The Time is Now - Part 3
In the final instalment of our three-part series, The Time is Now, we focus on the urgency around creating energy independence for AD plant operators and the communities they serve. After a decade of unprecedented fuel price volatility and geopolitical shocks, waiting is no longer a business strategy. This series explores how forward-thinking operators are taking control of their own fuel supply, stabilising their costs, and driving a new circular model of fuel production.
Part 3: Turning Methane into Movement with Rushywood Farm
Public scrutiny of large-scale dairy farming often centres heavily on a single target: methane emissions.
At Rushywood Farm operated by Baker’s Farms, near Crewkerne, Somerset, Neil Baker looked at that massive environmental challenge and saw a multi-million-pound commercial opportunity. Managing a large-scale dairy herd of over 2,000 cows and operating as a prestigious Arla regenerative pilot farm, Rushywood Farm is using anaerobic digestion (AD) to capture fugitive methane emissions before they hit the atmosphere and putting them to work on the farm.
By upgrading this captured gas into vehicle fuel, Rushywood Farm is answering the industry’s two loudest warnings simultaneously: the call for rapid decarbonisation and the desperate need to eliminate volatile fossil fuel overheads.
Neil Baker looked at that massive environmental challenge and saw a multi-million-pound commercial opportunity.
The Ultimate Win-Win: Smarter Balance Sheets, Lower Footprints
It is a rare, high-impact initiative that aggressively improves the farm’s balance sheet while bullet-proofing its environmental profile.
In the modern agricultural landscape, waiting for the economic or political climate to become easier is an existential risk. Industry leaders act ahead of the curve.
“In the current farming climate, we constantly strive to reduce our costs and our carbon footprint,” Baker explains. “Replacing some of our red diesel with Bio-CNG made on-farm from our own cow manure does both.”
It is a rare, high-impact initiative that aggressively improves the farm’s balance sheet while bullet-proofing its environmental profile. For decades, livestock farms have viewed slurry management purely as a cost centre and an emissions liability. The philosophy of The Time Is Now proves that with the right technology, that liability becomes your primary energy asset.
The Solution: Tractor Fuel Sourced Straight from the Herd
The operational core of Rushywood Farm energy transition is the Bennamann CAPCH4™ fuel system.
The strategy centres on 100% self-consumption. Rushywood Farm has deployed a new fleet of Bio-CNG vehicles, including three advanced New Holland T6.180 Methane tractors that handle the heavy daily operations of the dairy unit. These machines are fuelled entirely by biomethane harvested from the herd’s own slurry and farmyard manure.
Instead of writing massive cheques to external fuel suppliers every month, the farm’s logistics loop is entirely self-sustaining. The herd produces the waste, the AD plant captures the gas, the Bennamann system upgrades it to fuel, and the tractors feed the herd.
The Numbers at a Glance
Thanks to the sheer scale of the dairy herd and the mechanical efficiencies of the Bennamann setup, the financial payback on this project is lightning-fast, defying standard infrastructure timelines.
- Feedstock source: Slurry from 2,600 dairy cows, supplemented by farmyard manure.
- Plant capacity: 500 kWe export, with additional latent capacity reserved for Bio-CNG production.
- Biogas output: 200 to 250 m³ per hour.
- Potential Bio-CNG production: 140,000 kg per year, equivalent to approximately 140,000 litres of diesel.
Conclusion: The Trilogy’s Ultimate Lesson
Neil Baker’s long-term goal for Rushywood Farm is absolute: to own the fuel supply chain outright, permanently insulating this large-scale dairy business from global fossil fuel spikes while driving their net-carbon footprint into the ground.
Across this three-part series, we have seen three distinct operations – from food waste processors in Northern Ireland to massive poultry and arable farms in Devon, and now a major dairy unit in Somerset. Their setups vary, but their conclusion is identical: the traditional fuel chain is a commercial vulnerability.
The era of being a passive price-taker is over. The technology is battle-tested, the financial paybacks are historically fast, and the environmental benefits are undeniable.
Stop waiting for fuel prices to stabilise. Stop waiting for policy to force your hand. Take control of your waste, secure your own fuel, and protect your margins.
The technology is battle-tested, the financial paybacks are historically fast, and the environmental benefits are undeniable.
The time for energy independence is now. Stop buying fuel. Start making it.
Are you ready to turn your emissions liabilities into a high-yield, on-site fuel supply? Don’t let your biogas go to waste. Contact Bennamann today to find out how the CAPCH4™ fuel system can secure your energy independence.
