A New York-based developer of advanced livestock waste treatment technology has announced plans for a new facility in Jasper County. Bion Environmental Technologies says it will develop a sustainable grain-finished beef production facility near Fair Oaks Farms.

Bion says the facility will include its third-generation waste treatment technology platform, which is being used for the first time at commercial scale. The technology is designed to reduce the environmental impacts of large-scale livestock production by recovering valuable assets from the waste stream that can be used for coproducts such as fertilizer, clean water, and even renewable energy, according to the company.

The company says the facility will be designed to feed about 300 head of beef cattle in barns that could be reconfigured to house swine when necessary.

“Innovation in environmental sustainability is a concept we take very seriously at Fair Oaks Farms,” Mike McCloskey, chairman of Fair Oaks Farms, said in a news release. “The consumer understands, and we wholeheartedly agree, that sustainability is not a passing trend. It only makes sense to support Bion’s sustainable beef demonstration project, which will be our new neighbor. This is a significant effort designed to shrink beef production’s environmental footprint, while simultaneously improving production economics.”