SHEPHERD – The owner of Yellowstone Cattle Feeders in Shepherd is planning to construct a barn to house cattle indoors, enhancing efficiency for the livestock by enabling the collection of methane and management of fertilizer.
This will be a groundbreaking facility for cattle in the United States, adding more value to mature cattle.
“The management of manure waste is our focus,” stated Craig Scott, business development director at Bion Environmental Technologies. “We aim to turn manure into valuable resources.”
Yellowstone Cattle Feeders is leveraging manure by partnering with Bion to improve the collection of animal waste and convert it into high-quality fertilizer.
“This modern technology involves feeding cattle in a barn-style environment where manure can be collected through slots and directed to a digester,” explained Turk Stovall, owner of Yellowstone Cattle Feeders. “Bion Technologies will then convert the digester waste into premium organic fertilizer.”
Stovall, also the owner and CEO of Stovall Ranching Companies, aims to start with the construction of a large indoor facility capable of housing up to 15,000 cattle.
The facility will facilitate the indoor collection and processing of manure into fertilizer, with methane utilized for natural gas production and clean water generation.
“We clean our pens by removing manure, which is then stockpiled and provided to local farmers as fertilizer,” Stovall described the current operations.
“Our proprietary technology focuses on efficiently handling the ammonia produced in the anaerobic digester,” Scott explained. “Ammonia is a key ingredient in this process.”
Bion has successfully implemented this process in the hog, poultry, and dairy industries, resulting in healthier and more productive animals.
The barns will help contain ammonia emissions, contributing to better land stewardship practices.
“This initiative presents a business opportunity while also advancing our commitment to responsible land management,” Stovall noted.
