The Amana Farms plants, tends, and harvests 8,500 acres of grow crop annually. As a recognized as a leader in Iowa’s agricultural industry and an award-winning corn producer, Amana Farms understands the importance of technology.
Energy Digester
Just as the early settlers found an opportunity in the land so many years ago, the same holds true for today. Take care of the land and it will give back.
Amana Farms secured funding from the Iowa Office of Energy Independence to construct a 1.6 million gallon anaerobic digester which currently produces green energy and quality fertilizer for Amana’s large crop production. Using cattle manure, we are able to produce methane using combustion engines and turn it into electricity.
The Amana Farms produce approximately 75 tons of manure per day, however, more was still needed to be truly beneficial. Through partnerships with Iowa State University and consulting firm, Howard R. Green, Amana Farms secured access to organic waste streams from nearby industrial partners, providing both a financial and environmental benefit.
The waste product after it has been used to produce energy is applied to the fields as fertilizer without releasing methane gas into the atmosphere. The non-methane waste is an even and fluid application which produces exceptional yields with the use of very little commercial fertilizers. Much of the crop is then fed back to the cattle and the cycle circles around again.