July 12, 2017 By Megan Denardo and Renee Stearns, Program Specialists
Center for EcoTechnology
The anaerobic digestor at Barstow’s Longview Farm in South Hadley turns farm waste like manure into energy the farm can use.
On June 27th, members of New England Farm Energy Collaborative (NEFEC) met for their annual gathering. Those in attendance included representatives from the Massachusetts Farm Energy Program, the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural resources, the Connecticut Farm Energy Program, Efficiency Vermont, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets, the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources, the USDA’s Rural Development office, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Center for EcoTechnology.
The gathering began with a short meeting to give updates about the farm energy programs and any big news in each state. The partners focused on sharing ideas to help other states improve their programs, as well as looking for ways to collaborate. Some topics of note were anaerobic digesters, the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grant, how to improve funding for robotics on farms, and the status of energy efficiency programs for farms in each state.