While agriculture is not yet being targeted in the Biden Administration’s push to curb methane emissions nationwide, some dairy farmers — including Ar-Joy Farms in Cochranville — are already taking steps to remediate the environmental threat. Katy Stech Ferek reported their efforts for The Wall Street Journal.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, livestock that includes beef and dairy cattle contribute about 27 percent of U.S. methane emissions; 10 percent of that pollutant comes from manure.

Ar-Joy is one of fewer than 300 farms nationwide that is combating the issue. Its owner-operators are installing “digesters” — sealed tanks that admit no oxygen, in which organic materials like manure safely decompose. Even better, the devices capture methane that can be sold as fuel.

The system’s million-dollar-plus price tag, however, puts it out of the reach of many farming operations.

But through the use of grants and savings, Marilyn Hershey, Ar-Joy’s co-owner, invested $3 million in a digester at her 800-cow dairy farm.

Still, she remains worried about possible costly regulations for farms in the future.

“The fear is that someone from Washington is going to make a decision even though they’ve never been on a farm, and that’s not right,” she said.

Read more about Ar-Joy Farms in The Wall Street Journal.