From cow poop to power

MONROE — It’s 193 feet long, 80 feet wide and 17 feet deep, and its belly used to be filled with milk.

Now, this milk tank is holding more than 1 million gallons of another product from cows: manure.

Burbling away inside that tank is a hope that it can save local dairy farms, keep streams cleaner and make energy.

Snohomish County’s first biogas plant — located at the old Honor Farm in the rural Tualco Valley — is starting to do just that.

A biogas plant harnesses the methane gas in manure, which can be burned to create electricity.

Dairies send cow manure to the plant through underground pipes. The pipes all lead to a vat of twirling, swirling bovine excrement.

“Yeah, that’s a hole you don’t want to get in,” said Dale Reiner, a cattle rancher who has spent thousands of unpaid hours on the project.

That milk tank is now a biodigester, which separates methane gas from the manure. The gas heads to a generator. The leftovers get a new life: The liquid returns to the fields as a nutrient-rich soil amendment and the leftover fiber gets mixed with biosolids from Monroe and turned into compost that can be sold.

The plant has been glugging away since December, producing enough energy to power hundreds of homes continuously, Reiner said. The nonprofit group behind the biogas plant, Qualco Energy, just signed a contract to sell power to Puget Sound Energy. The plant, paid for by loans and grants, cost about $4 million.

“I do it because I really believe in agriculture,” Reiner said. “We don’t have great big farms — we have a whole lot of little farms and most farmers don’t have enough income to be able to hire research and development people. So it has to come from somewhere.”

He believes this is one way to save dairies, which have struggled against fluctuating milk prices, industry concentration, urban sprawl and limits on waste disposal.

Dairies limit herd size because of the cow’s waste and the biogas plant is a way to dispose of it, Reiner said.

“They want the ability to add more cows without worrying about the land,” he said.

The more cows dairies can keep, the more milk they can sell. Three dairies have signed contracts to work with the plant. If the three add 1,700 cows, they could gross $6.4 million annually. And that helps everyone from the driver who hauls the milk to the company that makes the milk cartons, Reiner said. His organization has estimated the economic benefit to the community at $19.7 million.

“That pays taxes, puts people to work and builds schools,” he said.

The Tulalip Tribes, one of the partners in the nonprofit, want something too: cleaner streams and healthier salmon runs. Runs have declined and boats sit dry-docked on the edge of Tulalip Bay. Dealing with dairy waste upstream is one method for helping the fish, Reiner said.

The Honor Farm, 277 acres of fields and farm buildings, used to belong to the reformatory in Monroe. The state signed it over to the tribes.

The tribes receive no direct economic benefit from the venture.

“They get nothing out of it,” he said. “They’re interested in clean water and they want farmers. They’ve said they’d rather have cows than condos.”

The other partners behind this venture are dairy farmers and environmentalists. It seems like a disparate group, Reiner said, but it’s working.

“We got looking at our similarities rather than differences,” he said. “We discovered we had more in common with independent fishermen and farmers than other segments of our society.”

Debra Smith: 425-339-3197, dsmith@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Olivia Vanni / The Herald 
The Mukilteo Lighthouse. Built in 1906, it’s one of the most iconic landmarks in Snohomish County.
The Mukilteo Lighthouse. Built in 1906, it’s one of the most iconic landmarks in Snohomish County. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Mukilteo mayor vetoes council-approved sales tax

The tax would have helped pay for transportation infrastructure, but was also set to give Mukilteo the highest sales tax rate in the state.

South County Fire plans push-in ceremony for newest fire engine

Anybody who attends will have the opportunity to help push the engine into the station.

Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring gives the state of the city address at the Marysville Civic Center on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024, in Marysville, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Marysville council approves interim middle housing law

The council passed the regulations to prevent a state model code from taking effect by default. It expects to approve final rules by October.

x
State audit takes issue with Edmonds COVID grant monitoring

The audit report covered 2023 and is the third since 2020 that found similar issues with COVID-19 recovery grant documentation.

Bothell
Bothell man pleads guilty to sexual abuse of Marysville middle schoolers

The man allegedly sexually assaulted three students in exchange for vapes and edibles in 2022. His sentencing is set for Aug. 29.

Larsen talks proposed Medicaid cuts during Compass Health stop in Everett

Compass Health plans to open its new behavioral health center in August. Nearly all of the nonprofit’s patients rely on Medicaid.

A car drives past a culvert blocked by grass along 123rd Avenue NE on Wednesday, July 16, 2025 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Little Pilchuck salmon project gets boost from $4.6M state grant

Washington’s Recreation and Conservation Office announced Tuesday that Snohomish… Continue reading

Community members gather for the dedication of the Oso Landslide Memorial following the ten-year remembrance of the slide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
The Daily Herald garners 6 awards from regional journalism competition

The awards recognize the best in journalism from media outlets across Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.

Image provided by Snohomish County PUD
The three potential routes for a new transmission line between Maltby and Paradise. Construction is set to begin in 2028.
Snohomish County PUD plans open house to discuss new transmission line

The public utility will discuss three possible routes on July 31 for a new line between Maltby and Paradise.

From left to right, Lynnwood City Council Position 3 candidates Josh Binda, Tyler Hall and Bryce Owings.
Position 3 candidates focus on affordability amid city’s growth

City Council Vice President Josh Binda is seeking a second term against challengers Tyler Hall and Bryce Owings.

Traffic slows as it moves around the bend of northbound I-5 through north Everett on Wednesday, May 22, 2024. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Paving project will close I-5 lanes in Everett

Crews will close up to 4 lanes overnight for weeks to complete the $8.1 million repairs.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Snohomish in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Snohomish man, who trained extremists, sentenced for illegal gun possession

An FBI investigation revealed Benton posted violent extremist content, neo-Nazi propaganda, and anti-Semitic materials on social media.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.