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Kilby Farms: Turning Dairy Waste into Renewable Energy

Kilby Farms, a 600-cow family dairy in Maryland, has become a model of sustainability by transforming waste into renewable energy. From early recycling systems to a cutting-edge methane digester, their journey shows how innovation and partnership can help farms thrive while protecting the environment.

Project Details

  • Client: Cecil County Land Trust

  • Location: Maryland

  • Project Type: Sustainability + Agricultural Storytelling

  • Services Provided: Video production, drone cinematography, narrative development, voiceover

Transcript

In 2008, the Kilby family decided to add a processing plant to their 600 cow dairy operation. Their marketing concept was based on sustainability, using recycling concepts with help from soil conservation, USDA and NRCs. They updated their waste management system to include recycling of sand, bedding, flush water and a methane digester using recycled flush water and food processing waste.

Over the years, researchers from the University of Maryland have undertaken a number of biogas related projects. In 2017, Kilby Farms LLC updated the facility with the help from Maryland Energy Administration and the Department of Agriculture’s Innovative Tech Grants. Increasing energy output by more than double, using a computerized control system that allows 24/7 operations. A composting system was added to allow the removal of phosphorus to other locations.

These updates offered added income to the farm. We’re competing with outlets. We’re paying $20,000 per acre land, this and that. You know we can’t compete on cost of production. We export. We got to get all our ground water. So we’re a competitive disadvantage to start trying to make money. Milking cows is really tough. So we’re trying to make money around the cows if we can utilize them in order to digest better and do a full circle.

That’s what we’re trying to do today. Colby’s experimental waste to energy digester has proven to be dependable, and it’s exceeded expectations for energy production. The waste to energy and composting systems have allowed Kilby Farms to meet its sustainability, recycling and waste to energy goals while protecting the environment.