Farm Power News and Events
** View Construction History at the Tillamook Site **
Recent Events
In March, 2012 Farm Power Tillamook was featured in articles published by Oregon Public Broadcasting and the US Department of Agriculture
One February 9, 2012 The Sustainable Business Oregon published an article on Farm Power's investment in northwest communities.
One June 5, 2011 The Seattle Times ran a feature article on Kevin Maas and Farm Power.
On April 7, 2011 The Capital Press reported on Farm Power's third digester project: Rainier Biogas, in King County, Washington. After years in development by others, and another year or two assisted by Farm Power, local dairy farmers will finally have a community digester. We hope to get started on construction soon.
In December, 2010 KVOS TV 12 in Bellingham ran a segment on Farm Power Lynden's startup.
On October 28, 2010The Bellingham Herald published an article on Farm Power Lynden's upcoming completion. Also, the Skagit Valley Herald published an article on Farm Power's successful investor offering.
On August 27, 2010The Capital Press ran an article on Farm Power's second project, Farm Power Lynden.
On August 4, 2010 The Skagit Valley Herald ran an article on the front page of the business section describing Farm Power's ongoing public investor offering.
On August 2, 2010 The Northwest Business Monthly ran a cover feature on Farm Power's continued growth.
On June 28th, 2010 Farm Power held a ground breaking ceremony at its second project, Farm Power Lynden, in Whatcom County, Washington. The facility will generate 750 kW of renewable electricity for sale to the grid, while also supplying its waste thermal energy to heat a nearby four-acre greenhouse. See pictures of the event here.
On March 13, 2010 Bellingham's KVOS TV 12 aired an "Experience Northwest" TV segment on Farm Power's Rexville digester. The piece includes lots of footage from our site and a detailed description of how the facility works.
On September 28, 2009 Farm Power hosted the official opening of our Rexville facility near Mount Vernon. The ceremony was attended by many our of our friends of neighbors, as well as Puget Sound Energy CEO Steve Reynolds and Governor Chris Gregoire. (photo #1, photo #2).
On August 30, 2009 Farm Power generated it's first watt of electrcity! After two years of planning and construction, we fired up our generator and began making clean power. You can see pictures of the startup on Bob Raymond's page.
On May 30, 2009 On Farm Power hosted a public tour of the Rexville Digester. Here are some pictures of the event. Everyone is invited to our public next tour this Saturday, June 27 at 1030. Please meet at the Rexville Grocery.
On May 4, 2009 Farm Power co-founder Daryl Maas spoke on a panel at the Washington Energy Summit, hosted by the Washington Department of Commerce (CTED). The summit was Washington's effort to design a strategy to employ energy funds from the federal stimulus bill and Daryl was invited to represent the experiences of small renewable energy developers. The video of the conference is available and Daryl's segment can be found in the second video on the page beginning at 1:04:10.
On April 28, 2009 Farm Power received a state permit to offer investments in our company to the general public. See the main page for more detail. This does not constitute an offer to sell securities or a solicitation of an offer to buy securities. Offers are made by offering circular only.
On April 22, 2009 Governor Gregoire signed SSB 5797. This bill was Farm Power's main legislative priority during the 2009 session in Olympia. It clarifies the rules for anaerobic digestion and ensures that our facilities can process certain safe, energy-rich organic wastes without triggering too much new regulation. You can read about the bill and see a picture of the signing in this article, or you can watch the signing on You Tube. We are very grately to the many supporters that helped us pass this bill.
On March 18, 2009 Farm Power received the Skagit County Startup Business of the Year Award from Northwest Business Montly. Read our finalist profile here (have to page down).
On October 28, 2008 we held our ground breaking ceremony at the Rexville site. Over 140 people attend to show support for farming and renewable energy production in the Skagit Valley. Pictures and details are on our ground breaking page. Cookson Beecher of the Capital Press also wrote an article on the event. So did Sara Stroud of Sustainable Industries Journal, here. Full scale excavation begins on October 30th and the facility is estimated to be online by next summer. Construction site visits should be made through contacting our office.
On October 27, 2008 KPLU's Liam Moriarty ran a segment on the scheduled ground breaking this morning, you can listen to it here.
On August 27, 2008 The USDA announced the award of a $500,000 Renewable Energy Grant to Farm Power Rexville, our first project subsidiary. The grant, which also includes a $575,000 loan guarantee, nearly completes Farm Power Rexville's funding package. Click here to view the story in the Skagit Valley Herald or here for the Capital Press, here for Congressman Rick Larsen's press release, or here for the complete list of recipients.
On August 12, KOMO 4 News environmental reporter Robert Santos featured the Farm Power Rexville digester project and farms in his report. Click here to view the segment (7MB). If your computer can't view Windows Media, try this clip in mpeg format (12MB, with text on screen from trial software).
On August 13, 2008 Farm Power founders Kevin and Daryl Maas presented to the public at Skagit Beat the Heat, the Skagit County's leading climate change citizens' group.
On May 31, 2008 Governor Chris Gregoire met with Skagit Valley farmers. Farm Power Founders Kevin and Daryl Maas had a chance to discuss their project with her, and she's now on record saying, "I want that digester to work." The full story is here.
On April 24, 2008 Puget Sound Energy announced an agreement to purchase Farm Power's electricity. You can read the press release here. KPLU's Liam Moriarty did a short piece about the project that you can listen to here, and you can also view television coverage of the announcement from KOMO 4, KIRO 7, and Nothwest Cable News.
On March 31, 2008 Farm Power attended Governor Gregoire's signing of SB 6806, which provides six years of property tax exemption for digesters in Washington--the same exemption previously given to ethanol and biodiesel facilties. The bill was written and sponsored by our own 10th Legislative District Senator Mary Margaret Haugen. Click here for pictures of Kevin and Daryl Maas with the Governor at the signing.
Farm Power Blog
Deeper thoughts on Farms and Power by Kevin Maas
Dairies Get Their Manure Together by Steve Brown, The Capital Press, April 7, 2011
Turning Waste into Renewable Energy by Tamara Anderson-Loucks Pipkin, Northwest Business Monthly, August, 2010
Manure-to-Methane Firm Wants to Generate New Investment by Whitney Pipkin, Skagit Valley Herald, August 4, 2010
Brothers Kicking up a Stink by Benjamin Romano, Rechargenews.com, November 27, 2009
Deriving Power from Manure by Rick Wood, Stanwood/Camano News, June 23, 2009
State Investment Program May Help Small Businesses by Dave Gallagher, Bellingham Herald, June 21, 2009.
NEC Assists Renewable Energy Companies by Nancy Jordan, Bellingham Business Journal, May, 2009.
Proponents Hail Digester Reform by Cookson Beecher, Capital Press, April 30, 2009.
Farm Power Northwest (page down to our profile) by Rachel Robertson, Northwest Business Monthly, March, 2009
Manure Provides Green Power in Monroe by Rami Grunbaem, Seattle Times, March 15, 2009
Manure Digester Bill Clears Senate Skagit Valley Herald, March 3, 2009
Dairymen Fight for Right to Digest Food Waste by Cookson Beecher, Capital Press, January 22, 2009
Digester Project Targets Small Farms by Sara Stroud, Sustainable Industries Journal, October 31, 2008
Backers Celebrate Dairy Digester Project by Cookson Beecher, Capital Press, October 30, 2008
Multi-Farm Digester Gains Funding by Cookson Beecher, Capital Press, September 12, 2008
Farm Power Receives $500,000 Grant, Skagit Valley Herald, August 29, 2008
Turning Cow Pies Into Cash by Rachel Robertson, Northwest Business Monthly, June, 2008
4 Dairies to Join Manure Digester Project by Cookson Beecher, Capital Press, June 6, 2008. (Videos may be available here)
Gov to Farmers: "How are We Doing?" by Cookson Beecher, Capital Press, June 6, 2008.
"Manure - It's a Good Thing" Senator Mary Margaret Haugen's Press Release, April 1, 2008. (despite what this otherwise excellent article says, Kevin and Daryl are not farmers. Also, the $200,000 estimate should refer to bedding costs on all four farms, not just one)
"Waste not Wasted" by Josh Lintereur, Skagit Valley Herald, July 27, 2007.
"Cashing in on Global Warming" by Josh Lintereur, Skagit Valley Herald, December 27, 2007.