FAIR OAKS – Fair Oaks Farms of Newton County, one of the nation’s largest dairy operations, has announced that it is going to convert 42 of its trucks to run on compressed natural gas by using manure.
The technology uses bacteria to break down manure in specially constructed oxygen-free buildings or covered lagoons on the farm. The project has been supported through a $2 million Department of Energy grant. A $750,000 state grant will help with the construction of fueling station at Fair Oaks and one near Sellersburg, in southern Indiana.
While dairy farms around the country use manure to help provide electricity to their farms, the effort at Fair Oaks is one of the first to convert manure gas into a fuel for vehicles.
