Digesters, genetics and why they started up the dairy again with George Dick from Dicklands Farm and Dicklands Biogas

Join host Kimmi Devaney and dairyman George Dick from Dicklands Farm and Dicklands Biogas in Chilliwack, British Columbia, for a conversation about building and managing a digester, their genetics strategy and the evolution of their facilities over the last four decades. 

Learn more about their digester by visiting their website. 

Episode breakdown:

• [~0:40] History of Dicklands Farm and what inspired the family to start dairying again in 1988
• [~1:35] Evolution of facilities from 1988 until now
• [~2:00] How robots have changed their farm
• [~4:50] How data from the robots and other technology is utilized in management decisions
• [~7:00] What they would change if they built new facilities today
• [~8:40] Genetics strategy
• [~12:05] Other genetic traits they are prioritizing
• [~13:50] When and why they added the digester
• [~16:10] The process of building a digester
• [~18:55] Where they get the food waste for the digester
• [~21:15] Receiving frozen products
• [~23:00] The most rewarding part of owning a digester
• [~24:35] Digester tours
• [~26:50] Tour FAQs
• [~28:30] Questions dairy producers should be asking when considering adding a digester to their operation
• [~31:15] Running a digester as a separate business with different employees
• [~32:00] Fertilizer pellet as a byproduct of the digester
• [~35:30] Rapid-fire questions