Smithfield Foods, Roeslein Alternative Energy form JV to produce renewable energy
Monarch Bioenergy builds upon the first phase of Smithfield and RAE’s “manure-to-energy” project across nine Smithfield farms in northern Missouri.
Smithfield Foods, Inc., Smithfield, Va., and Roeslein Alternative Energy (RAE), St. Louis, Mo., formed a joint venture called Monarch Bioenergy to produce renewable natural gas (RNG) across Smithfield’s hog farms in Missouri. This partnership converts manure collected from Smithfield farms into RNG, while simultaneously delivering ecological services and developing wildlife habitat. Once complete, all Smithfield company-owned finishing farms in Missouri will have the infrastructure to produce RNG, resulting in approximately 1.3 million dekatherms of RNG annually, which is the equivalent to eliminating 130,000 gasoline vehicles.
“This joint venture represents our continued commitment to doing business in a way that is good for our planet and its people,” says Kenneth Sullivan, president and CEO of Smithfield Foods. “This innovative collaboration creates value for our company and our partners, and benefits the environment as we work to feed the world’s growing population.”