Ferme Geranik

In St-Albert Ontario, you will find Ferme Geranik, a first-generation farm started by Gérald and his wife, Anne-Marie Benoît. The Benoîts bought the farm in May 1977, and hope to one day pass it on to their two sons Jasmin and Christian. Ferme Geranik has 250 heads of Holstein cattle, 135 of which are dairy cows as well as 480 acres of soy, corn, hay and 80 acres of cashcrop. Ferme Geranik is also part of a cheese co-op, which produces a variety of local cheeses from the farm's dairy.

Wanting to diversify their farm, the Benoîts knew that having an anaerobic digester (AD) would allow them to generate a second income without having to expand their operation. “It was also about converting farm organic waste into two other usable products: fertilizer and energy,” said Gérald Benoît. In fact, 5,000 tonnes of manure and 5,000 tonnes of organic waste per year are diverted from the landfill and converted into energy and digestate at Ferme Geranik. It also allows the Benoîts to save on energy costs for their farm. “When installing a biogas system, you need to ask a lot of questions! Inform yourself, visit a lot of farms and be patient, because it takes time,” said Gérald Benoît when asked about how the family proceeded to incorporate a biogas system. With the help and guidance of CH-Four Biogas, construction began on the farm's AD in April 2009. Ferme Geranik's AD started producing biogas and heating a few of the farm's buildings, but it wasn't until this past September when they connected to the Hydro One grid that the Benoîts were able to start generating a second revenue. This allowed the Benoîts to employ a new farm employee to help with farming duties, as well as reduce the cost of energy, as they are currently sending 5,000 to 6,000 kW per day to the grid. Ferme Geranik's 1,000 m3 AD is connected to a 2G generator of 374 kW (electrical) and 500 kW (thermal). To maximize production, the Benoîts installed and connected a hydrolyzer to the AD this past fall.

The hydrolyzer allows the organic waste consisting of manure and fats, oils and grease from local restaurants, to pre-decompose before transferring to the AD. This allows for an improved digestion process, therefore producing more biogas. Once this new system will be fully functional, the Benoîts expect to reach full capacity of power production, approximately 8,000 kW per day. In addition to the electricity, heat produced by the generator is used to heat the hydrolyzer, AD, and the farm's buildings including the hot water supply. The Benoîts apply the highly nutritive liquid portion of the digestate to the farm's fields. Having overcome the challenges of certain unexpected occurrences in construction; reserving a place on the grid; and connection to the grid, the Benoîts are happy to have their digester running since it is providing greater security for the farm's future, as they hope to pass it on to their sons.