Dairy operation hopes to use methane from manure to generate electricity.

Byline: Eric Anderson

Jan. 27--BRUNSWICK -- If all goes well, a year from now Herrington Farms Inc. in rural Rensselaer County could be producing enough electricity to power more than 350 homes, as well as the farm buildings themselves.

The only gas it will use to do this will be the methane from the manure produced by the farm's 580 dairy cows and from crop and food wastes.

The price Herrington gets for its electricity could yield "significant potential income for the farm," said Stephen Hoyt, chief operating officer and project manager for Troy-based Saratoga Biogas LLC.

Essentially, the project could end up turning manure into money. …