PLYMOUTH – Plymouth farmer Giff Foster has no problem visualizing the big picture. He just needs a little help putting the actual puzzle together so everyone can see what a clean and energy efficient world really looks like.
He already sees a similar one every day.
That’s because Foster produces and consumes between 65 to 75 gallons of alternative energy (in the form of biodiesel) per week at his home on “Foggy Bottom Farm.” The semi-retired rock musician and 30-year veteran of the entertainment industry heats his home, runs his farm equipment, and fuels his vehicles using leftover deep-fryer oil, which he collects from restaurants in Chenango County and Connecticut. Whether it’s by travel or experiment, he says searching-out new – and practical – uses for otherwise wasted resources, like old vegetable oil, is the main idea behind developing alternative energy.
“It’s just like Jerry Garcia said,” Foster explained, referring to a famous lyric sung by the legendary and deceased member of the Grateful Dead. “One man gathers what another man spills.”
With his own micro-refinery – a clever system of barrels, tanks, gauges, pipes and tubes in the back of his house – Foster has not only been able to create a versatile and clean energy source for his farm, but also nutrient-rich fertilizers for his hay and apple crops as well. He recently added a glycerin-based soap to his list of products-made-from-bi-products, and says that creating high-grade animal feed is another conceivable possibility.
“We are turning waste into energy,” he said. “And there is nothing in the biodiesel process that’s a wasted product.”
The inspiration for his full-circle frame-of-mind came two-years ago when he encountered the economic reality check that is being a Chenango County farmer, Foster said.
“I knew I couldn’t make this farm work with these costs,” he said, talking mainly about fuel prices. “I didn’t prepare for the challenge ... I had to do something about it.”
The answer was “transesterification,” an acid-based reaction that creates biodiesel. It occurs when filtered vegetable-oil, whether it’s from a restaurant or a plant – is mixed and heated with the chemical lime and an alcohol-based catalyst, such as methanol or ethanol. Foster said it seemed like the most advantageous way to conserve and re-use, after considering and comparing other options such as wind and solar power.
Like turning waste into energy, Foster said the alternative fuel movement needs a catalyst to expand its benefits beyond individual operations – like his – into a broader, more structured network. In an effort to branch out, Foster, in conjunction with the Chenango County Farm Bureau, is trying to create an alternative energy cooperative with local farmers and entrepreneurs. Rather than having scattered individuals relying solely on fryer-oil, the cooperative is looking for producers to grow crops, like rapeseed (Canola), soybeans, or sunflowers, on otherwise marginal or un-used farm land. Those crops would then be converted into biodiesel at a local plant – with a possible site expected in Bainbridge – and producers would receive fuel in exchange for their contributions and, ideally, the rest of the final product would be sold locally. Gas stations in other parts of the country are already selling biodiesel blended with petroleum-based diesel.
Farm Bureau President Bradd Vickers said that taking this initiative from its infancy to the next level will depend not only on finding producers to buy in, but also on fostering public and private support.
“Will the consumer buy renewable versus typical oil if the price is the same or higher?” Vickers asked, contending that the tax-breaks and government funding other industries receive – often to off-set high fuels costs – could provide initial incentives for retail investment and consumption. “That’s where this all comes in.”
While consumer markets may or may not grow in the future, Vickers and Foster say right now the expansion of renewable fuels production could have an immediate impact on local farmers.
“If you are using some of the products you are producing,” said Vickers, “it will lower your costs.”
Both Vickers and Foster are guiding their renewable resource principles on the farm bureau’s national and state “25 by 25” program. The program aims to have agriculture producing 25 percent of the nation’s energy by 2025. Foster said its a multifaceted effort to spark local economies, make use of local products, and reduce dependence on foreign energy sources.
“That’s the point of this issue – to keep everything localized,” Foster said. “I think of the billions of dollars that go across the pond, it’s unnecessary.”
Environmentally, Foster says the reasons for incorporating biodiesel are clear, and clean. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency agrees. The EPA claims 100 percent biodiesel “reduces life cycle greenhouse gas emissions by more than 50 percent, while B20 (20 percent mixed with petroleum) reduces greenhouse gas emissions by at least 10 percent.” In addition, The EPA claims it also “reduces emissions of carbon monoxide, particulate matter, and sulfates, as well as hydrocarbon and air toxics emissions.”
To contact Foster about the cooperative, call 334-6361, or email kgifffoster@aol.com.