Agricultural Digester’s Jim Muir (left) with Connecticut Congressman Joe Courtney, who represents the state’s easternmost district.
It is the home of the majority of the state’s dairy farms.
Farmers are among the world’s hardest workers – and many are under financial pressure. There is a proven, yet little utilized revenue source available to them – biogas.
Manure and food waste exist worldwide but in the past only Europe widely converted it into energy, animal bedding, compost, heat etc. Why? It has been a lack of information and hands-on support – and that is what Agricultural Digesters LLC was created to provide.
Since the success of any methane digester depends on a farm’s future existence, our company prioritizes the financial benefit to each farm. Benefits that increased with the Inflation Reduction Act are expected to return again in the future. Fortunately, critical tax credits remain available on projects producing electricity.
Our business models are now “farmer owned” and “equity partnership”. In both cases farmers receive significant financial benefit.
The Team
Coordinated by Jim Muir, our team consists of independent professionals specializing in grant acquisition, finance, engineering, permitting and monetizing environmental benefits. They consult on an “as needed” basis to control project costs.
Jim Muir – Director, Marketing and Development
After many years of international marketing work, Jim took America’s oldest biogas technology provider, RCM Digesters, which had sold fewer than 100 digesters, as a client. He then promoted RCM systems globally before shifting his focus to the Northeast, USA. Jim sold four in southern New England in 2017. One became the first modern farm digester in Connecticut.
In 2017 RCM was absorbed by another company and Muir took as a client PlanET Biogas, a major international technology provider based in Germany with North American offices in the Toronto/Buffalo area. They had built over 550 systems worldwide. This was a comfortable fit since Jim’s company, Muir Marketing Solutions, had helped foreign manufacturers expand in America for decades. For PlanET Biogas he focused on sales in the Northeast, USA.
Seeing a need for the turnkey development of digester projects, Jim founded Agricultural Digesters LLC in 2019 as a full-service biogas development company, While the company is independent, they have contracted to offer affordable, above ground, steel digester to farms. This technology is an Austrian provider with North American offices in Colorado and North Carolina.
John F. – Engineering, Construction/assembly
John has a B.S. degree in civil engineering from the University of Vermont and has more than 50 years of experience in the planning, design, permitting and construction of small, through multi-million dollar, municipal and private renewable energy, biogas, anaerobic digester and wastewater projects throughout the U.S.A., Mexico and the Caribbean. The project delivery methods include design/bid/build, design/build (EPC) and construction management.
He was honored for the American Council of Engineering Companies’ “Lifetime Achievement Award” in 2021 and has worked on anaerobic digester projects in 16 states plus Mexico and the Caribbean with related anaerobic digester/biogas experience that includes over 70 farm-based, commercial, industrial, municipal and wastewater treatment facility AD systems. John is also a subject matter expert in methane digesters, biogas and wastewater treatment facilities for due diligence, independent engineering studies and mediation/litigation cases throughout the U.S.A.
Nathan R. – Project Consulting and Grant Facilitation
Nathan was the Senior Vice President for Farm Credit East and responsible for bringing resources to Farm Credit’s clients who were planning or undergoing major changes. Many of the projects Nathan worked on involved farm based renewable energy systems. He is a frequent speaker in state, national and international forums on such topics as renewable energy, agriculture policy and economic development. He also serves on the national steering committee for 25 X 25, a group of industry leaders dedicated to fostering Agriculture and Forestry’s role in U.S. energy independence, chairs their Carbon Work Group and serves on their CLEAN energy task force.
Nathan served as Commissioner of Agriculture and Markets for The State of New York. He also served as President of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture. Much of his experience in the private sector has involved the dairy industry and agricultural economics. He was raised on a dairy and cash crop farm in Wyoming County, New York and is a graduate of Cornell University.
Jill M. & Cy M. – Operations & Maintenance
Due to interest of our farmers and their financial partners, we offer the services of experienced digester operations and maintenance support.
In the case of Vermont, we have Jill who is the president of Vermont Utility Management Services (VTUMS) and a state of Vermont licensed Water & Wastewater Operator. She has a Class 3 Water license, and Grade 2 Wastewater license. Jill has been the designated operator of many anaerobic digester facilities
Cy is the Vice President of VTUMS. He has his CDL license and is a master level mechanic and technician. He leads the technical side of maintenance and repair. Cy also holds water and wastewater operator certifications.
Chantal B. – Grant Writing and Engineering Support
Chantal completed four successful REAP grant applications for our farms in northern New England ranging from 300 to 1,400 milking cows. The financial incentives recently increased to 50% of each project with an upper limit of $1 million, which makes her contribution to our clients critically important. Through her lifelong association with dairy farms, Chantal knows the mindset of farmers and visits many in person.
Her background also includes engineering support on multiple biogas projects nationwide including feasibility studies that are a key element of grant applications for anaerobic digesters.
Jedd M. – Manure Management Specialist at Biogas Farms
Jedd has many years’ experience at northeast farms with digesters. His work has been centered in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania which contains one of America’s few digester clusters. He is a graduate of Penn State University with a BS in Soil Science who earlier in his career worked for USDA/NRCS. Jedd is a nationally certified soil scientist, nutrient and odor management specialist, conservation planner and TSP in multiple states.
He has published research with Penn State about the properties of digested manure and prepared custom reports for Agricultural Digesters LLC. Jedd understands the benefits of anaerobic digestion when combined with draglining and injection of liquid digestate.
Anju K. PhD – Secondary Separation of Digested Liquids
Anju offers farms the opportunity to further separate their anaerobically digested liquids by isolating the phosphorus content into a high strength, granular, organic fertilizer. This is a much needed nutrient management step, especially valuable where phosphorus runoff into water bodies is a serious environmental issue. The amount of phosphorus separated can be controlled and the packaged end product can be sold or added to compost.
She has more than 24 years experience in the biology, biochemistry, microbiology, environmental pollution, nutrient recovery and waste to value areas. She has led several nutrient recovery projects supported by USDA, supply chain, industry partners, stakeholders and regulatory agencies. Anju also has taught nutrient and related topics as adjunct faculty at the University of Vermont.
Laura H. – Social Media and Email Marketing
Laura comes from a New England farming background and writes sales copy and marketing content for businesses that believe in doing right by people and the planet. This includes Agricultural Digesters LLC. Her writing focuses on storytelling that brings the reader on a journey toward a solution.
She helps us get the message to as many farms as possible. Since websites, email, direct mail, LinkedIn and especially Facebook are accessed by farm decision makers, Laura maximizes our impact on each.
She has over 15 years of industry experience and holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and political science.
Additional Support
Along with the colleagues mentioned above, Agricultural Digesters retains Tarrant, Gillies and & Shems LLC as counsel for permitting and compliance issues on our farm digester projects.
We also provide assistance with utility interconnection, RNG upgrading and system operation. Everything needed so the farmer can concentrate on…farming!
Marketing and outreach are key to the expansion of biogas energy in the USA. Pictured above is our promotional booth at a county fair.
Video summarizes revenue streams and development steps for launching a biodigester.
John Muir, famous Scottish/American (1838-1914) devoted his life’s work to preserving the environment. He was the “Father of America’s National Parks”, founder of the Sierra Club and advisor to President Theodore Roosevelt. Though probably not related, we are also proud to work toward environmental preservation by improving water quality as well as removing the greenhouse gases that cause global warming.