Environment

The future of Van Der Geest Dairy in sync with the environment

Innovative Waste Treatment

Our drying and air treatment system is, as far as we know, the first of its kind in the United States. We developed this project to improve efficiency, sustainability, and community impact.

By reducing truck traffic, we eliminate nearly 4,000 loads of treated waste being hauled to fields each year.
The process significantly cuts odor, improving the environment for our neighbors.
Recycled material from the system provides bedding for our cows, reducing our need for kiln-dried sawdust by about 300 loads annually.
We work closely with the DNR to ensure environmental safety, and certified emission testing confirms clean, safe air output.

Manure Separation & Processing

Manure from the barns is directed into a specialized treatment system where liquids and solids are separated across a large screen. The solids are then pressed, reducing them to about 70% moisture and 30% solids. From there, the material is carried by auger into a 40-foot rotating drum for further processing.

Drying the Solids

Inside the 40-foot drum, air heated to 800°F dries the pressed manure solids, reducing their moisture content to just 10%. This is the stage where steam is produced as part of the process.

Once dried, the material is split into two valuable uses:

50% becomes soft, clean bedding for our cows, keeping them dry, comfortable, and well cared for in the free-stall barns.
50% is reused as fuel, powering the drum itself. This makes the system self-sufficient and eliminates the need for additional fossil fuels.

The Separated Water

The water that is separated from the solids flows into our “first stage” clay lined lagoon. Once it enters the lagoon 28 aerators constantly stir oxygen into the water. This turns the water waste into an aerobic environment. This allows the remaining small material to become digested by the aerobic bugs. The water then flows into the large lagoon where continual aeration happens. The aeration process also reduces odors omitted from the lagoon. The water is then pumped into the large black tanks.

This water is then flushed down each cow alley, approximately every two hours. This keeps the alleys clean for the cattle at all times. Once the water leaves the alley it then returns to the agitation pit. We recycle approximately 2 million gallons of water a day in this process.

The Bag House

Since this dryer is one of the first in the country we have tried several different control devices to capture this fine dust. We have now found a control device which is called a bag house. With the help of Mid-State Contracting of Wausau and Energy Unlimited, the dryer manufacturer, the bag house, that is now installed, has 375 filter bags where the exhaust gas is blown through to capture the fine dusts. We have spent hundreds of hours and over $60,000 in testing and research to ensure we are operating the dryer in the safest most environmentally friendly manor. As you drive by you will sometimes see steam exhausting from the exhaust stack. The reason you see it sometimes and sometimes not depends on the outside temperature. The warmer it is the less steam will be seen. The exhaust air from the dryer is always sent through the control devices to be sure it is safe to omit into the atmosphere.

The dryer is very important to our business! Saving over 4000 loads of treated waste that would have to be transported on town roads and also saving 14,000 gallons of diesel fuel per year. The dryer saves our operation from purchasing over 300 semi loads of bedding per year which cost approximately $1,800 per load. The bedding product is a sterile dry product which we have found our cattle prefer over any other bedding product supplied.