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Biomass power plants have been a staple in New England electricity generation for the past thirty years. In addition to producing local, clean, renewable energy, these biomass power plants create thousands of tons of wood ash – which is good news for farmers! RMI has partnered with these biomass power plants to supply thousands of tons pH+Plus Green wood ash to farmers throughout New England each year.

The success of this partnership is based on the commitment to quality and environmental stewardship shared by both RMI and the biomass plants. Today we recognize two biomass Plant Managers that have been great partners with RMI and our farmers – and we wish them well on their next adventures!

Russ and John have been good friends to RMI and we thank them for their contributions to the wood to energy world!

Russ Dowd is retiring after 24 years as Plant Manager from the Pinetree Power biomass plant in Tamworth, NH. Russ has been zealous in his commitment to the biomass industry, and is particularly noted for his support of the NH Timberland Owners Association. Russ will likely be skiing and traveling a lot more, and spending time with his grandkids!

John Irving is retiring as Plant Manager after 31 years with the Burlington Electric Department in northern Vermont. John’s steady leadership and thoughtful management has kept his team together operating the 50 megawatt McNeil Station with an excellent track record. John will be enjoying his retirement by hopping on a sailboat and heading down the coast to the Caribbean in October.

It is safe to say that the summer of 2016 has been a tough summer for farmers throughout New Hampshire. In a Concord Monitor article posted on August 30, 2016, New Hampshire’s agriculture commissioner Lorraine Merrill states that “19 of the state’s 120 dairy farms have closed this year” due to low milk prices and the ongoing drought. And Bill Yeaton, of Yeaton Farm in Epsom, guesses that “7 or 8 more dairies in New Hampshire would close by year’s end.”

As you can see from the picture below extreme drought conditions persist in the southern portion of the state, while abnormally dry conditions continue through the central and northeast portions of the state. According to the NOAA Climate Prediction Center this drought is expected to continue until the end of November. With no end in sight farmers are looking for options.

Looking for ways to combat these struggles and to help farms stay afloat, New Hampshire farms are hoping for funding from the state’s milk farmers’ emergency relief fund. Thanks to Gov. Maggie Hassan farmers can now apply for emergency relief loans from the US Farm Service Agency. 

While these may be immediate fixes, what can be done to help solve these problems in the future? That is where biosolids come in!

For years farmers have reported that soils that use biosolids, as a soil amendment, appear to be more drought resistant than crops that received other soil amendments. Biosolids add organic matter that help absorb and store moisture which in turn improves the soil structure and the soils water holding capacity making it naturally drought resistant.

An example of corn grown in biosolids can be seen on the right. This corn is from a farm in Tunbridge, Vermont and as you can see their soil looks healthy and their corn looks even better!

Looking for a new book to add to your summer reading list? Well look no further than Margaret from Maine written by New Hampshire local Joe Monninger.

“Brought together by war, separated by duty, a love story for the ages.

Margaret Kennedy lives on a dairy farm in rural Maine. Her husband Thomas—injured in a war overseas—will never be the man he was. When President Obama signs a bill in support of wounded veterans, Margaret is invited to the nation’s capital. Charlie King, a handsome Foreign Service officer, volunteers to escort her. As the rhododendron blossoms along the Blue Ridge Highway, the unlikely pair fall in love—but Margaret cannot ignore the tug of her marriage vows.

Joseph Monninger’s Margaret from Maine is a page-turning romance that poignantly explores the dilemmas faced by those who serve our country—and the men and women who love them.”

The best part about this book…it talks about biosolids!

In the background scenes of the tale, there unfolds a very minor bit about taking care of the farm and fertilizing the fields. On page 109 we read about Margaret talking with Ben her father-in-law, the dairy farmer, about using biosolids:

Ben says: “Noel Grummond came over from the county and wanted to talk about using biosolids out on the two north apple meadows”….“They’re looking for sites where they can spread biosolids and get them out of landfills. Has to be at least twenty acres and we have about that up there.  Some activists are worried about the heavy metals, mercury, mostly, and selenium, but I don’t know.  We don’t graze the livestock up there.  It’s all apples.”

“Do they pay something?”

“Yes. Not much, but they do.  We more or less leave the field empty for one summer.  There will be some smell.  But it’s supposed to be safe and it’s good for the soil if we ever want to use it.”

“Well, Noel’s a trustworthy sort.”

“I’ve always thought so.”

And later in the story (pg 228) another farmer wants to get in on the biosolids deal and visits Ben in the barn:

“Just checking in” Blake said, “and Donny wanted me to ask you about the biosolids deal.  He thought he might be able to use it on a field he has under contract up to the Davidson’s place.”……

“What’s he want to do with that pasture?” Ben asked.

“Turf, I guess.  Donny has the idea he can grow turf up here and sell it down in the Boston area or over in Portland.  Suburbs, I suppose.”

“Well, people from Boston will buy just about anything.”

“That so?”

“It’s what I hear.” Ben said, giving her a dry smile.  “But the biosolids might work on the Davidson place.  It would make the turf grow pretty thick.”

“That’s what Donny was thinking.  He figures it’s free fertilizer.”

Pick up a copy today and get lost in this wonderful story of love, loss and farming!

https://www.amazon.com/Margaret-Maine-Novel-Joseph-Monninger/dp/0452298687

With the ability to tend to at least 2,000 flowers a day and with wings that beat up to 10,000 times per minute bees are amazing! But with all that hard works come thirst and have you ever considered where bees get their water from? Is there anything you can do to help?

Check out this article put together by healthy holistic living and see what you can do to make a difference in the day to day lives of these extremely important insects.

http://www.healthy-holistic-living.com/make-bee-waterer-help-hydrate-pollinators.html?t=NGMO

The pollinator garden we planted last year is doing its thing and we will definitely be adding some of those ingenious bee baths!

Cheers to pollinating and happy bees!

Thanks to the New Hampshire Water Pollution Control Association for hosting a 2016 Summer Meeting that was full of fun, food and networking! A beautiful day at Pawtuckaway State Park and a great day celebrating and appreciating everyone’s hard work throughout the year.