Ag Chat: They Convert Cow Poop To What?

Hey y'all!  Quick tidbit.  Today's entry marks my 100th post on The Purple Front Door and I'm excited to have it be about something that's dear to me, educating people about agriculture!  This post also serves as an introduction to those visiting from The Ultimate Blog Party 2014.  Take a look around and I hope you like what you see!  

Did you know that the state of Wisconsin has more than 1.27 million dairy cows living there?

That's a lot, huh?

All those cows have to go number two, right?  I know you're thinking "where is she going with this one?!", but hang tight I'll tie it all up in just a sec.  There are many electrical cooperatives in Wisconsin and throughout the US that are turning cow poop in electricity to power homes and businesses!  They've even dubbed it 'cow power'!

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So are you asking yourself, 'so how does this actually work?'  Here's the details.  Farmers use a machine called a manure digester to turn methane gas released from cow poop into electricity.  Before the poop goes into the digester it is heated to 100° F which helps to activate the microorganisms that are inside.  As the manure breaks down it creates a gas, as well as both liquids and solids.  The gas is mostly made of methane which is then collected and used to generate electricity!  The byproduct of creating methane isn't wasted either!  The liquids and solids are used as fertilizer, cow bedding and even in the lawn care industry.

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Okay, spill!  Did you know that cow poop is converted to electricity or is this news to you?!?