LINN COUNTY, Iowa — Jason Russell's hog barn finished construction two decades ago, but the way it functions has changed since then — all because the way farmers use energy is evolving.
The smell of the 7,000-hog-filled barn reaches your nose the moment you drive up to the Russell Bros LLC farm, but that's not the first thing you'll notice rolling down the dirt road in rural Monticello, about 20 minutes northeast of Cedar Rapids.
The over-100-foot wind turbine, which was constructed in 2011, towers over the rest of the site, and for good reason. It's the power source of 75% of things needing electricity at the farm.
"My uncle always said, 'I am just sick and tired of being out in the wind doing chores,'" Russell said. "I want to get some good out of it."
The site's very open and doesn't have a lot of trees or tall buildings in the way, allowing 15 mph winds to whip through on average, making the farm an ideal location for wind energy.
The turbine needs 6 mph winds to spin, but shuts off completely during severe weather when winds get too high — around 56 mph — with the help of some technology.
The energy created by the turbine flows through a system to a meter which then supplies electricity to the farm. With high wind in surplus, there's sometimes extra energy to go around, and the farm shares it with surrounding consumers of the energy grid.
Aside from Russell's wind turbine, solar panels taking up one-third acre of land source the other 25% of electricity on site.
Out of all power created on the farm, Russell said "we're generating 96% of our own [renewable] electricity on this place."
The renewable energy sources leave Russell without an energy bill 11 out of the 12 months of the year. He said October is when they tend to have to pay for electricity due to slower wind speeds and the weather.
"I think we're winning because almost no electric bill, and we've got wind and solar, so we're kind of hedging our bets as far as what Mother Nature's gonna deliver to us for renewable energy that way," Russell said.
The site consumes as much power as 30 suburban homes on average, Russell explained, since the farm takes up a lot of space and has lots of machinery using electricity.
Aside from powering most of the farm on wind and solar energies, Russell Bros LLC use liquid hog manure as fertilizer on their farming land for crops they grow. Russell said they allocate 25% of their land to grow corn and the other 75% for soybeans.
"We try and do a few different things to diversify our income streams," he said.
Russell's choice to use renewable, clean energy sources has earned his farm many accolades, including environmental stewardship and National Pork Producers Council awards.