3 November 2008
Nothing Greener than Cider Hill Farm
Posted by Cecilia under: Economy; Energy; Environment .
Cider Hill Farm began in 1978 when Ed and Eleanor Cook purchased the old Battis Dairy Farm with the hope of transforming it into an apple farm. They immediately took a strong environmentally-responsible approach to the use of their land.
Through the adoption of a rigorous compost program, they increased average soil organic matter content from 2% to 8 - 10%. This provides a healthy soil capable of sustaining crops with less fertilization.
More recently, they’ve focused their attention on pioneering the use of alternative energy. The farm utilizes three wind turbines, a solar panel array, and soon-to-be-installed wood boilers to offset nearly $20,000 of propane and oil consumption in their greenhouses and other buildings.
Their efforts were brought to the attention of Massachusetts Secretary of Environmental Affairs Ian Bowles, who recently paid a visit to Cider Hill Farm. “Cider Hill is really a leader in the state,” Bowles said. “They are ahead of the pack in terms of using renewable energy and taking advantage of the rebate programs.”
The Cooks took advantage of available grant and funding opportunities through the Mass Technology Collaborative, and the Agricultural Environmental Enhancement Program, administered by the Mass Department of Agricultural Resources. To date, the program has helped them install three 10kW Bergey wind turbines, and one 10kW Evergreen solar panel array.
“We continue to evaluate these systems for performance, and have been studying the benefits of geothermal and outdoor wood furnaces for our farm as well”, said Cook.
The goal of Cider Hill Farm is to be as energy independent as possible while reducing any negative impact on the environment. With a combination of land management and alternative energy production, they seem to be well on their way toward that goal.
“Most of us also strongly believe it is our calling to take care of our land, our water, and our air”, Cook added.
One Comment so far...
Today in Sikantis - November 3, 2008 « Sikantis Says:
3 November 2008 at 12:40 am.
[...] Innovative News - Nothing Greener than Cider Hill Farm [...]
