A few ways to find anaerobic digester designers/consultants: • Do research: Consult resources such as the U.S. EPA AgSTAR program www.epa.gov/agstar/ and your state department of agriculture and/or environmental protection. • Visit university Web sites on biogas production and manure management (such as the Pennsylvania State University biogas Web site at www.biogas.psu.edu/listdigandequip.html or the Cornell University manure management Web site at www.manuremanagement.cornell.edu/Consultant/List.aspx?Service=Designer • Contact other farms that have an anaerobic digester system in operation. Visit three farms, preferably with a digester that has been operating for at least two years. Ask detailed questions. • When asking for recommendations on designers/consultants from other digester system owners, some things you may want to find out are: * Why did you build a digester? * What are the most important steps you took in making your decision? * Who was the most helpful? Who wasn’t helpful? * How long did it take you to learn about, plan, and implement the construction of your digester? * How well were you able to work with the designer/consultant? * How satisfied are you with the digester system design and layout of all components? * Could you walk me through a typical day of operation? * What problems have you had? * How long did it take you to be comfortable with the digester and its operation? * Is there anything you would do differently? * Would you highly recommend the designer/consultant you used to design other on-farm anaerobic digester systems? Author: Deborah Topper, Pennsylvania State University

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