The number of American dairy farms capturing energy from manure has nearly tripled since the end of 2020, according to new data from the American Biogas Council (ABC).
There are now 496 dairy farms using anaerobic digestion to convert manure into renewable natural gas (RNG) or electricity, processing manure from approximately 2.5 million cows and putting more than 16 billion gallons of manure to beneficial use annually.
Total dairy biogas capture now stands at around 84 billion cubic feet (Bcf) per year — equivalent to roughly 52.3 million MMBtu, enough to power approximately 680,000 homes.
In 2025 alone, 38 farms came online, adding capacity for around 9 Bcf of annual biogas capture, supported by approximately $800 million in investment. Texas, Idaho and Wisconsin accounted for more than half of last year's investment activity. Nearly $4 billion has been committed to dairy biogas projects since 2020
Around 65% of operational systems upgrade captured biogas to RNG for injection into the gas grid, with the remaining 35% using it for on-site power and heat generation. Current systems also prevent the equivalent of approximately one million tonnes of methane emissions annually — comparable to removing around 5.9 million petrol cars from the road.
Despite the growth, the ABC estimates only around 14% of the potential US dairy biogas opportunity has been developed.
Looking at farms with at least 500 cows, a further 2,955 sites could support biogas systems. Full build-out of that remaining potential could yield an additional 186 Bcf annually, more than doubling current production.
US dairy biogas capacity nearly triples since 2020
