A Minnesota Dairy Farm Joins the RNG Revolution

Wagner Dairy has been a family operation in Litchfield, Minnesota, since 1887. As of June 4, 2026, it's also a renewable energy project

Vanguard Renewables celebrated the groundbreaking of its newest anaerobic digestion facility that day, built through its 50/50 joint venture with TotalEnergies. The plant will process more than 300 tonnes of food and beverage waste per day, converting organics that would otherwise go to landfill into pipeline-quality renewable natural gas and nutrient-rich fertilizer

Once operational, the facility will produce approximately 270,000 MMBtu of RNG annually, enough for around 5,300 homes. CenterPoint Energy will purchase the output, delivering lower-carbon fuel through its distribution network to roughly 950,000 Minnesota customers. The partnership combines Vanguard's expertise in organics recycling and biomethane production with TotalEnergies' global energy development resources

Both companies signed a venture agreement in April 2024, targeting at least 10 initial locations. The Litchfield groundbreaking extends that ambition toward 60 organic-waste-to-RNG facilities in total. With Wagner Dairy commissioned, Vanguard will operate 14 facilities nationwide. Construction is expected to support 100 jobs, with approximately 10 permanent positions once the site is running

Vanguard has identified the Midwest as one of the largest untapped renewable energy opportunities in the country, estimating the region's potential at up to 1,580 trillion Btu of RNG annually. That figure is more than eight times today's total market. Wagner Dairy has been feeding Minnesota for over a century. Going forward, it may help power it too