As input costs rise and market volatility persists, forward-thinking beef producers are searching for ways to extract maximum value from every corner of their operations. In Broken Bow, Neb., a historic partnership is proving that the next major revenue driver for cattle feedlots isn’t just beef — it’s Renewable Natural Gas (RNG).
On Aug. 26, 2026, Neogenyx Fuels and Adams Land & Cattle broke ground on a massive, state-of-the-art agricultural RNG facility. Designed to turn livestock waste into clean energy, this nearly $300 million project shows beef producers nationwide how to turn a daily management challenge into a highly profitable, circular asset.
The groundbreaking ceremony marks a swift transition from plans to reality — Neogenyx Fuels first announced the construction in May 2026. At the time, Adams Land & Cattle shared its excitement on Facebook: “We’re excited to announce a major step forward for Adams Land & Cattle and our commitment to sustainability.”
The facility will deploy eight anaerobic digesters to process cattle manure, generating more than 4,400 standard cubic feet per minute (SCFM) of biogas. Once upgraded to pipeline-quality RNG, the plant will yield approximately 1.2 million MMBtu annually — an energy output equivalent to roughly 10.5 million gallons of gasoline.
The environmental impact is equally staggering: by capturing methane before it escapes, the project is expected to avoid nearly 64,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year. That is equivalent to the carbon sequestered by approximately 64,000 acres of U.S. forestland over the same period.
How Does the Project Benefit Beef Producers?
Instead of manure acting strictly as an operational cost and environmental liability, this project converts it into a high-value energy source. Furthermore, it retains key agricultural nutrients to be reused onsite as organic fertilizer and livestock bedding.
The Economics of Methane
For decades, agriculture has been defined by food production. In recent years, the ethanol boom added fuel to that legacy. Today, beef producers are stepping directly into the utility and energy sector.
At the groundbreaking, Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen captured this evolution of the cattle industry, saying: “We’ve evolved to food and with the extraordinary work within the ethanol industry, fuel. So Nebraska agriculture’s food, fuel and holy cow, energy.”
For Adams Land & Cattle, a family-owned business that started as a small dairy farm in 1945, pushing into energy was a natural next step.
Adams Land & Cattle CEO Abram Babcock emphasizes survival in modern agriculture requires a culture of innovation: “It’s never staying stagnant. It’s always challenging the status quo, which is really ingrained in our culture.”
Rebuilding the Feedlot for Efficiency
One of the biggest hurdles beef producers face when considering biogas is the logistics of manure collection. To make the anaerobic digesters feed-ready, Adams Land & Cattle initiated a massive transformation of its south feedlot.
Beginning in 2025, Adams Land & Cattle launched a three-year project to rebuild its feedlot pens using roller compacted concrete (RCC). Once completed, the south feedlot will have a capacity of 150,400 cattle.
The advantages of RCC pens include:
- Improved Pen Conditions: Drastically reduces dust and mud, which improves cattle health and weight gain.
- Optimal Manure Harvesting: Creates a smooth, hard surface perfectly suited for the scrapers and manure collection systems that feed the eight anaerobic digesters.
- Nutrient Recovery: Allows the operation to separate and recover vital nutrients. Solids are returned to the pens as clean bedding, while liquid digestate is applied as nutrient-dense crop fertilizer.
As Babcock notes, keeping nutrients local was just as important as producing the gas. “That’s pretty cool,” he says. “I started talking about this project to see about the opportunity to create renewable natural gas but also keeping all those nutrients. This facility allows us to build on our day-to-day operations while delivering environmental and economic benefits close to home.”
Diversifying Markets: Connecting Local Feedlots to Global Demand
Historically, the market for biogas has been localized. However, this facility is designed with the global energy transition in mind. The pipeline-quality RNG produced in Broken Bow has a direct pathway to be liquefied into Bio-LNG (liquefied biomethane) to fuel the international maritime shipping industry.
“This is more than just a renewable energy plant,” says Michael Bakas, Neogenyx Fuels CEO. “It’s a one-of-a-kind model that demonstrates how American agriculture can participate in emerging global energy markets. Renewable natural gas produced from livestock manure here in rural Nebraska has the potential to become bio-LNG fuel for international shipping, connecting local agricultural producers to growing global demands for low carbon fuels.”
The partnership between Neogenyx Fuels and ALCC represents a blueprint for the future of the cattle sector. It serves as an example that environmental stewardship and bottom-line profitability do not have to be at odds.
