Pennsylvania looks to agricultural community for renewable energy. (News).

HARRISBURG, PA -- Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Acting Secretary Kathleen A. McGinty and Department of Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff on May 8 announced a $5 million initiative, Pennsylvania Energy Harvest, to help finance the implementation of clean and renewable energy technologies such as biomass and wind power that will help to improve air quality, preserve land, and protect local watersheds while providing economic opportunities for the state's agricultural community.

Farmers, legislators, representatives of the agricultural community, and environmental advocates attended the unveiling of the initiative at Rocky Knoll Farm, a 4500head hog farm that has been using a methane digester since 1985 to produce electricity. The digester generates about $3500 per month in income by processing manure from the hog operation and a limited amount of milk product residue from a nearby Frito-Lay factory.

The output from Pennsylvania's hogs and dairy cows can produce 631,000 MWh.

Aside from biodigesters, wind energy also provides a steady income through leases and royalty payments. Although leasing arrangements vary widely, a reasonable estimate for income to a farmer or landowner from a single utility-scale turbine is about $3000 a year. On a smaller scale, a 10-kilowatt wind ...