Giant Dairy Community

Giant Dairy Community ENERGY Alternative Fuels 27-4-5 Plans are in the works to build a nearly 2,000-acre gated community in the Mojave Desert of California to house 600 dairy farmers and their families alongside about 90,000 head of cattle. Planned by two California businessmen, the giant dairy community aims to produce electricity in a big way, along with dairy products. Methane digesters will turn manure into 50 megawatts of electricity. While digesters aren't new, they've never been used on so large a scale before. Total cost of the proposed development is $1 billion and will include 30 dairy farms built from scratch, each with 3,000 cows. Each farm will be located on a 1,920-acre irrigated chunk of land. Even supporters concede putting 90,000 Holsteins in the midst of the desert is unusual. Nevertheless, the project is being propelled by two powerful political currents: the need to reduce agricultural pollution and the need to diversify and expand California's sources of electricity. (AP)

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