North Lawrence, NY – LF Bioenergy has successfully operated the Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) facility at Stauffer Farms in Upstate New York for well over a year. This project transforms dairy cow manure into clean, sustainable energy, while reducing the farm’s environmental footprint and minimizing odor.
A multigenerational, family owned farm with a longstanding commitment to sustainable agriculture, Stauffer Farms initially partnered with LF to modernize its manure management system in 2022. “We designed the system to integrate with the farm’s operations,” said President and CEO Brent Lilienthal. For example, the Stauffers prefer to bed their cows on sand for optimal comfort, and we sourced a technology provider capable of accommodating this preference with a sand-manure separation system. The manure is converted to biogas by the anaerobic digesters, and the sand is washed and reused to deliver an added environmental benefit.
LF’s projects yield marketable RNG and provide multiple environmental and financial benefits:
- Help farmers achieve carbon neutrality by converting methane — a naturally occurring, detrimental GHG — into biogas;
- Eliminate the need to dispose of cow manure;
- Optimize the farm’s water use; and
- Depending on how the digestate (anaerobic digestion coproduct) is used, many farmers end up being able to save money on supplies like fertilizer, bedding and compost. Some farmers even find additional revenue streams through the sale of those supplies to others.
The dairy farm’s surrounding community benefits from a significant reduction in the odor, air emissions and water quality concerns often associated with cow manure on modern, large-scale operations.
Lilienthal emphasized, “Climate change is top of mind with consumers globally. LF is committed to continuing to invest in sustainable projects like Stauffer Farms to help combat climate change and reduce overall environmental impact, doing our part for the planet. Projects like these not only produce a cleaner fuel (RNG) but also lower the farm’s carbon footprint.” LF’s facility at Stauffer Farms produces approximately 130,000 MMBtu of RNG annually. Based on EPA estimates*, this output offsets GHG emissions equivalent to removing 18,200 vehicles from the road each year. Another way of looking at it is, this reduction is comparable to the annual carbon sequestration of 89,279 acres of U.S. forests.
In an upcoming series of posts, we’ll take you behind the scenes to explore the farm and the RNG facility in action. You’ll meet the dedicated team behind the project, learn about our cutting-edge technology, and get a glimpse of life on the farm. We’ll also highlight the positive impact of the RNG project on North Lawrence and other surrounding communities.
Stay tuned as we embark on this journey at the intersection of agriculture and clean energy.
*Estimated using EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator for annual avoided methane emissions
About LF Bioenergy (www.lfbioenergy.com): LF is an emerging leader in the development, construction and operation of renewable natural gas (RNG) production facilities on U.S. dairy farms. With a management team that combines leadership experience from the dairy, energy and agriculture industries and financial backing from Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) and Cresta Fund Management, LF partners with dairy farmers to ensure each project positively impacts the farm’s sustainability goals, operations and financial success.