River View Farms, Inc., will be the first poultry farm to install the LWR manure treatment system. The company is a large producer of poultry and eggs, located in the heart of Orange County, IN. River View is owned and operated by the Johnson family, a diversified family farm consisting of swine, poultry and grain divisions.
River View Farms, once a small farming and livestock operation, produces chickens to replace hens in laying farms, farrow to finish hogs and turkeys. It also grows corn, soybeans and wheat crops.
The LWR System, slated for installation in the spring of 2016, will treat manure from the main sow facility and hog finishing barns. The clean water will be applied to crop land by center pivot. In total, the system will process approximately 4,000,000 gallons of manure annually.
As a family-owned farm, one of the main goals of the operation is to keep the business viable for the fourth generation. “Our primary concern is to keep this business healthy for future generations. In order to remain a successful family operation, we needed to invest in technology that will allow us to grow as we look towards the future” says co-owner Aaron Johnson.
“This farming operation has thrived because of a shared vision” says LWR President Ross Thurston. “They are innovators in an ever-changing industry, and we are excited to be a key piece of the puzzle that will allow River View Farms to remain sustainable for the fourth and fifth and hopefully sixth generation of farmers in this family.”
River View Farms will also be the first to integrate the LWR System with a gasification unit. The gasifier will operate using a mixture of LWR solids from hog slurry combined with poultry manure. This equipment addition increases the project eligibility for input tax credits, as the gasifier will generate electricity from the LWR solids. The LWR liquid nutrient will also be further concentrated in the gasifier.
“By combining the LWR System with a gasifier, we expect a better rate of return and an easier by-product to be sold or applied to our fields that will replace the nutrients absorbed by silage and hay” says Johnson. “Not only will we maximize our nutrient value, but we will significantly reduce the volume of manure we are left to manage, not to mention the benefits of eliminating the odor!”
“By merging these two technologies, River View Farms will gain all of the benefits of the LWR System while achieving control over their energy production. This is an exciting project and one that positions them very well for the future.” adds Thurston.
