October 28, 2016 CapitalPress.com 17 Oregon’s largest dairy runs on closed loop Farm grows feed for cow, turns waste into energy, fertilizer By the numbers Threemile Canyon Farms LAND BASE • 93,000 total acres • 39,500 acres irrigated farmland • 23,000 acres in conservation By GEORGE PLAVEN DAIRY EO Media Group BOARDMAN, Ore. — The milking parlor at Co- lumbia River Dairy is a large, warehouse-like building where cows arrive twice a day to be milked by modern ma- chinery. First, the animals are load- ed onto slowly rotating car- ousels where their udders are sprayed with a disinfectant and attached to automatic E.J. Harris/EO Media Group pumps. Each spin lasts just a Twin carousels simultaneously milk 80 cows on each side while slowly revolving in the milking parlor at few minutes before the cows the Columbia River Dairy outside Boardman, Ore. are unloaded back where 4.8 megawatts of power. they started. The process is Myers estimates the facil- smooth, continuous and effi- ity, which was built in 2012, cient. removes 60,000 tons of carbon Outside, Milky Way trucks from the atmosphere annually. are waiting 24/7 to deliver From there, about half of milk from the dairy — part of the leftover solids are made Threemile Canyon Farms — to into animal bedding. The other Tillamook Cheese, which runs half is used for organic fertil- a cheesemaking plant at the izer. The liquid is pumped into nearby Port of Morrow. With one of three lagoons, which is 26,000 milking cows produc- treated and run through irriga- ing 170,000 gallons every day, tion pivots to grow more con- there is always lots to do. ventional crops and feed. Threemile Canyon is, by “Our average time in that far, the largest dairy opera- lagoon is 10 days,” Myers tion in Oregon. The herd to- E.J. Harris/EO Media Group said. “We’re applying that tals 70,000 cattle, including The three 2,000-horsepower engines in the powerhouse of the year-round to growing crops. calves and heifers. Located on methane digester can produce 4.8 megawatts of electricity. ... We never let it become an- 93,000 acres in rural Morrow County, the farm also grows a yon, defended their manage- acres to growing feed crops, aerobic. That reduces air emis- variety of conventional and or- ment practices, which he said such as grain corn and a hy- sions.” ganic crops, such as potatoes, are forward-thinking and sus- brid wheat known as triticale. Managing nitrates Everything is harvested and tainable. onions, corn and wheat. “It isn’t bad just because stored for the animals to eat Now, another mega-dairy Threemile Canyon is with- is looking to expand in the it’s big,” Myers said. “It’s ag- year-round. in the Lower Umatilla Basin Once the heifers are 2 Groundwater county, which is raising ques- riculture of the future.” Management years old, they are ready to Area, where the level of ni- tions about water and air Closed-loop system be milked. Of course, they are trates in the groundwater al- pollution in the surrounding In fact, Myers said, the size also producing waste through- ready exceeds the federal communities. Willow Creek Dairy, which has leased land of Threemile Canyon allows out their lives — roughly safe drinking water standard. from Threemile Canyon since them to do things that wouldn’t 436 million gallons of liquid According to the Oregon De- 2002, wants to strike out on its be practical for a smaller dairy manure every year. Per Ore- partment of Environmental gon rules for confined animal Quality, the primary source own and add 30,000 cows on farm. By growing crops and rais- feeding operations, or CAFOs, of nitrogen in groundwater part of the former Boardman ing cows all in the same place, none of that material can be comes from fertilizer, with ir- Tree Farm. More than 2,300 com- the farm is able to recycle its discharged into surface water rigated agriculture making up 81.6 percent of the problem. ments have poured in on the own waste to use as fertilizer or groundwater. At Threemile Canyon, free- Opponents of mega-dairies proposal, mostly in opposi- in the field. That, in turn, cre- tion. Environmental advoca- ates more feed for the animals, stall barns are flushed regular- are concerned about adding cy groups argue that Willow thus completing the closed- ly into a concrete collection a second operation so close, basin, and from there pumped comparing it to a “sewer-less Creek would produce as much loop system. “We get big beneficial uses into a methane digester at the city.” Oregon CAFO permits waste as a mid-size city, and regulations don’t offer enough out of that cow manure,” My- farm. The digester then heats also lack surface water mon- protection. They also question ers said. “It’s not a negative for the waste at 100 degrees and itoring required under the bacteria breaks it down into a federal Clean Water Act, they the wisdom of having two us. It’s a positive.” It all begins with the cows. gas. The gas is then burned to argue. large dairies so close together. Myers said the fertilizer But Marty Myers, general Threemile Canyon dedicates drive three 2,000-horsepower manager of Threemile Can- between 20,000 and 25,000 engines capable of generating that is applied to the farm’s • 70,000 total cows • 26,000 milking cows (mostly Jersey) • 1.4 million pounds of milk per day (162,790 gallons) METHANE DIGESTER • Built 2012 • $32 million • 4.8 megawatt power capacity EMPLOYEES • 300 year-round • 400 seasonal/contract • $10 million annual payroll own crops is mixed at precise rates to ensure nothing leaches into water supplies. Employ- ees regularly test the manure to keep tabs on the nutrient level, and will apply only as much as the crop will use for nutrition. That’s easier said than done. Phil Richerson, a hydro- geologist for DEQ in Pendle- ton, said the soil in the area is coarse, making it difficult to keep irrigation from seeping down below the plant’s roots. Don Butcher, who manages water quality permits for DEQ in Pendleton, said the problem isn’t just limited to CAFOs. More land is being converted to grow vegetable crops. And more food processors are pop- ping up to turn those vegeta- bles into high-value products. “With all the expansion and change in the Groundwa- ter Management Area, we are concerned,” Butcher said. “We still have an increasing nitrate trend.” Butcher said DEQ works closely with the Oregon De- partment of Agriculture, which enforces CAFO permits for the state. Wym Matthews, CAFO program manager for ODA, said they generally conduct routine inspections of facilities once every 10 months. However, due to the size of Threemile Canyon, Matthews said that farm is inspected once every five or six months. The most recent was in July. Over the past decade, he said the dairy has been issued six water quality advisories — essentially a warning — and two notices of noncompliance, meaning they’ve violated a condition of their permit. In every case, Matthews said the problem was dealt with quickly. Overall, he said he believes the management practices at Threemile Canyon are thorough. “If they see an issue, I think they do a very good job to bring it to our attention and re- pair it,” Matthews said. Animal welfare In addition to environ- mental practices, Myers said Threemile Canyon is subject to a three-layer approach to animal welfare. First, Myers said the farm conducts voluntary animal welfare audits through a com- pany called Validus. Inspectors arrive unannounced, and are free to watch employees and go over protocol, Myers said. Last year, Myers said Co- lumbia River Dairy was the first in the country to receive a perfect score from Validus. They also consistently scored 95 percent or better on how they treat their heifers, he said. “Those are pretty impres- sive scores,” Myers said. Along with voluntary au- dits, Myers said the dairy works regularly with its own animal advocate, a veterinarian and professor at Evergreen Univer- sity. Along with the farm’s own animal welfare committee, they make recommendations on how to improve practices. “It’s not a static process,” Myers said. “It’s a continu- al improvement process, and we’re proud of that.” Greg te Velde, a California dairyman, is the owner of Wil- low Creek Dairy, which has ap- plied for its own CAFO license under the name Lost Valley Ranch. Myers has testified in fa- vor of te Velde, his longtime tenant. Myers said he believes they too will be dedicated to best management practices. A similar lagoon and land appli- cation system is proposed at Willow Creek, and though a methane digester is not in the immediate plans, it could be phased in later. “They know how to do things right,” Myers said. The public comment peri- od for the Willow Creek/Lost Valley CAFO has been ex- tended through Nov. 4. Large Transmission Power Lines on Your Property? Lease Us Your Land! Long Term Land Leases Needed! 20-40 Years - Up to $1,250 per Acre per Year • We require large tracts of land (over 150 acres), currently clear and clean with 3-phase transmission type power lines for our solar farms. • Land cannot be in flood zone or have wetlands issues. Owner must retain mineral rights both above and below surface, or have executive rights. • No underground utilities, including oil and gas lines, within the proposed solar site. 44-4/#4X