This project includes the installation of Maryland’s first small-scale anaerobic digester, known as Scalable Modular Anaerobic Recycling Technology, to convert dairy manure into energy. The system will generate up to 80 kW of electricity for the farm. Any excess electricity will be sold to the local utility. In addition, a manure solids separator will be installed to allow the farm to safely recycle leftover materials from the digestion process as bedding for heifers. Funding and technical support for the manure solids separator will be provided by the Cecil Soil Conservation District. Site design and permitting will begin in the summer of 2023. The project is estimated to be completed by fall 2024.  ​

Long Green Farms, Inc. is owned and operated by Caleb and Alice Crothers. It is Maryland’s oldest continually operating dairy farm and the 2022 recipient of the prestigious Aldo Leopold Conservation Award. Approximately 560 acres of the property are permanently protected as farmland with the Cecil Land Trust. ​