Biogas plant at Ala-Marttila farm: Producing energy, fuel and fertilizer

A Climate Farm Demo event was held at Ala-Marttila Farm in Southern Ostrobothnia, Finland. This mixed dairy and pig farm produces 1.9 million litres of milk, 360,000 kg of pig meat, and its own renewable energy thanks to an on-farm biogas plant. Faced with rising energy costs, the farm invested in biogas technology to transform manure into electricity, heat and compressed biogas (CBG) for vehicles. Today, the farm produces more energy than it consumes and sells the surplus to the grid. The process also creates digestate, a nutrient-rich fertilizer with a high nitrogen availability—an important advantage in Finland’s short growing season. The farm is further improving sustainability by developing a low-impact spreading system to reduce soil compaction. Through ClimateFarmDemo events, Matti Marttila shares his experience to inspire other farmers and promote knowledge exchange.