Farmer Becomes Tech Pioneer to Dairy Community

Ten years ago, Washington dairy farmer Steve Vander Haak decided to take a leap of faith.

He had been looking for a way to diversify his farm and to do good things for the environment. So, when an opportunity arose to partner with Washington State University and Andgar Corporation, he took it. Together, the dairy, university and developer built the state’s first digester – the first of its kind in the Western United States.

The partners’ investment in research, time and money paid off, resulting in digester technology that is more efficient, more cost-effective and more powerful. Today, the Vander Haak digester converts enough manure and food waste to produce renewable energy. The team continues to research advancements that one day will provide renewable energy and enormous environmental benefits to communities across the country.

Every new technology needs a pioneer, and that’s what Vander Haak Dairy did for the digester.

Together, World Wildlife Fund and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy are working to address these sustainability challenges and help feed a growing global population while maintaining a living planet. Since 2009, WWF and the Innovation Center have worked to advance mutual conservation goals and improve the environmental sustainability of the dairy industry. We are working together with the nation’s dairy farmers to develop, adopt and share new, science-based practices, leading to a more sustainable dairy industry.