St. Louis is a Hub of US Farm Production – St. Louis Agribusiness Club
In September, the St. Louis Agribusiness Club released their 2025 Economic Study of the agribusiness economic impact on the St. Louis region. For those of us in this region, it is validation of the passion we have for working in … Continue reading →
Anaerobic Digestion of Food Waste is Growing
New market demand for renewable natural gas (RNG), or biogenic methane, is growing. First, the EPA AgStar historical farm digester data was charted to illustrate the rapid recent growth in farm digesters. Next, the EPA Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) … Continue reading →
Historical Growth of Landfill Gas Projects in EPA LMOP Dataset
EPA’s Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) dataset is a foundation of the transformation of negative methane emissions into beneficial use of biogenic natural gas. This transition is robust, dynamic, and well documented. It has always been the older sibling to … Continue reading →
Farm Digesters are Busting Out All Over
This fun map from EPA, AgStar farm digester website gives a striking visual of the distribution of US farm digesters. The largest digesters are fewer than ten years old. This dataset was last updated in 2024. At that time there … Continue reading →
Cultivating Fuel on Farms and the Growth of the US Farm Digester Industry
Revenue-generating renewable methane is real and a growing industry. My encounter with MAAS Energy Works at Simpson University in Redding, California earlier this month, was a homecoming for Biomass Rules. The importance of this topic was reenforced with the American … Continue reading →
Just a Kid in a ‘Biogenic Methane’ Candy Store
While at visiting Simpson University’s Operation Management’s class last week, I received a welcomed education! The day I was visiting Simpson University’s Business Department, so was MAAS Energy Works. Wow! Such a happy convergence. Twenty years ago, through Biomass Rules, … Continue reading →
Lessons of Living Shared with Simpson University Macroeconomic Students
I really enjoyed spending a recent class period with macroeconomic students at Simpson University in Redding, California. Simpson is a private, faith-based college similar to Greenville University where I taught for eight years. One constant over my 45-year career, is … Continue reading →
Eight Percent of US Farms Are Associated with Renewable Energy
The farm-based renewable energy information in the 2022 Census of Agriculture is informative, but the data available is rather course. This Census data is not available anywhere but in the 2022 Census of Agriculture. It does not, however, include capacities … Continue reading →
2022 Census of Agriculture Farm Typology Volume 2 Has Arrived
The USDA released the initial 2022 Census of Agriculture files in February 2024. We had to wait 18 months to get the farm typology data released in August of 2025. It is the same data, but it is organized by … Continue reading →
Local Agribusiness Economic Study Delivered to St. Louis Agribusiness Club
Monday, September 22, 2025, the 2025 Agribusiness Economic and Jobs Study, 2025, results were presented to the St. Louis Agribusiness Club. The St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) agribusiness economic impact has grown since the last study in 2019. Based … Continue reading →