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Noblehurst Farms, Inc.

Noblehurst Farms, Inc., of Linwood, is a large commercial dairy operation located in Livingston County.

In the construction of a new 16,660 square foot milking parlor, state-of-the-art upgrades were incorporated into the plan. They included:

• Well water heat exchange to pre-cool milk
• Metal halide lighting
• Manure digestion system

Milk cooling is traditionally done using mechanical refrigeration. To reduce electricity costs, a pre-cooling system using ground-coupled heat pumps is being installed. Rather than cool milk using electricity, it is first cooled with well water, which is generally around 50-55°F year round.

Constant lighting is important for milk production, especially during the dark winter months, and the lights in the milking parlor are in operation for long hours. By installing metal halide lighting, which provides better light output at lower cost, Noblehurst Farms was further able to reduce the overall cost of operation.

A manure digester aids in the conversion of cow manure into methane, ensuring an uninterrupted supply of fuel. Noblehurst Farms has realized a yearly savings of $50,000 since implementing the manure digestion system. This translates into electricity savings of 172,200 kWh/yr.

The project was paid for by a number of sources, including both private and public loans, as well as incentives from the State.