Ringneck Energy

What Ringneck Energy does

Ringneck Energy, operating as Ring-Neck Energy & Feed, LLC, is a privately-held agricultural processing company headquartered at 901 Redwood Ave in Onida, South Dakota. Founded on September 12, 2014, the company operates a single-site corn-to-ethanol facility that produces 200-proof grain alcohol for the motor fuel market and co-products Dry Distillers Grains (DDG) and Wet Distillers Grains (WDG) for sale to livestock producers as animal feed. Its physical footprint includes defined corn receiving hours (7:30am-4:30pm weekdays), DDG loadout (7:30am-3:30pm weekdays), and WDG loadout available 24/7.

The business model rests on three integrated revenue streams: ethanol sold into the fuel market, distillers grains sold directly to nearby livestock producers, and a corn procurement operation that buys grain from regional growers under a published cash bid program with transparent moisture discount schedules (no moisture discount up to 15.1% moisture, discounts of 4-5 cents per half-point from 15.2% upward, no shrink, intake accepted up to 18% moisture). Customer engagement is sales-led and relationship-driven, with corn contracting handled by named contacts Michael Blume and Ann Peacock, while the website (powered by Barchart) functions as a top-of-funnel content channel surfacing cash bids, futures, weather, USDA reports, and commodity commentary to growers.

The go-to-market is regional and vertically segmented between suppliers (corn growers) and buyers (livestock feed customers and ethanol fuel buyers), without disclosed enterprise contracts or named downstream customers. Technology infrastructure is limited to conventional process equipment, a Barchart-hosted market center, the CIHedging-powered Ringneck Grower App for supplier contract management, and standard administrative/employment tooling. Headcount is reported in the 11-50 range, consistent with a small rural commodity processing operation. Reported ownership structure and capital base are not disclosed beyond the existence of a single $4.5M funding event in 2019 and references in the company mission to investor partners.

Name

Ringneck Energy

Legal name

Ring-Neck Energy & Feed, LLC

Website

https://ringneckenergy.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ringneck Energy is a privately-held South Dakota corn-to-ethanol producer that operates a single processing facility in Onida, supplying ethanol to the fuel market and selling Dry and Wet Distillers Grains to regional livestock producers while procuring corn from local growers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ethanol Manufacturing

NAICS

Ethyl Alcohol Manufacturing (325193), Grain and Oilseed Milling (3112)

SIC

Grain Mill Products (2040)

akta.pro primary industry

Grain & Sugar-Based Ethanol Production (EUAAAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Grain Processing for Feed (Cracking, Rolling, Grinding) (AFADAIAF), Biomass Storage, Handling & Inventory Management (Yards, Silos, Moisture Control) (EUAAAFAF)

Keywords

• Ethanol production
• Distillers grains
• Livestock feed
• Corn procurement
• Renewable fuel manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Onida

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Ethanol Sales: Production and sale of ethanol (ethyl alcohol/200-proof grain alcohol used as motor fuel) derived from corn processing.
2. Distillers Grain Products: Sale of Dry Distillers Grain (DDG) and Wet Distillers Grain (WDG) co-products from ethanol production, sold to livestock producers as animal feed.
3. Corn Procurement: Purchase of corn from local growers for ethanol production, with moisture discount schedules applied for grain quality management.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Ringneck Energy operates an ethanol production facility that processes corn supplied by regional growers into 200-proof grain alcohol (ethanol) for use as motor fuel. As co-products of ethanol production, the company produces and sells Dry Distillers Grains (DDG) and Wet Distillers Grains (WDG) to livestock producers as high-protein animal feed. Supporting services include corn receiving with moisture-discount scheduling and a market center providing cash bids for grain procurement.

Product overview

Ringneck Energy operates as an ethanol and agricultural commodities company with a unified product portfolio centered on ethanol production and grain processing. The company produces ethanol (200-proof grain alcohol for motor fuel), Dry Distillers Grains (DDG) and Wet Distillers Grains (WDG) as livestock feed co-products, while also operating corn receiving and cash bids services for grain procurement and pricing. All products and services are delivered through their single operational facility in Onida, South Dakota, with no modular or platform-based architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ethanol

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• CIHedgingcoreTechnology or IntegrationCIHedging provides the Ringneck Grower App, a digital platform allowing corn growers to manage contracts and track deliveries with Ringneck Energy. URL: https://ringneck.cihedging.com/cih/grower
• BarchartcoreTechnology or IntegrationBarchart provides market data infrastructure powering the Ringneck Energy website, including delayed quotes, futures/options data, custom charts, spread charts, historical data, stocks, real-time markets, and agricultural news integration. Website hosted and data powered by Barchart.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Archer Daniels Midland (ADM): Global agribusiness with corn-ethanol and animal feed operations producing DDGS. Overlaps with Ringneck on ethanol and feed co-products, though ADM is a broad incumbent serving global commodity markets rather than regional fuel ethanol.
• POET: The largest U.S. ethanol producer with dozens of bioprocessing facilities producing ethanol and DDGS. Comparable product portfolio to Ringneck, but POET operates as a broad incumbent with national reach and significantly larger scale.
• Valero Renewable Fuels: A division of Valero Energy operating corn ethanol plants producing fuel ethanol and DDGS. Comparable corn-to-ethanol-plus-feed model, but Valero is a broad incumbent with national refining scale and a different cost structure.

Others

• ICM, Inc. Designs and builds ethanol production facilities and supports plant operations across the U.S. An ecosystem participant — comparable because ICM-built plants (including Ringneck) follow a common technology and operating template.
• DLF Pickseed: Major forage and animal feed company purchasing DDGS-type feed inputs for livestock customers. Adjacent rather than directly competing — relevant because feed offtakers like this set pricing dynamics for Ringneck's DDG/WDG co-products.

Direct peers

• REX American Resources: Invests in and operates corn ethanol plants producing fuel ethanol and distillers grain. Comparable business model and co-product strategy to Ringneck, with multiple plant investments across the Midwest.
• Alto Ingredients: Operates corn-ethanol plants producing fuel ethanol, DDGS, and corn oil. Closely matches Ringneck's product mix and single-state operating model, although Alto is publicly traded and operates multiple facilities.
• Pacific Ethanol: Formerly operated a fleet of corn ethanol plants producing fuel ethanol and co-products including DDGS. Directly comparable to Ringneck on plant-level ethanol-plus-feed operations, though now part of a broader corporate structure.
• Green Plains Inc. One of the largest U.S. corn ethanol producers operating a multi-plant network producing ethanol and distillers grain co-products. Directly comparable to Ringneck on ethanol-plus-DDGS business model, though at significantly larger scale.

Regional players

• E Energy Adams: A Nebraska-based corn ethanol plant producing fuel ethanol and distillers grain. Closely comparable to Ringneck on single-plant, regional corn-to-ethanol-plus-feed model in an adjacent Midwest state.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ringneckenergy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ringneck Energy