also includes the 525 head Broadmeadows herd
Photography by Richard Hodgson A
naerobic digesters are an obvious choice for larger herds according to Trevor, Frances,Francis and Lynsey Awde from the Penrith-based Broadmeadows herd. “We had reached a point where cow numbers had reached a level where we didn’t want to increase any further and, as we have always finished our bull calves, we were looking at another output that would
complement the business without adding extra strain to the dairy itself,” explains Lynsey.
“An anaerobic digester offered a number of benefits to the current system. Primarily from reducing our electricity costs as we’d noticed an increase in the electricity bill since investing in the farm buildings and increasing the herd. Having a larger number of cows also
meant a lot more slurry and we were noticing sawdust was creating a film on the land causing some patchiness in grass leys.”
Always looking at new technology to drive the business forward the Awdes saw an anaerobic digester as an investment that would provide consistency on a fixed tariff, while the dairy and beef enterprises fluctuate. “An anaerobic digester offered an opportunity to use our waste while generating an income and making our electricity self sufficient. Crop quality has noticeably improved as a result of the quality of liquid being spread on the land – instead of a waste product it is now condensed nitrogen. “We’ve also noticed less pressure on slurry storage since starting the AD plant. The AD offers so many benefits to our business, as well as government incentives we also have no electricity bill and reuse the fibre. Our land is improving and the land output keeps increasing.” With the farm being relatively remote Lynsey
Lynsey, mother Frances and Lynsey’s son David are part of a great team that run the Broadmeadows herd.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112