January 3, 2011
In Madison, Wisconsin, the Fountain Prairie Inn and Farm offers their visitors a unique experience on their 280 acre property. The landowners, John and Dorothy Priske, take pride in considering their land to be an ecological treasure and operate their family farm on the principles of sustainable farming.
Sustainable farming is a growing trend in agricultural practice. Its foundation lies in the farmer’s ability to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainable farming consists of raising food for consumers and animals that is healthy and organic, thereby protecting the environment, respecting animals, making the farm a humane work environment, and providing a fair wage to the farmer.
The majority of the Priske’s farming business stems from their cattle operation, which offers Berkshire pork and their trademark grass-fed Highland Beef. John and Dorothy decided years ago that, “The best use of our land was not in the crop we could sell, but in the importance of providing habitat for our animals.” They have since restored sixty acres of their tall grass prairie and wetlands, using this acreage to graze their naturally-raised Scottish Highland cows. The restored acreage also provides a haven for many species of birds and wildlife that have been driven out of other nearby areas by industrial agriculture.
A few years ago the Priske’s were made aware of the available federal and state incentives to assist investments in renewable energies. As a result, Fountain Prairie Inn and Farms began to investigate the viability of switching to a renewable energy source. A wind assessment of their property measured an average wind speed of 12.5 mph (5.5 m/s). Subsequent to the wind assessment, the Priske’s commenced an investigation of the wind turbine market. Their research began with smaller turbines. These would produce sufficient energy to run their farm, but would not meet the needs of future growth, nor would they match John’s belief that, “Anything worth doing is worth overdoing!” Further investigation of the market led the Priskes to conclude that the Endurance E-3120 50kW wind turbine would be best suited to their needs. “Our choice for an Endurance wind turbine was due to the turbine’s modern engineering and design, as opposed to the other rebuilt models available on the market,” stated John. The turbine is also ideally suited for the wind regime on their farm.
The Priskes received two grants toward the installation of their turbine - one from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Program and another from Wisconsin’s Focus on Energy program. Together, the grants reduced their expenditure on the turbine to just one third of the total installed cost.
Throughout the wind turbine installation process, John and Dorothy worked with Andrew Herr, a Wind Specialist for Seventh Generation. Seventh Generation is affiliated with a sister non-profit renewable energy organization, whose mission statement, “Putting into modern practice the ancient Native American philosophy that the decisions we make today should result in a sustainable world seven generations into the future,” resembles the principles of sustainable farming.
The Priske turbine was installed on a 140 foot lattice tower, and commissioned on September 24, 2010. In the second month of operation it produced 11,398 kWh, peaking with a production of 1396 kWh in one 24 hour period. It produces 50% more power than the farm uses, and all of the power is sold back to their local power company at a wholesale rate.
In the fall in which their wind turbine was installed, the Priskes were awarded the Wisconsin Conservation Farmer of the Year Award in part for integrating renewable energy with their sustainable farming practices. “Fountain Prairie demonstrates how all the 2 elements of sustainability can be put together on one farm,” said Micheal Vickerman, Executive Director of RENEW Wisconsin.
By using a clean, renewable energy source on their farm, the Priske’s Endurance wind turbine reduced their dependence on fossil fuels and helped the Priske’s to operate their farm with a more sustainable energy option in the future. Their E-3120 is “green energy that works!”
© 2013, Endurance Wind Power.
www.endurancewindpowerinc.com
Posted by admin on January 3, 2011
