Minn. farmer turns manure to power
by The Associated Press

BROOTEN -- Milk isn't the only product produced by 158 dairy cows on Jerry Jennissen's central Minnesota farm.

Thanks to a digester that converts methane from cow manure into electricity, Jennisen is hoping to produce enough power not only to power his own farm but also sell back unused power to his utility. He says it could be a product just like milk for farmers to sell.

The Jennissens agreed to participate in a pilot project sponsored by the nonprofit Minnesota Project along with several governmental bodies and power companies, to test whether the technology used can be profitable for an average-sized dairy farm.

So far Jennisen says about 60 percent of the energy produced by the digester powers his farm and the rest he sells back to his utility. He's hoping to eventually produce enough electricity to sell back 70 percent.