Farms find alternatives to power up

With little room left to grow and spiraling energy bills to pay, Merrimack Valley farmers have turned to a new cash crop to make ends meet: alternative energy.

Petrochemical fertilizers for fields, diesel fuel for tractors, and natural gas heaters for greenhouses all help make farmers everywhere depend more than most on fossil fuels. But in the Merrimack Valley, farmers are finding that a little land goes a long way when harvesting sun, wind, water, and even poop power.

"Farmers were the first conservationists on the planet; they are always in the lead with these things," said Mike Smolak, owner of Smolak Farms in North Andover. "And I don't like being hostage to oil-producing countries."

So last year, Smolak Farms invested in solar photovoltaic panels, about 80 of them, each about 2 feet by 6 feet. They are now converting sunlight into electricity on little-used south-facing farmland that is fast becoming one of the most productive fields since Smolaks started planting strawberries.

Smolak said the array of panels and hardware cost about $70,000, with some $30,000 coming from a Massachusetts Energy Collaborative grant. In return, Smolak estimates that from May to December the farm chops about 30 percent off its $2,500 monthly electric bill.

For Smolak, the new system offers more than financial rewards. On sunny summer days the panels produce more power than the farm can use, and the surplus is dumped into the public power grid, passing first through his electric meter.

"Nothing puts a smile on my face more than seeing that electric meter running backwards," he said.

Smolak isn't the only one smiling. With natural gas and gasoline prices jumping wildly in recent years, other Merrimack Valley farmers are looking for more reliable fuel sources.

Parlee's Pine Hill Nursery in Chelmsford has turned to old-time technology in its pursuit of alternative energy solutions. Three years ago the farm installed a wood-burning hot-water heater, which keeps the greenhouse warm enough to grow tropical plants year-round.

The wood comes from trees on 250 acres the farm owns, and the stove was shipped in from Minnesota manufacturer Central Boilers. Parlee's liked the system so much it became a distributor, and has since sold them to 10 other farms, according to business manager Bill Whitehouse.

The boiler and the installation cost about $10,000, Whitehouse said. Compared with the price Parlee's was paying for natural gas, the installation just made sense, Whitehouse said.

"We couldn't afford natural gas to heat the greenhouse anymore -- it was costing us $1,000 a month," he said. "Now we cut our own wood, and it doesn't cost us anything."

The search for alternative energy has valley dairy farmers also looking closer to home. They gathered this winter to investigate methods for extracting methane gas from cow manure, a system that works well on larger Midwest dairy farms.

Dairy farmers here say they think they could collaborate on a similar system, and are trying to fund a study to see whether it's possible, said Warren Shaw, owner of Shaw Farm dairy in Dracut.

"The problem in northeastern Massachusetts is that in small dairy farms like mine, we don't have the manpower to justify the expense," said Shaw. "But we'd be very interested in something that could make it work."

The state's Department of Agricultural Resources is ready to help, according to Gerry Palano, the agency's renewable energy coordinator. State farms are being surveyed to see what energy resources they have and what grant money is available to help the farms use them. There has been a lot of interest in methane gas conversion systems, Palano said.

"Products are coming out now that are more usable for the small farmer," he said. "We want to see how well the technology works and what it takes to own one of these products. With the high cost of the energy that these farms are using, if they can generate their own from methane and it's cost effective, it's clearly the way to go."

Other farms are taking advantage of other resources, Palano said. Cider Hill Farm in Amesbury has installed a windmill and has plans for more, he said. A Westfield farm is burning corn to heat its greenhouses.

"There are a couple of farms that have already gone out and done this kind of thing on their own," Palano said. "We want to find out what plans other farms might have and then try and see what grants or technical support and assistance we might offer them."

Smolak said he isn't done spending money to save on energy bills at his farm. Eventually, he wants to install a heat-exchange pump that can tap ground water to heat a house in the winter and cool it in the summer.

"That's my real aim for this whole array of solar panels, to power the heat pump," Smolak said.

He's not sure of the price and admits the addition to his alternative energy plan is a few years down the road. But the power is just there for the taking, and as utility bills soar it's time to take advantage, he said.

"It's environmentally sound, and it's something I've always believed in," he said. "My feeling is it's the right thing to do, and if it saves me money, great. If it helps the environment, great. I don't see any downside."