Published 04/10/2009
Newport, VT – Farm tours, renewable energy information and a picnic lunch will be available as Maxwell’s Neighborhood Farm, Central Vermont Public Service and Vermont Electric Cooperative host a free Cow Power Fair April 22 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

 Neighborhood Farms in Newport recently began producing clean renewable energy from cow manure in cooperation with CVPS and VEC, and the three are collaborating on the fair and invite the public to attend.  The farm is located at 32 Maxwell Road in Newport. 

“We’re excited to be online and we want to share our excitement with our friends, neighbors and venders throughout the area,” said Matthew Maxwell, part of the third generation of the Maxwell family at Neighborhood Farms.  “This will be a fun and educational day for people of all ages.” 

Hot dogs, hamburgers, fresh milk and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream will be available for all who attend, and Long Trail Brewing Company, a Cow Power supporter, will hand out free pint glasses to visitors over 21.  Vermont Clothing Company and Handy’s Toyota, who are also Cow Power customers, will also have displays, and Drew’s All Naturals will offer free sample packets of their salad dressings. 

The Maxwell farm was started in 1957 by Maurice and Lois Maxwell, who now share ownership with their four sons: Stewart, Bradley, Anthony, and Jeffery.   Grandson Matthew also works on the farm in a management position. 

There are 850 milking cows with an average of 750 milking at all times.  The farm, the smallest CVPS Cow Power™ producer, has won several farm management awards, including being named 2003 Vermont Dairy Farm of the Year by the University of Vermont. 

Neighborhood Energy LLC is a newly created partnership between Bradley, Stewart, Jeffery, Anthony and Matthew Maxwell that is producing energy with an anaerobic digester and generator installed at the farm site. Construction of the digester began in March of 2008, and the farm began generating electricity in December. 

Maxwell Farm’s “Neighborhood Energy” is one of two farms in VEC’s service territory that are participating in the CVPS Cow Power™ program. Producing power through a methane digester is a key long-term strategy to keep Maxwell Farm’s competitive, and it provides VEC with a vital and reliable source of renewable energy for their members. 

The Cow Power process is simple: manure and other agricultural waste are held in a sealed concrete tank at the same temperature as a cow’s stomach, 101 degrees. Bacteria digest the volatile components, creating methane and killing pathogens and weed seeds. The methane, which is roughly 20 times more harmful than carbon dioxide in trapping heat in the atmosphere, fuels an engine/generator. 

CVPS customers can choose to receive all, half or a quarter of their electrical energy through Cow Power, and pay a premium of 4 cents per kilowatt hour.  It goes to participating farm-producers, to purchase renewable energy credits when enough farm energy isn’t available, or to the CVPS Renewable Development Fund. The fund also provides grants to farm owners to develop on-farm generation.  CVPS provide Neighborhood Energy a grant of $100,000 to help underwrite start-up costs through its Renewable Development Fund. 

CVPS Cow Power™ has been repeatedly honored since its creation in 2004.  The program won the Vermont Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence in 2005-2006 and the Finalist’s Commendation in the 2007 Edison Electric Institute’s annual Edison Award competition, named for Thomas Edison.  In January, “Power Magazine” named CVPS Cow Power™ one of five “Top Plants”

Contacts:
Matthew Maxwell, Neighborhood Energy (802) 802-334-3105
Steve Costello, CVPS (802) 747-5427
Kathryn Kantorski, VEC (802) 730-1129