Digesters

Embracing Sustainability: A California Dairy Farmer’s Journey Toward a Greener Future

Fri, 04 Apr 2025 15:11:30 GMT

In today’s world, sustainability is no longer a buzzword, but rather a necessity for businesses across all sectors. One company leading the charge is Legacy Ranches in Tipton, Calif., led by CEO Jared Fernandes.

Fernandes, who considers himself an average dairyman, shared insights into his operation’s sustainable practices at the 2025 California Dairy Sustainability Conference in Visalia.

Efficiency as a Way of Life
Legacy Ranches, a family partnership, takes the approach of adopting efficiency wherever possible.

The dairy houses cows in freestalls, with one side using recycled sand bedding and the other using separated manure solids. Each facility features a methane digester, converting waste into renewable energy, which is then sold to Calgren Renewable Fuels. The larger dairy also boasts a 1-megawatt solar energy system, net metering its electricity usage. The farmland efficiently cultivates wheat, corn, alfalfa, oats and pistachios.

“With us producing a product that is about needs, cost, production, ... sustainability fits right into that. We’ve been doing these things without the carrot, and we’ve been doing it with carrot,” Fernandes said.

The strategic location of Legacy Ranches near several dairies facilitated a partnership with a digester, illustrating regional collaboration for mutual benefit.

Innovative Practices Increase Efficiency
Installing the digester on its farm allowed Legacy Ranches to expand its capacity while sharing the opportunity cost benefits of California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard credits. It has also implemented two solar farms on the ranch to offset the electrical power used to pump water. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the introduction of feed additives boosted milk efficiency, further enhancing its sustainable practices.

Recognizing the value in reducing waste, Fernandes says Legacy Ranches now bags all its feed because it can reduce shrink by 10%. This reduction translates to less acreage required for growing forage, demonstrating their commitment to environmental stewardship.

Adapting to Environmental Challenges
Legacy Ranches made a strategic pivot from Holsteins to Jerseys, driven by the water situation, allowing it to switch to a breed that consumes 30% less forage and produces a richer product. This adaptability not only enhanced efficiency but also ensured sustainability, a key factor for passing the farm onto future generations.

Tailoring Sustainability
Hansel New, assistant vice president of sustainability strategy and program for Dairy Farmers of America, says sustainable strategies cannot be one-size-fits-all.

“It really does have to be tailored toward dairy producers and where they’re at, how they’re farming and the size of the dairy operation,” New said. The approach must prioritize family businesses, ensuring it benefits the dairy producer and aligns with their operations and values.

Corporate Responsibility in Sustainability
From a corporate perspective, Daniel Peerless, global sustainable sourcing lead for dairy, meat, poultry and eggs for Nestle, underscores the external influences driving the push for sustainable solutions, citing regulatory, investor and consumer pressures.

“Sustainability is really doing all that,” he said. “It’s getting partners [for a] more sustainable future.”

Legacy Ranches continues to showcase how traditional agriculture can innovate with sustainable solutions. Its approach not only benefits the environment but also pursues a prosperous future for upcoming generations, underscoring the essence of true sustainability.

Your Next Read: Water Woes, Labor Limitations and Regulatory Restrictions Put California’s Dairy Industry At A Crossroads

From Farm to 'Shark Tank:' One East Coast Dairy’s Eco-Friendly Pitch

Mon, 31 Mar 2025 13:51:43 GMT

In an unconventional yet charming spectacle, Amanda Freund, a Connecticut dairy farmer, packed her innovative spirit and two crucial items — a shovel and an inflatable cow costume — before heading west to make her vision a reality. Her destination: “Shark Tank,” where she aims to propel her creation, CowPots, into the mainstream.

Canaan View Dairy: The Beating Heart of Sustainability
Freund’s Farm, a diversified farm, with three farming enterprises, is not your average farm. Located on the bustling East Coast, their operation thrives on cutting-edge sustainability practices. Currently decked with 1,200 solar panels, the farm matches its own electricity needs through renewable energy. In fact, it boasts the longest continuously running methane digester in the country, turning biogas into another source of eco-friendly power.

(Amanda Freund)

Beyond merely generating power, manure from Canaan View Dairy serves multiple roles including transforming into fresh cow bedding and nutrient-rich fertilizer to sustainably grow crops. Perhaps its most innovative transformation, however, is into CowPots, biodegradable, plantable pots crafted from digested and composted manure, forming the backbone of Freund’s “Shark Tank” pitch.

A Revolution in Planting: The CowPots Story
CowPots emerged as a significant leap forward in eco-friendly innovation. These biodegradable staples are designed to turn composted manure into a planter for flowers and produce. This innovation ensures a sustainable cycle that supports the farm’s operations and enriches the community.

“We have been marketing CowPots for 18 years now, so we’re not a startup or new business like a lot of the entrepreneurs on the show,” she shares with Dairy Herd Management. “But as a small business, we have relied heavily on grassroots marketing. There have been a few exciting opportunities over the years, including features on “Dirty Jobs” with Mike Rowe and a spotlight on the “Martha Stewart Show.” As with any product and all marketing, it’s an ongoing and continuous endeavor to have our product in front of prospective customers.”

(Amanda Freund)

Not just stopping at innovation, the CowPots are employed at Freund’s family retail store, Freund’s Farm Market & Bakery, where they foster the produce and flowers enjoyed by both the family farm and surrounding community through the vibrant summer months. This synergy embodies the sustainability ethos propelling Freund’s pitch on the national stage.

All Eyes on “Shark Tank”
Freund’s journey culminates on an episode of “Shark Tank” airing Friday, April 4, at 8 p.m. on ABC. The Sharks, renowned for offering entrepreneurial hopefuls like Freund an avenue to exponential growth, wield the power to elevate CowPots into a household name.

Believing strongly in her family’s dedication to environmentally sound farming, Freund steps into the tank with an unwavering goal: to secure a deal that could transform her family’s sustainable dream into national success. Freund shares that nothing was guaranteed from initial casting to filming, and whether her pitch would make it on the air was uncertain, but the potential of getting on that stage in the “Shark Tank” was an exciting new opportunity to showcase their products.

“In the two months leading up to filming, it was very time-consuming providing all the required details, financials, graphics and pitches needed for the show,” she shares. “And so, now that I’ve done all the work, and on April 4, all I have to do is sit back and watch as everyone else gets to see whether or not I made a deal. I’m really excited about that. I’m proud to be able to showcase the ingenuity and sustainability of dairy farms on a national stage.”

(Amanda Freund)

As Freund takes center stage on “Shark Tank,” her journey underscores the transformative power of ingenuity and farming rooted in sustainability. CowPots are more than a pitch, they are a testament to what the future of farming could embody. As this Connecticut dairy farmer makes her case, viewers nationwide will bear witness to an inspiring eco-friendly narrative unfurling in front of the Sharks. And who knows, perhaps by the end of the episode, they too will become part of this sustainable story.

Your Next Read:
California Dreams: Transformation Through Innovation

Water Woes, Labor Limitations and Regulatory Restrictions Put California's Dairy Industry At A Crossroads

Wed, 26 Mar 2025 16:51:19 GMT

The California dairy industry, renowned for its significant contributions to agriculture, is navigating a series of challenges that demand substantial adaptation to ensure future success. Water scarcity, stringent labor laws and complex permitting regulations top the list of challenges in the Golden State, the nation’s largest milk producer and home to 1.71 million milk cows.

Regulatory and Economic Pressures

Karen Ross, secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, emphasizes the need to support the state’s farmers during these challenging times.

“What we would like to do is focus on smart incentives because, over the years, the cumulative effect of so many regulatory agencies is adding to the complexity … as well as the cost of compliance,” Ross said in a one-on-one interview with Farm Journal during the California Dairy Sustainability Summit. “We’re engaged in a very small pilot project with the state water board to see if it’s possible to cut through some of that [complexity], find ways to ease the burden [on producers] and educate agencies about how complex and costly regulations are.”

In addition to the regulatory challenges in California, Ross is concerned about market disruptions and stresses the importance of compensation strategies to ensure dairy operations can look to the future.

“Secretary Rollins has already made it clear they’ll offer help for farmers through these periods of disruption, and certainly [that was the case] in the first Trump administration,” she says. “What I’m most concerned about is the lost markets that still haven’t fully recovered and the opportunity costs lost. But [Rollins] has been very clear they want to make sure there’s compensation for growers to keep them in business.”

Water Woes

For Ryan Junio , owner of Four J Jerseys in Pixley, Calif., his primary concern is the states’ ongoing water crisis.

“As a dairy producer, this is an ever-growing challenge,” he says, reflecting the sentiments of his fellow producers in the state.

The California water issue is complex and long-standing. Geoff Vanden Heuvel, director of regulatory and economic affairs with the California Milk Producer Council, says some of the surface water that used to come into the Central Valley from northern California was diverted to the ocean to save fish in the early 1990s as part of the Endangered Species Act.

“California has overdrafted about 2-million-acre feet on average over the years,” he says. “We had a crisis in 2014 with a drought and the state decided to regulate groundwater, which they probably should have done 50 years ago.”

Labor Limitations

Layton, Calif., dairy producer Melvin Medeiros says the labor quality is tough and he doesn’t have a magic wand to fix it. In 2019, California began phasing in overtime for agricultural workers. In 2022, the state began requiring any agriculture employees working more than 8 hours a day or 40 hours a week receive overtime compensation.

“I do know when legislation gets involved, it turns into a mess,” Medeiros says. “We’re in that mess now and trying to figure out how to invest in this farm to make it more efficient and cut back on labor.”

David Lemstra’s story illustrates the transition faced by many. After searching for a decade, Lemstra and his family relocated from central California, where they had been established for more than 40 years, to South Dakota. Three pivotal factors — feed availability, easier permitting and processing capacity — led them to their new home where they now milk 4,000 cows and supply Agropur.

One benefit Lemstra has discovered in South Dakota is a more favorable labor market.

“Some locals say labor is very hard, but they don’t know how hard it can potentially get,” he says, appreciating the motivated workforce available in the region.

Regulatory Restrictions

Lemstra describes his family’s coordinated departure from the state as “death by 1,000 cuts,” citing the impact of long-standing political and resource management decisions. California’s overtime labor rule stands out as a considerable obstacle, especially when compared to South Dakota’s business-friendly environment.

As California continues to confront these pressing issues, the resilience and adaptability of its dairy producers are noteworthy. While some, such as Lemstra, found new horizons elsewhere, efforts are ongoing to streamline regulatory processes and stabilize one of the state’s most crucial agricultural sectors.

Mike Boudreaux, Tulare County Sheriff, who also spoke at the California Dairy Sustainability Conference in Visalia this week, expresses the need for the state and federal government to reduce the regulatory burden, thereby allowing greater industry control.

“Some of the issues many of you are facing, quite frankly, just explodes my mind when it comes to large sustainability, manure and different regulations,” he says. “The state of California and the federal government need to lift and reduce the amount of regulation the state can control for our dairy industry.”

Innovation and Sustainability Efforts

Despite the challenges producers continue to face, the dairy industry is making strides in sustainability. California boasts 238 dairy digester projects, capturing methane to create renewable energy sources and contributing to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

“I’m very proud of the work we’ve been able to do on climate smart agriculture,” Ross says. “I love the fact that 24.3 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent reductions in greenhouse gasses are because of dairy digesters.”

When it comes to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), Ross is grateful for how the industry has handled the outbreak that started in September in California, six months after it was first reported in Texas and Kansas. As of late March, HPAI has impacted 755 herds in the state.

The path forward for California’s dairy industry relies on innovative strategies, supportive policies and the continuous perseverance of its producers. As the industry adapts, the focus remains steadfast on ensuring the vitality and sustainability of a sector pivotal to California’s heritage and economy.

Your Next Read — California Dreams: Transformation Through Innovation

Digester Success: It’s All in the Details

Mon, 11 Mar 2024 02:29:37 GMT

Farm Journal’s Smart Farming Week is an annual week-long emphasis on innovation in agriculture. The goal is to encourage you to explore and prioritize the technology, tools and practices that will help you farm smarter. Innovation today ensures an efficient, productive and sustainable tomorrow.

You’ve met with the digester company. You know all about the lineup of builders and sub-contractors it’s going to take to bring a successful digester project to life. You understand how the revenue stream works, and you’re thinking about signing on the dotted line.

Other producers who have been in that position will encourage you to make sure you fully understand everything spelled out in that contract. Lynn Boadwine owns and operates a multi-site dairy in South Dakota with three anaerobic digesters up and running, and a fourth in the works. He shared insight into these projects during a webinar hosted by McLanahan on anaerobic digestion success.

Boadwine dives into what he refers to as, “the not so fun part” of the digester projects. “There’s all the excitement of building digesters and making renewable natural gas. But the difficult part is in the beginning and understanding the contracts,” he says.

Analyze the Details

While Boadwine is quick to point out that overall, he has had a good experience, he also emphasizes why it’s important to go through your contract line by line. “If you think about an attorney writing a contract, they’re doing it from the perspective of the company they’re working for,” he says.

As a producer, that contract isn’t necessarily written for you, and it’s imperative to have your own legal counsel to help ensure a thorough understanding of who’s responsible for what. “I don’t want any surprises,” Boadwine says. “Trust me, there are always things when you get operating that we didn’t think of. It’s a lot harder to sort things out when it’s not in the contract.”

Digester Installment Advice

Boadwine shares a few examples that come into play especially in the case of land leased to the digester company by the farmer:

Who holds the environmental regulatory permit?
If there are any issues on the property, who pays for cleanup?
Who controls the added traffic, oversees the construction site and controls dust?
Most farms have been around longer than many of the digester companies: what happens when the companies change or the credit value goes away?

Boadwine also wants producers to understand the hidden costs and required efficiencies involved with a digester project, including insurance, planning for maintenance and avoiding downtime. For one thing, with sand bedding, it’s the producer’s responsibility to maintain the sand separation equipment, keeping the sand that enters the tank to a minimum.

The overall benefits an effective digester system can bring to a farm and community are well worth the labor-intensive attention to detail. “We can all see the world evolving. The dairy industry is moving towards their commitments: there won’t be less digesters, and we will continue to hear about sustainability,” Boadwine concludes.

For more on Smart Farming, read:

New Methane Digester Complete at Tri-Cross Dairy, Begins Supplying RNG

Wed, 06 Mar 2024 19:15:26 GMT

Renewable natural gas (RNG) is certainly making a big appearance in 2024. Tri-Cross Dairy, a 5,000-cow operation located in Viborg, S.D., is the second dairy in the state within the last two months to begin supplying RNG to the natural gas pipeline via a methane digester.

According to Clean Energy, Tri-Cross Dairy’s partner for the project, the new facility is forecasted to produce 1 million gallons annually of negative carbon-intensity RNG.

The construction costs of the RNG production facility, which includes the build of digesters and processing plant, totaled $34 million and was completed in December 2023. The injecting of pipeline-quality RNG began shortly after completion. Clean Energy is in the process of filing the necessary applications to generate federal and state environmental credits. The facility is one in a series of projects in the Midwest for which the companies have partnered together.

“We anticipate 2024 to be a pivotal year in the demand for RNG fuel in the transportation market with the introduction of Cummins’ X15N natural gas engine for heavy-duty trucks. Clean Energy’s fueling infrastructure is expanding to meet that demand and we’ll need a constant source of additional low-carbon RNG to supply those stations. The new production facilities at Tri-Cross Dairy and the other farms in the Midwest that are now producing RNG is a critical component to our strategy,” said Clay Corbus, senior vice president for renewables.

Earlier this year, Drumgoon Dairy, a 6,500-cow operation in Lake Norden, S.D., also began producing RNG through its methane digester project. The facility has since begun injecting ultra-low carbon RNG into the interstate natural gas pipeline system. According to a Clean Energy press release, Drumgoon Dairy is expected to supply 1.66 million gallons of negative carbon-intensity RNG annually to the transportation market when at full capacity.

How It’s Made

While dairy cows are known for their ability to make milk, they’re also scrutinized for their ability to produce methane, a potent greenhouse gas (GHG) emission. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, agriculture accounts for nearly 10% of U.S. GHG emissions. However, the dairy industry plays a big role in being part of a global climate solution.

“Renewable natural gas is chemically the same as the natural gas you might get in your stove, but what makes it renewable is that it is sourced from landfills or dairy farms,” says Will Flanagan, vice president of strategic development at Clean Energy. “What we’re doing is gathering manure and putting it in a digester, which captures the raw methane, or biogas, that would otherwise be going into the atmosphere. Then we pipe that raw biogas to an on-site gas processing plant where we clean it up by taking out the unwanted constituents.”

Once the methane has been converted into RNG, it is injected into a local natural gas pipeline and distributed to one of Clean Energy’s 540 fueling stations.

For more on sustainability, read:

South Dakota Dairy Expected to Supply 1.66 Million Gallons of RNG with New Production Facility

Mon, 22 Jan 2024 17:35:28 GMT

With the dairy industry working towards the common goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050, more and more producers are looking for ways to increase the sustainability efforts on their farms. One method some operations are capitalizing on is the ability to produce renewable natural gas (RNG) by the means of a methane digester.

Drumgoon Dairy, a 6,500-cow operation in Lake Norden, S.D., has done just that after recently completing a new RNG production facility in partnership with Clean Energy Fuels Corp. Finishing the project in December of last year, the facility has since begun injecting ultra-low carbon RNG into the interstate natural gas pipeline system. According to a company press release, Drumgoon Dairy is expected to supply 1.66 million gallons of negative carbon-intensity RNG annually to the transportation market when at full capacity.

“Completion of the RNG project at Drumgoon Dairy, along with several others that are right behind it, is already making a contribution to controlling harmful greenhouse gas emissions,” says Clay Corbus, senior vice president of renewables at Clean Energy. “Being a multi-generational operation, Drumgoon’s owners are always thinking about the future, whether it’s bringing in the latest technology to better track and monitor their cows or transforming their herd to antibiotic-free. Adding a RNG digester that captures the methane produced by Drumgoon’s cows and turning it into a clean fuel is the ultimate recycling project.”

How It’s Made

While dairy cows are known for their ability to make milk, they’re also scrutinized for their ability to produce methane, a potent greenhouse gas (GHG) emission. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, agriculture accounts for nearly 10% of U.S. GHG emissions. However, the dairy industry plays a big role in being part of a global climate solution.

“Renewable natural gas is chemically the same as the natural gas you might get in your stove, but what makes it renewable is that it is sourced from landfills or dairy farms ,” says Will Flanagan, vice president of strategic development at Clean Energy. “What we’re doing is gathering manure and putting it in a digester, which captures the raw methane, or biogas, that would otherwise be going into the atmosphere. Then we pipe that raw biogas to an on-site gas processing plant where we clean it up by taking out the unwanted constituents.”

Once the methane has been converted into RNG, it is injected into a local natural gas pipeline and distributed to one of Clean Energy’s 540 fueling stations.

A Dynamic Partnership

The Drumgoon Dairy $38 million RNG digester project was financed through Clean Energy’s joint venture with bp, developed with Dynamic Renewables, and is one of several RNG projects the three companies have partnered to build at dairies throughout the Midwest. Clean Energy is purchasing RNG from approximately 100 dairies across the U.S. and all the RNG produced at Drumgoon will be available at Clean Energy’s fueling infrastructure.

Clean Energy’s sales of RNG into the transportation market for the first nine months of 2023 grew 17% over the same period of 2022, and with customers such as UPS, Republic Services, LA Metro, Knight Swift, Amazon and others, the demand of the ultra-clean fuel is expected to expand.

For more on sustainability, read:

Pivot to Find Success

Wed, 08 Nov 2023 14:59:16 GMT

Agility — it can be the difference between those who make it in the dairy industry and those who don’t. Learning to pivot to the next stepping stone to success is what leading dairies do to stay afloat in this volatile economy. The Van Ess family’s ability to think quickly led them to move from Idaho to northwest Iowa to build a new dairy in 2008. Boise processors were full at the time, and not taking new milk, so Iowa was attractive because of its relatively cheaper feed and the fact there was a market for their milk. So, the family packed up and headed east.

Today, Van Ess Dairy in Sanborn, Iowa, milks 5,200 cows on their home dairy. In 2018, they purchased a nearby second farm, Legacy Dairy, with the ability to milk 3,500 cows.

The family grows enough corn silage for half of their dairies needs and purchases the remainder. “When we first moved here, we didn’t farm any ground,” says Jeremy Van Ess. “We’ve slowly bought some land and rented some ground as it has become available.”

Van Ess Dairy is owned and operated by brothers Josh, Jeremy, Chad, Tyler and Todd, and their parents, Harvey and Lisa, who all play an active role in the business.

All the boys oversee different areas of the operation, including crops, harvest, manure management, trucking and the heifer site. Van Ess admits they don’t have a master plan when it comes to how many cows they plan to milk in the future but says they have always been forward thinkers.

“We’ve always leaned into to new ideas and opportunities,” he says.

Open to New Opportunities

As of spring 2023, the Van Ess family raises their beef-on-dairy calves and sells them at five months of age and about 500 lb. through the internet. Previously they sold day-old calves.

“Down the road, we wouldn’t mind finishing out the cross calves once the market softens up a bit,” Van Ess says.

The operation’s black calves and dairy calves are sent to a custom grower in Texas. In the very near future, a methane digester will be up and running. The family has installed new sand separation and manure thickening equipment and is looking at ways to generate revenue streams from these systems, as well as from the manure after it has been through the digester.

“There’s several things we can do after the digester is up and running, such as trying to get more phosphorus out if needed. And, there are a number of things on our radar with our nutrient management plan that we can look into,” he explains.

Farming more ground is an option for the Van Ess family but milking more cows hinges on processing opportunities.

“We’d love to expand, but it appears like it isn’t going to happen for a while, but you never know when an opportunity might present itself,” Van Ess adds.

Tools to Manage Risk

The Van Esses have actively participated in the Dairy Revenue Protection and Livestock Gross Margin programs the past few years. They also hedge some of their milk.

“We don’t outright sell,” Van Ess says. “We’ve been pretty firm about not putting a top on when marketing milk just because we don’t want to take that opportunity off the table.”

While the Van Esses use several tools to manage risk, they did not have any protection in place over the past summer months.

“We were kind of open, which was a bummer, but we try to really focus on costs,” Van Ess says. “We are aggressive with buying and contracting feed.”

When it comes to cow management, the family is able to effectively use both sites. For example, Legacy Dairy is set up to milk all first lactation cows, which hovers around 85 lb. of energy corrected milk a day with twice a day milking. The home dairy, Van Ess Dairy, milks all the older-lactation cows three times a day and averages around 100 lb. of energy corrected milk a day.

Good Advisers Help

Every Tuesday, the Van Ess family sits down for a farm business meeting. From milk production and finances to marketing and crop production, the focus of the family-owners meetings differs from week to week.

“We try to keep everyone in the loop,” he says. “We’ve been able to capitalize on things because we have these meetings; this allows for good communication, along with working with good bankers, accountants and our family’s professional development coach who help position our farm the best we can.”

Van Ess says they don’t strive to be the lowest-cost producers, but they want to be on the lower side when it comes to costs.

“We don’t want to give up production because that is what helps pay the bills, but we look at what we can cut or reduce without hurting production or herd health,” he says. A good labor force is essential to making an operation successful. “We have been blessed with great employees who really have enabled us to do what we know how to do best, which is take great care of our cows, and that will hopefully allow us to be successful into the future,” Van Ess says.

The Basics of Carbon Credits

Mon, 31 Jul 2023 14:51:46 GMT

As the dairy industry has been making large strides to become carbon neutral by 2050, dairy farms are adopting new practices to lower carbon emissions on farms. Many discussions about becoming carbon neutral have been lately geared toward carbon credits and markets. Some calling it a potential gold rush for agriculture. However, the carbon market can be very confusing to understand.

What is a carbon credit?

A carbon credit allows the credit’s owner to emit carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. One credit allows for the emission of one ton of greenhouse gasses.

How does one receive a carbon credit?

The main ways to receive carbon credits are to capture or reduce carbon emissions. Examples of ways farmers are receiving carbon credits are by planting trees, removing land from production, and perhaps the talked about in the dairy industry is adopting methane digesters. Adopted practices need to be the right fit for each dairy farm. Methane digester may not be the right fit for smaller farmers because of the higher start-up cost and low energy produced. However, improving soil health and adopting different manure application techniques may be a good fit for smaller farms.

What is the market for carbon?

Currently, two different markets exist. While both use commodity pricing for credits, they are structured differently. The first is the voluntary carbon market. The voluntary market is a global market in which companies or organizations can purchase carbon credits to meet environmental goals set by their industries or partners.

The other market is the compliance carbon market. The compliance carbon market is policy-driven. Companies may purchase credits to meet regional, state, national, or international emission requirements. For example, an organization that produces carbon below its threshold can sell its additional credits to a company that produces above its enforced emissions requirement. The compliance market would operate somewhat similar to a milk quota system.

What to consider before entering a carbon market?

The first thing that needs to be considered is reducing carbon emissions or capturing carbon as the best fit for the farm. Some practices can be costly, so we need to know how these practices will pay off in the long run. We also need to explore the different markets. Contracts, acreage limits, payments, and carbon emission verifications differ between the markets. These types of questions should all be answered before entering a market.

California Man Sentenced: An Unbelievable Multimillion-Dollar Cow Manure Scheme

Wed, 28 Jun 2023 20:54:41 GMT

According to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office, a California man has been sentenced to more than six years in prison due to his involvement in a nearly $9 million cow manure Ponzi scheme.

Ray Brewer, 66, of Porterville, and Sheridan, Montana, will serve prison time for running a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme where he claimed to turn cow manure into green energy, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

From 2014 through 2019, Brewer ran a scheme in which he claimed to be building anaerobic digesters at dairies in Fresno, Kern, Kings and Tulare counties in California, as well as in Idaho, prosecutors said.

Brewer’s investors were promised to receive 66% of all net profits, as well as tax incentives from Renewable Energy Credits. Brewer even took investors on tours of dairies where he said he was going to build the digesters and sent dairy owners forged lease agreements. The press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office shared that he also sent the investors altered agreements with banks that made it appear as though he had obtained millions of dollars in loans to build the digesters. He also sent fake pictures of the digesters under construction.

After doing all of that, the investor’s money went into several bank accounts, and Brewer spent it on himself, purchasing two 10-acre-plus plots of land, a 3,700 sq. ft. custom home and new Dodge Ram pickup trucks, authorities said.

Authorities shared that Brewer also kept his investors up to date on the non-existent construction with fake schedules, invoices, power generation reports and pictures.

Some investors received refunded money from Brewer, which he used from other investors’ money. Once Brewer’s investors realized the fraud and obtained civil judgments against him, he then moved to Montana and assumed a new identity.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General.

Brewer was indicted on 24 counts, which included wire fraud, money laundering and identity theft.

A Deep Dive into Sustainable Innovation

Fri, 13 Jan 2023 17:46:50 GMT

Today’s dairy farmers continue to face a long list of challenges. Higher inflation, ongoing labor concerns and razor-thin margins push producers to think outside the box for innovative ways to dial in on efficiencies and add dollars to their bottom line.

Innovation can simply be defined as taking two things that exist and putting them together in a new way. This is exactly the case for Bar 20 Dairy, a 7,000-cow dairy that also farms 5,000 acres in California’s San Joaquin Valley.

Steve Shehadey, a third-generation farmer and owner of Bar 20 Dairy, along with seven other family members, says they have honed in on sustainable efforts that have helped pay dividends to their operation — literally. In addition, the efforts have aided in overall energy efficiencies.

The Shehadeys started the process of building a methane digester before incentives were put in place by the state of California to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the dairy industry. After numerous unforeseen hurdles, they finally accomplished that goal, pioneering the adoption of a groundbreaking technology that will forever transform planet-smart dairy farming practices.

Trendsetters

Recently, Bar 20 received the 2023 Innovative Dairy Farmer of the Year award by the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) because of the sustainable and innovative advancements made on their Kerman, Calif., dairy. In 2022, they were also honored with the U.S. Dairy Sustainability award.

“What Bar 20 Dairy Farm has accomplished is nothing short of impressive, perhaps best described as a potential game changer and trendsetter in the electric vehicle market,” says Adam Langton, energy services manager for BMW of North America LLC.

Michael Dykes, DVM, IDFA president and CEO, says Bar 20 Dairy is a model for how dairy farms can prioritize innovation and stewardship at all levels of their operations.

“IDFA is grateful to the Shehadey family for their vision and leadership on behalf of U.S. dairy, and we’re proud to know innovative farms like Bar 20 are paving the way for our industry to thrive,” Dykes says.

Understanding there are many dairies implementing innovative projects across the U.S., Bar 20 is honored to receive this award. Shehadey says his family values hard work, determination and a willingness to learn.

“These values were instilled in me by my grandfather, Larry, and my dad, John,” Shehadey says. “To us, this award is special because it’s a culmination of implementing new practices and technologies on the farm over seven decades.”

Bar 20 sustainable investments made to date:

2007: Began working with a methane digester company
2017: Completed a 1 megawatt solar dairy
2019: Completed the installation of an electric feed-mixing station
2021: Completed a digester with California Bioenergy and Bloom Fuel Cell

Shehadey says these kinds of projects are investments made for future benefits. For example, both the solar and digester produce more power than the dairy and farm use, allowing Bar 20 to sell the surplus energy. The electric feed mixer saves on diesel fuel by using renewable electricity to mix the feed instead. Additionally, electricity needs are offset by a 2 megawatt on-site solar array, and 100% LED bulbs are used on the farm.

BMW Partnership

Bar 20’s methane digester builds on a collaboration between the farm as well as BMW North America and California Bioenergy. What differentiates Bar 20’s digester from many others across the U.S. is how the fuel cell technology creates ultraclean renewable electricity on site. The system is efficient, producing twice as much electricity as conventional generators while using the same amount of biogas.

In addition to the varied environmental benefits, the partnership also brings new revenue to family farms and agricultural communities through the production of clean transportation fuel. Through the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) program, BMW purchases environmental credits generated by Bar 20 Dairy. This type of innovative cross-sector alignment not only helps farm communities with new revenue, but also serves as a model to accelerate the adoption of biodigesters at more farms in California and beyond.

Shehadey says today’s dairies cannot survive without additional revenue sources. In addition to the credits they are selling to BMW for the low-carbon transportation fuel, they are also capitalizing on the energy savings they get from their two solar fields. Bar 20 also supplements the farm’s income with thousands of acres of crops.

On an annual basis, Bar 20 Dairy’s 25-million-gallon methane digester captures more than 25,000 tons of CO2 emissions, equivalent to the carbon sequestered by more than 30,629 acres of U.S. forests in one year. Without the digester, these emissions would otherwise escape into the atmosphere, further contributing to climate change.

Future Plans

The Shehadey family continues to look at opportunities to propel the family dairy forward and are constantly searching for ways to be more efficient — both economically and environmentally.

“When I was young, my grandfather told me that we make milk for people’s children,” Shehadey says. “That has always stuck with us on the farm. We can’t offer anything but our best for children and the families who buy our milk. Today, that also means doing what we can to help clean the San Joaquin Valley air and be part of a climate solution.”

Bar 20 is working with a hydrogen transportation fuel production company to potentially provide additional biogas from the dairy to produce renewable hydrogen transportation fuel. They are also evaluating technologies to reduce water usage on the dairy and farms.

Tips to Other Farms

Shehadey says there are a lot of exciting new technologies that will improve efficiency on the dairy and deliver benefits to the environment and local community. He shares the first step is to look for help from companies with knowledge and expertise.

“They should have values and ethics similar to yours,” Shehadey says. “Once you find a trusted partner, you can identify the technology that fits your farm the best.”

Oregon Farmers Applaud the Denied Vote to Regulate Dairy Air Pollution

Mon, 14 Nov 2022 15:39:54 GMT

The Oregon Dairy Farmers Association (ODFA) is applauding the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the Environment Quality Commissions denied votes regarding a petition to regulate air pollution from large dairies in Oregon.

ODFA’s executive director, Tami Kerri, says she is proud of the continual investments and improvements Oregon’s dairy farmers have made in their best management practices.

“Contrary to comments in the petition, our producers prioritize the care of their animals and the environment their employees and family members work in,” Kerr says.

A group of 22 advocacy groups believes that large dairies, particularly in the Columbia Gorge area, located on the eastern side of the state, are the main driver in the source of ammonia emissions.

The mission of the petition would apply to dairies with more than 700 mature cows, which DEQ estimated to be around 20% of the state’s dairies. In addition, new dairies and dairies that expand would also have needed to obtain an air quality permit.

Altogether, nineteen lawmakers from both parties from the House and Senate opposed to the petition and wrote, “Oregon’s dairy farms are critically important, not only to many of our legislative districts but also to the state, providing $9.73 billion in total economic impact amounting to 3.8% of Oregon’s GDP.”

“It is nice to have support of prominent House and Senate D’s. So bicameral and bipartisan,” Kerr adds.

Fifteen years ago, in 2007, the Oregon Legislature passed a bill to allow state agencies to regulate air pollution from agricultural operations and created a special task force devoted to dairy emissions. In 2008, the task force recommended an air quality permit program, like the one proposed by petitioners that was rejected last week, but it was never funded.

Bobbi Frost, who alongside family, owns and operates a dairy in Creswell and also serves as ODFA Board Vice President, says she was satisfied to see that the Environmental Quality Commission followed the DEQ’s recommendation and denied the Dairy Air Emissions Regulatory petition.

“The petition was extremely misleading and contained no baseline scientific evidence to support their claims,” she says. “Too often, dairy is the target of these kinds of deceptive and ambiguous regulatory pressures. This petition was another great example of an attempt to create complicated bureaucratic solutions to non-existent problems. Animal care and environmental quality are the bedrock of what we do, not just for my family but for all the other Oregon Dairy families just like us.”

Cue Up Technology: 3 Producers Share Must-Haves and ROI

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 04:13:01 GMT

Optimizing productivity and improving efficiency are top goals for any dairy. They’re discussed in farm meetings, illustrated through management practices and closely monitored in financial budgets. The big-ticket question is, “What can help a dairy producer launch their operation to the next level?”

Cue up technology. During a recent Farm Journal MILK Innovative Dairy Producer webinar, three dairy producers openly talked about technology must-haves and how ROI comes into play when making technology investments.

Fifth-generation Wisconsin dairy farmer Mikayla McGee of Jon-De Farm says her family has plans to add a carrousel parlor, which would allow for them to eliminate milking on two sites and gain efficiencies that cannot always be documented on paper.

“We are planning on building a rotary parlor to gain efficiencies mainly in labor,” she says. “With the addition of a rotary, we will be able to cut our labor force in half and save approximately $800,000 a year. I think we will find several other benefits to having all our milk cows together on one site. We hope to reduce stress during the milking process and increase overall cow comfort with the addition of tunnel ventilation.”

Head west to California and Ryan Junio of Four J Jerseys in Pixley is in a similar situation. His family dairy is building a 2,000-cow freestall barn that will allow them to bring all their cows home to one central location. The move will allow them to expand their methane digester, capitalizing on the methane coming off that additional 2,000-cow facility, as well as better use labor on one site versus two.

“With the freestall barn and methane digester expansion, my primary focus is to gain efficiencies in labor through consolidation of our milking herds as well as capitalize on a different revenue stream by getting all of our cows tied into our methane digester,” Junio explains. “With all the milk cows in one location and housed entirely in freestalls, I will be able to better manage my herd while reducing my labor by 25% and capturing the methane produced by all of our cows.”

Eastern Tennessee dairy farmer John Harrison of Sweetwater Valley in Philadelphia is keeping his options open for future opportunities, as he isn’t quite convinced now is the time to invest in big technologies.

“I’m waiting to see how our dairy comes out of this downturn before making big decisions,” he says.

Return on Investment

While future improvements are inevitable for growth to occur on dairies, these three dairy farmers say carefully evaluating ROI is not as simple as it might sound. For Junio, he would like to see a new project cash flow itself before adopting it into his dairy.

“It depends on the size and scale of the investment,” he says. “If it can pay its own mortgage, obviously that is a home-run idea.”

However, for Harrison, he budgets for a 20% ROI and hopes to get half of that before adopting new technology into his dairy operation.

McGee says calculating ROI isn’t a simple math formula -- there are other factors to consider before adopting new technology.

“If you are not going to utilize all the information the technology offers, then you might need to consider reevaluating a more basic option,” she says.

The Wisconsin dairy farmer witnesses the differences technology offers daily, as they have daily weights in both parlors, as well as use an AFI lab system that offers a pool of daily information.

“If you aren’t doing anything with the information, it’s useless,” she says. “For us, we have found that all we really want from our milking system are daily milk weights to manage our herd.”

Game Changer

The biggest tech advancement for Junio occurred five years ago when they built a carrousel parlor.

“Before that, we were milking on three facilities, with all flat parlors,” he says. “We saw the writing on the wall with where labor was going and the opportunity to consolidate cows, people and increase efficiencies has been awesome.”

Additionally, Junio says adopting sort gates has allowed them to reduce labor and take the stress off the cows by not having to disturb them more than necessary.

For Harrison, who milks 1,600 Holstein and cross cows on four different facilities, including a 500-cow robotic dairy, his game-changer is a contactless payment app called Square. He and his family also run a café and tourism business.

“Both Square and social media have impacted our business tremendously,” he says. “We pretty much don’t advertise anywhere, just use social media.”

Although the robot facility was a big-ticket purchase for Sweetwater Dairy, Harrison understands the robots offer a lot of information and data, but he also says he isn’t 100% convinced his dairy is fully using the technology the robot facility offers to its fullest potential.

“The verdict is out to determine the full ROI on that barn,” he says.

Opportunities Ahead

In Wisconsin, McGee’s herd size has decreased by 8% over the last couple of years and doing so has allowed them to ship the same amount of milk and increase their profitability.

“Sometimes less is more,” McGee says.

Jon-De Dairy needed a new dry cow barn, but instead of building that barn, the family has decided to decrease their herd size to make room in their current facility for dry cows. McGee says downsizing their herd allowed for downtime in the parlor, which gave the dairy time to spend managing their sick pen, fresh cows and overall management of the herd.

“Before we always felt like we were rushing to just get through the chores that we really never had time to make improvements and get better,” McGee says. “We now have lowered our cell count, increased milk production per cow and have more flexibility with labor. We didn’t ‘downsize,’ we ‘right-sized.’”

Out west, big opportunities are on the horizon for Junio, as he signed a contract to start producing A2A2 milk with Land O’Lakes. Through genomic testing, Junio has been able to verify that 65% of his 4,200 Registered Jersey herd are A2A2 positive and Junio expects premiums to grow, which will drive him to eliminate the non-A2A2 cows. Additionally, a large percentage of his milking herd is set up as recipients for Angus embryos.

“We are calving between 200 to 300 Angus calves each month. That generates another avenue of revenue for our farm,” he says.

Like McGee, Junio has reduced his herd size from 4,500 to 4,200. This allows Junio to hone more on genetics and diversification, striving to realize profitability on his farm’s bottom line.

In eastern Tennessee, Harrison’s goals are to make more cheese, sell more milkshakes and increase tourism.

“Ideally we want to produce 800,000 pounds of cheese a year and we feel like we have everything in place to do this,” he says. “This area of the farm is what currently is profitable, so we are hoping to capitalize on this.”

Challenges Ahead

With opportunities, come challenges and all three dairy farmers are aware of this. One echoing challenge from the producer panel is labor, labor, labor.

“Labor is our top concern,” McGee states. “The last five years have not been very profitable for our dairy, and we are starting to come out of that hole and looking at making larger investments and always look at improving efficiencies, especially because labor is so hard to come by.”

At one time, Harrison says, they used to want to find the best labor but now they are just trying to fill vacant spots.

“We are short on help every single day,” he says.

While Junio says labor is a big glaring issue, currently his state is faced with an even bigger obstacle than labor. An ongoing drought coupled with strict regulations are forcing dairy farmers to continually become more efficient in growing their crops to feed their cows.

“Often times, we find ourselves stressing one crop to water another” he notes. “The state needs to do a better job managing our water better. A big concern of mine isn’t how much water the state already redirects away from the rural areas, but whether they will try and steal even more of it away from us in the future.”

Reviewing their balance sheets and bringing in team members, the conversations are unfolding on dairy farms across the U.S., as producers delve into what technologies can serve as a launchpad to get their dairy to the next level. One thing is for certain: Producers are weighing out the challenges and opportunities each investment offers, focusing on the ROI that will help spell longevity for their dairy.

Providing a Better Way to Recycle 800 Pounds of Butter

Mon, 12 Sep 2022 15:34:01 GMT

Butter sculptures have become a staple at state fairs across the country. But what happens to those buttery masterpieces once the fair gates close? While most get thrown away, the New York State Fair has found a way to prevent the product from going to waste.

After the fair, the American Dairy Association North East, in conjunction with Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners and Noblehurst Farms, dismantled this year’s 800 lb. butter sculpture. The butter, which was provided by O-AT-KA Milk Products in Batavia, N.Y., was unsuitable for sale or consumption. To prevent it from going into the trash, Noblehurst Farms, a dairy operation located in Pavilion, N.Y., will combine the butter with other food waste from local food manufacturers and run it through the farm’s digester, converting it into energy.

“We are honored to be recycling the New York State Fair Butter Sculpture for the seventh year in a row,” said dairy farmer Chris Noble of Noblehurst Farms and Craigs Creamery. “We will mix the butter sculpture with other food waste and convert it to energy over the course of about 28 days. That energy will be created into electricity which will power homes in the local community.”

According to Noble, the digester breaks down the material and creates enough electricity to power the farm, the farm’s on-site creamery and about 350 homes for a year. Specifically, the butter from the butter sculpture alone will be able to power one house for three days.

In recent years, Noblehurst Farms has been recognized nationally for achievements in sustainability and community partnerships to divert food waste from local landfills. The result of Noblehurst’s efforts have led to diverting 200 tons of food waste from local landfills on every week.

“Our awareness of the role that dairy farmers are playing in addressing the global food waste problem has definitely heightened,” Noble said. “We are hopeful that our innovative food waste reduction practices will bring additional value as New York State focuses on reducing methane and sequestering carbon in the coming years.”

This year’s sculpture, “Refuel Her Greatness – Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Title IX,” spotlighted female athletes and how today’s athletes refuel with chocolate milk.

Bringing More Than Milk to the Market: A Look at RNG

Mon, 22 Aug 2022 14:54:41 GMT

With the drive to become carbon neutral by 2050, America’s dairy farms bring more than milk to the market. They are looking to exchange carbon credits for dollars. Only a few months away from completing the installation of a manure digester, Arizona dairy farmers Craig and Heather Caballero, who own and operate Caballero Dairy outside of Eloy, will also be in the carbon exchange market.

The Caballeros milk 5,200 cows in a 72-cow rotary and anticipate generating 214 MMBtu of renewable natural gas daily from their manure digester.

“We decided to venture into the carbon credit sector for several reasons,” Craig says. “The number one reason being we wanted to be continuous stewards of the land and the environment, meeting the needs and demands of our customers and also building a better tomorrow.”

The natural gas generated from the digesters will be delivered into the El Paso Natural Gas Pipeline, owned by Kinder Morgan. The project will be owned and operated by Brightmark RNG Holdings LLC, a Brightmark platform in partnership with Chevron U.S.A. Inc.

According to Mark Stoermann, Newtrient COO, 250 dairies are currently building or running digester systems and 20% of the projects came online in the last five years.

“With the current demand and programs supporting RNG that number of farms can increase by another 20% or more in the next five years,” he says.

Caballero understands the rise in interest by fellow producers and says another benefit of venturing into the carbon credit is the opportunity to have a secondary cash flow. One more reason that the Arizona producer decided to put in a digester was to help reduce the dairy’s fertilizer costs, which they expect will be a substantial saving.

“We can better capture the nutrients coming off the digester,” Caballero says. “Plus save on our fertilizer bill.”

To learn if renewable energy will work for your farm, click here to see the outlined steps from step one all the way to breaking ground. Will Renewable Natural Gas RNG Work on Your Farm - Newtrient

Environment-First Focus at Deer Run Dairy

Tue, 02 Aug 2022 14:40:28 GMT

There is no denying, dairy farming is a 24/7, 365-day commitment. Deer Run Dairy in Kewaunee, Wis., would also add that dairying is a continuous learning process. The 1,850-cow dairy is led by the partnership of the father-son-duo, Duane and Derek Ducat, and Dale Bogart. The trio’s efforts to put the environment first is fueled with the hope to sustain it for the next generation. Their hardworking efforts landed them with one of the 2022 U.S. Dairy Sustainability awards.

How It All Began

In the early 80s, Duane farmed with his parents, milking 58 cows. In 2000, Duane met Dale while attending the National Farm show in Louisville, Ky. Soon after they discussed becoming business partners. Eight years later, they combined their two herds and built a facility at Duane’s location. In addition, Deer Run Dairy is a member of Peninsula Pride Farms, the Wisconsin Demo Farm Network and the Discovery Research program. The partners feel their involvement in these organizations has been a big help to conservation efforts at home, and thus, the farm is seeing tangible results in the soil. While Dale manages dairy day to day, Derek and Duane run a custom farming business.

“Deer Run Dairy LLC is honored to receive this award recognizing our efforts toward sustainability. We realize this award is the result of the collaborative efforts of many,” Duane says.

The farm actively participates in Wisconsin’s Demonstration Farm Network and Discovery Research program. Deer Run Dairy confronted the water challenges on their 2,500-acre farm near Lake Michigan by implementing several conservation practices to protect the water and improve soil health.

Derek says that their soil structure has changed with the use of cover crops and no-till.

“One field soil test showed a half percentage increase in organic matter, which improves the soil’s water holding capacity and infiltration. It’s pretty exciting to see results in a short timeframe,” he says.

By using cereal rye as the main cover crop, Deer Run Dairy began seeding 100% of their cropland with cover crops a year ago. Other cover crops used are turnip, radish, barley, buckwheat, vetch and rye after wheat or fourth crop hay.

Duane says that a diverse cover crop ties everything together and improves the health of the soil.

“Cover crops also keep the ground moist and help with crusting issues,” he says.

The benefits of no-till from Deer Run Dairy’s point of view are plentiful, but they especially like that they are not burning fuel and wearing equipment through tillage or releasing carbon when working the land.

Key Factors

Deer Run Dairy installed a digester in 2011. This was something Duane knew he wanted, even before they built the dairy.

“I didn’t want to use sand for bedding because it’s hard on equipment,” he says. “We use separated manure solids produced from the digester and have had good luck with it.”

Today, the digester produces enough renewable natural gas to power nearly 600 homes. The majority of the farm’s manure is used as fertilizer to grow the crops. Last year, all manure was applied to fields with a dribble bar, which helps bring the manure to the ground level.

“We’ve been able to increase our rates because of better infiltration from our improved soil structure,” Derek says. “We were at three to four passes but are now getting down to just two passes.”

Other major benefits of the digester are odor reduction and a decrease in pathogen levels by 1,000 times. Overall, Deer Run says that their digester is a key factor in helping their dairy operation be more environmentally friendly.

“We’re already reducing our commercial fertilizer needs through the use of manure, and we want to keep focusing on that,” Derek said.

Deer Run Dairy’s drive to take better care of their land has them keeping an open eye to the future, but also implementing new ideas.

“We don’t rule out anything,” Duane says. “We’re open to different ideas and trying new things. Change is constant, and we’re open to change because we have to keep this farm going for future generations.”

A formal celebration of all the U.S. Dairy Sustainability winners is scheduled in conjunction with the Dairy Sustainability Alliance Fall Meeting, Nov. 14-15, in Glendale, Ariz.

Tim Trotter, CEO of Dairy Edge Farmer Cooperative, who nominated Deer Run Dairy says they are an outstanding example of leadership through action when it comes to continuous improvement in conservation.

“It is obvious that this farm takes great pride in the commitment they’ve made to be a leader for sustainability in the dairy community, and we are proud to have them as a member,” Trotter says.

RNG: Dairy’s New Financial, Sustainable Gas

Sat, 18 Jun 2022 12:00:00 GMT

It’s a win-win scenario for the dairy industry that seems almost too good to be true. And yet the evolution of Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) is not without its challenges and roadblocks.

RNG is natural gas derived from the decomposition of organic waste material, including food waste; garden and lawn clippings; municipal wastewater; landfill waste; and – the biggie for livestock production – manure.

To capture RNG, manure is loaded into anaerobic digesters, where complex microbial communities break it down. Through a gradual fermentation process in an oxygen-free environment, the waste is “digested,” and the resulting biogas is captured.

The biogas – which is composed of methane, carbon dioxide, and a small fraction of other gases – is then cleaned, conditioned, and ready to use as an energy source for heat, electricity, or vehicle fuel. High-quality RNG can be swapped out for any function in which conventional natural gas is used, and in many cases is injected into the same municipal natural gas pipelines.

As a renewable fuel source, RNG outshines intermittent sources like wind and solar energy, because it is readily available and not dependent on atmospheric conditions. It also is viewed as a “carbon-negative” source. That’s because it comes from organic sources that once absorbed carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during photosynthesis, and it reduces methane emissions, capturing more greenhouse gases than it emits.

According to a U.S. Department of Energy study , RNG-fueled vehicles release up to 95% lower emissions than those fueled with gas or diesel. When considering total reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, the California Air Resources Board estimates that replacing traditional vehicle fuels with RNG derived from dairy manure results in a 400% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

For the dairy farms, the benefits of RNG also are numerous, and include:

The ability to generate additional income by selling RNG energy credits.
Retention of manure dry matter and nutrients post-digestion, which can be used as recycled bedding and in place of synthetic crop fertilizer.
Improvement of air quality and odor control around dairies.
Longer-term, upside income potential for selling value-added dairy products. Energy company Gevo predicts that dairy products may one day be marketed as “sustainably sourced.” Farms that can demonstrate their positive net carbon economy could receive more for their milk because their added sustainability value would be verifiable.

With all of these checks in the “win” column, it seems every dairy farm would be jumping on the RNG bandwagon. But entering RNG production for dairies, despite all of its glowing merits, is a complex and costly proposition.

To justify the expense of installing a digester, and to provide enough manure to run it efficiently, the initial start-up has been practical only for very large dairies. Plus running a digester system requires and entirely different skill set and labor allocation than running a dairy. And in many parts of the country, gaining access to electrical grids and pipelines can be challenging, and must be negotiated on a case-by-case basis.

California is leading the way in dairy RNG production, with more than 100 dairy digesters currently up and running or under construction. Because California set its own renewable fuel standards in 2017, the state has invested heavily in digester projects for dairies, managed via the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Dairy Digester Research and Development Program .

Public-private partnerships between the state of California, energy companies, and dairies have made RNG production practical for more dairies, thanks in part to the development of “cluster” projects in which multiple dairies feed into a single digester.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Program (EPA) , there also are some federal initiatives to help kickstart the RNG market.

Catching the Curveballs

Wed, 01 Jun 2022 14:07:08 GMT

Unaware of what’s coming next, Arizona dairy farmer Craig Caballero always keeps his eyes on the ball — something he learned from his time behind home plate as an MLB catcher in the mid-90s.

“There are thousands of different scenarios that can happen over a single plate,” he says. “As a catcher, you’re trying to predict what’s going to come at you next.”

Early Days

Before putting on his baseball cleats and glove, Caballero worked on his family farm in Gilbert alongside his father, Manuel. Caballero carries deep-rooted lessons and an appreciation for agriculture. His father, who immigrated from Spain when he was 19 years old in 1952, started herding sheep to become a U.S. citizen. Six years later, Manuel started Caballero Dairy Farm.

“I started helping [on the farm] before I can even remember,” Caballero says. “My backyard was the dairy.”

After high school, Caballero headed to Grand Canyon University in Phoenix on a baseball scholarship. He graduated with a business finance degree and signed a contract to play with the Detroit Tigers. After his time playing with the Tigers, and later with the Chicago Cubs, he had many thoughts on his next career choice. Ultimately, his heart brought him back to the family farm.

In 1998, when he returned to Caballero Dairy, the father-son duo milked 900 cows. Over time, they expanded to 1,700, and in 2006, Caballero and his wife, Heather, decided to build their own 3,300 cow dairy in Eloy.

Self-described as competitive, Caballero says that mindset gives him an advantage when working in a volatile industry.

Technology Adoption

Watching the dairy industry evolve at lightning speed, Caballero say producers must be willing to accept and adapt to change. He encourages producers to lean into discussions about adopting technology on their farm, while realizing they can’t modify everything.

“You must know your strengths, your weaknesses and apply them correctly,” Heather says.

Today, the Caballeros milk 5,200 cows in a 72-cow rotary. Mimicking an assembly line, Caballero always knew he would build a rotary because it can be modified later.

In 2015, the Caballero’s implemented a robot to pre- and postdip cows, which helped reduced their workforce by five employees.

“It was a good investment with a good return on investment,” Caballero says.

Most recently the dairy added Nedap sensor collars and conducts all breedings off sort rails.

“Now, our cow management is driven by the cow collars and the information they provide versus walking pens and identifying cows,” Caballero says. “We must trust the technology.”

Caballero admits there is a learning curve when adding technology and recognizes older generations are more likely to resist than younger generations.

“I kind of feel at my age I’m somewhere in between,” he shares. “I’m in no man’s land — not young enough to have grown up with it, so I’m always having to learn.”

Since the operation only recently started using the collars, Caballero is unsure of the true ROI on the investment but confidently says the system can identify things impossible to do with the human eye.

While technology has its place at Caballero Dairy, he also says a producer must surround themselves with good people.

“My father’s generation didn’t have the kind of technology we do today,” he remarks. “They were successful because they knew how to work hard.”

Caballero says managing a dairy now requires a different business model, one that includes hard work as well as numerous other variables.

“There is no cookie-cutter formula for success,” Caballero says.

Capturing Every Drop of Water

Dairying in the Grand Canyon State is not for the faint of heart, and the Caballeros say Arizona dairy producers must do everything they can to preserve water.

“If anyone in the southwest U.S., including Arizona, said the drought didn’t worry them, I think they got their head in the sand,” Heather says. “It’s definitely concerning.”

The Caballeros are counting down the days until their dairy’s manure digester is operational later this summer. One of the many reasons they leaned forward with the decision to put in a digester was to help reduce the dairy’s fertilizer costs, which they expect will be a substantial savings.

“We can better capture the nutrients coming off the digester,” Caballero says. “Plus save on our fertilizer bill.”

In addition to adding a digester on the farm, Caballero says he is looking at different hybrids to grow drought resistant forages.

“Water is the next biggest challenge we must address in the industry,” Heather says. “We will be forced to use a lot of products that weren’t previously around.”

Reevaluating the ideal time to plant crops is up for discussion at his dairy, Caballero says.

“In Arizona you can still grow things in winter months,” he says. “We must look at every single angle. Arizona water has always been monitored heavily. The fact we’re in a drought, isn’t new for us.”

Equal Opportunities

While labor is an issue across the country, Caballero says he doesn’t know any place more difficult in terms of labor than Arizona.

“The shortage of labor for us is caused by the workforce demand in construction,” he says.

Caballero says it’s not even about finding the help, even if you want to pour concrete, you have a long wait due to the high demand.

“You’re probably looking at an eight to 12-week lead time,” he says.

Milk prices between $23 and $25 is a nice change of pace for the Caballeros, but they say it’s
not spectacular.

“The fact of the matter is inputs have gone up threefold and milk has not,” Caballero says.

In 2007, Caballero began using a risk management plan and says he could not imagine dairying without it, especially with all the volatility right now.

“With the volatility we have seen both in our price of milk and with our inputs, it would be much more difficult to manage without using some type of risk management plan,” Caballero says.

Where there are challenges, he says, there often are opportunities.

“Arizona’s growing population proves there are a lot of people to feed in a very short distance,” he says. “So, we must figure out how to manage that.”

Looking Ahead

The Caballeros continue to keep their eyes wide open for the next opportunity. Their last expansion was in 2020, and with the rising interest rates, Caballero is currently working on paying down debt.

“The current inflation rate does not generate an appetite for me to build,” he says. “With the cost to build being so crazy, it isn’t exactly where I want to put my next dollar.”

The self-motivated dairy farmer says the reason why he straps on his boots and heads to the dairy early every morning is simply because he has people who depend on him.

The Caballero’s three children — Anika, Joseph and Ethan — show interest in coming back to the farm, but Caballero doesn’t push for it. He says the reason he loves the industry so much is that he was never forced to be in it.

“Yes, I would absolutely support any of my children who want to be part of the dairy or the dairy industry,” he says, “but that needs to be their choice. Whatever their choices are, I will support them.”

Heather was not raised on a farm and says she has a deeper appreciation for what a dairy farm provides to her family.

“Having the opportunity to raise my children with an agricultural experience on a farm is a blessing in more ways than one,” Heather says. “I pray they see their last name not as a sense of entitlement, but as a name deserving of trust and respect; earned by hard work and loyalty by their father.”

The Caballeros are excited about the future of the dairy industry, although they continue to keep their eyes on the ball to stay ahead of the constant challenges thrown at the industry.

The Dairy Conference to Attend: Put Your Strengths to Work at the 2021 MILK Business Conference

Wed, 06 Oct 2021 17:24:16 GMT

The 18th Annual MILK Business Conference has a great line-up of speakers and sessions to help dairy producers capitalize on and further develop their strengths to work for them. Held at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas Nov. 30 – Dec. 2, the MILK Business Conference is like no other dairy conference.

What sets MILK Business Conference apart is the unique position to address every business aspect of progressive dairy operations, offering practical perspectives to help dairy producers address challenges and opportunities that face them. This one-of-a-kind networking event allows both producers and businesses to gain knowledge and perspectives from one another.

“Putting Your Strengths to Work” is the theme of this year’s MILK Business Conference and both the speakers and session are aimed to help dairy producers capitalize on and further develop putting those strengths to work.

Some of the sessions featured this year include:

Five Mega Trends in 2022 and Beyond

Speaker: Aidan Connolly, Cainthus

Highlighting the megatrends to help producers increasingly recognize their future revenue may go beyond the traditional focus of just looking at the milk price.  

How to Become the Employer of Choice

Speaker: Dr. Stan Moore, Michigan State University

Tackling labor on the farm in terms of attracting, retaining, and handling labor issues.

Turning Manure into Money

Speaker: Newtrient and American Biogas Council

Weighing out options and preparing dairy for future alternative profit centers, such as renewable energy. Review and evaluate the type of technology to consider, the economics, questions to ask energy and tech vendors and so much more.

A Candid Conversation About Mental Health

Speaker: Ted Mathews, the go-to counselor for farmers for decades shares his perspective on addressing mental health. Also, Wisconsin dairy farmer, Randy Roecker shares his mental health struggle – talking about the devastating impact it had on his dairy operation and to his family life - and how he managed to dig out of the trenches of it all.

How Will You Feed Your Cows in the Future?

Speaker: Dennis Hancock, Director of U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center, USDA.

Sharing how artificial intelligence will help play a role in how cows are fed in the future and more.

Walt Coleman, Longest serving Referee in NFL history shares his stories!

Coleman served as a line judge for the first six seasons before being promoted to referee at the start of the 1995 NFL season. Over his NFL career, he has worked two conference championship games (1998 and 2003). Coleman resides in Little Rock, Arkansas and is a fifth-generation family operator of Coleman Dairy.

Plus, Many More Sessions in the Line-Up, including the Beef on Dairy: The Traceability Story

An incredible line-up of speakers and sessions will address that dairy’s greatest asset in 2035 might not be their cows. Plus, the National Rodeo Finals begins right when our conference is done. So, we invite you to stick around. Register today at MilkBusinessConference.com.

Efficiencies and ROIs: Dairy Farmers Weigh in When it Comes to Technology

Thu, 02 Sep 2021 21:48:20 GMT

Optimizing productivity and improving efficiency are top goals that are talked about in farm meetings, illustrated through management practices, and closely monitored through financial budgets. The big-ticket question is, “What can help a dairy producer launch their operation to the next level?”

Cue in technology. During a Farm Journal Field Day session and recent Farm Journal MILK Innovative Dairy Producer webinar, three dairy producers openly talked about how return on investments (ROIs) come into play when making future technology investments for their dairy.

Each producer shared they had plans to increase efficiencies over the next one to five years.

Mikayla McGee, Jon-De Farm, Baldwin, Wis., said her family has plans to add a carrousel parlor, which would allow them to eliminate milking on two sites and gain efficiencies that cannot always be documented on paper.

Ryan Junio, Four J Jerseys, Pixley, Calif., is in a similar situation, as his family dairy is building a new 2,000-cow free stall barn that will allow them to bring all their cows to one central location. Doing this will allow them to expand on their methane digester, capitalize on the methane coming off that additional 2,000-cow facility, as well as better utilize labor on one site versus two.

John Harrison, Sweetwater Valley, Philadelphia, Tenn., isn’t quite convinced now is the time to invest in big technologies. “I’m waiting to see how our dairy comes out of this downturn before making big decisions,” he says.

These three dairy farmers say carefully evaluating ROIs is not as simple as it might sound.

For Junio, he would like to see a new project cash flow itself before adopting it into his dairy. “It depends on the size and scale of the investment,” he says. “If it can pay its own mortgage, obviously that is a home-run idea.”

Harrison budgets for a 20% ROI return and hopes to get half of that before adopting new technology into his dairy operation.

McGee says calculating ROI isn’t a simple math formula and there are other factors to consider before adopting new technology. “If you are not going to utilize all the information the technology offers, then you might need to consider reevaluating a more basic option,” she says.

Conversations are unfolding, as producers delve into what technologies can efficiently serve as a launchpad to get their dairy to the next level.

Goodrich Farm: A Definition of Sustainability

Mon, 16 Aug 2021 14:04:08 GMT

Most dairy producers remember 2009 — and siblings Chase and Danielle Goodrich are no exception. It was the year the duo transitioned into leadership roles for their family’s third-generation farm in Salisbury, Vermont. The pair realized challenges were on the horizon, but they also understood being good stewards of their resources and pocketbook were the keys to success.

Following in the footsteps of the previous generations, the duo’s drive to outline the farm’s sustainability pillars of environment, economics and society underscores why they were recently recognized as one of the U.S. Dairy 2021 Sustainability Winners.

“Chase and Danielle Goodrich are prime examples of young dairy farmers setting their business on a successful trajectory. Diversifying their farm while further protecting Vermont’s soils and waters is the innovative thinking dairy farmers are known for,” explains Michael DeAngelis, vice president of Integrated Marketing and Communications for New England Dairy. “Their perseverance to see [their anaerobic digester project] come to life is why Goodrich Farm is most deserving of an Outstanding Dairy Farm Sustainability Award. The anaerobic digester has been a long time coming and will serve Vermont, Goodrich Farm and its project partners for years to come.”

Early Beginnings

Chase received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Salve Regina University, and Danielle attended the Vermont Technical College two-year dairy herd management program. They both finished college at the same time and the opportunity to return home to the family dairy presented itself.

“Danielle always knew she would come back to the farm,” Chase says. “I wasn’t as sure but knew there was potential to utilize my skillset if I did.”

The farm got its start in 1956 by the siblings’ grandparents, Donald and Mildred Goodrich. In the mid-70s, their parents, Ernest and Lee Ann Goodrich joined the farm. Today, Chase oversees the feed and crop side of the business, which includes nearly 2,500 acres of corn and a variety of grasses. His younger sister, Danielle, manages the 800-cow milking herd.

“My sister always liked working with cows and family,” Chase adds. “I liked working with family, too, but really love working the land and having that connection of being part of a rich family farming tradition.”

The siblings give a lot of credit to their father for kickstarting conversations about their dairy’s future.

“In 2009, with the financial crisis facing dairy and in Vermont, a lot of negative criticism was geared toward agriculture’s impact on water quality,” Danielle says. “We knew as a family business we needed to do something to diversify to become sustainable — both economically and environmentally.”

The Environment

For the Goodrich family, sustainability is more than a catchphrase, as they are always searching for ways to be more efficient and improve their operation.

“To me, sustainability means to be able to pass on the tradition of farming to the next generation while also providing for yourself, your family and community,” Chase notes.

Goodrich Farm is located near Otter Creek, which feeds into Lake Champlain. In 2009, the Vermont agriculture industry faced scrutiny when the lake recorded high phosphorus levels. To do their part to improve their local watershed’s water quality and soil health, the Goodriches changed how their operation managed manure and other nutrients.

“We give a lot of credit to our father for being forthright with regulations that were coming at us in the early 2000s,” Danielle says. “We wanted to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.”

The family now uses no-till and cover crops to reduce phosphorus runoff. They’ve also installed satellite ponds that allow the farm to inject manure into the soil to help eliminate compaction and runoff as well as maximize absorption while minimizing odor. A consulting firm helps align the farm’s nutrient management plan with environmental regulations.

“By installing satellite ponds, we can distribute manure to field locations more steadily throughout the year, avoiding surges of trucking before planting and after harvest and improving the impact on our community,” Chase says.

The farm works with a trucking company that manages and operates drag hoses, allowing them to fill tanks from the satellite ponds and directly inject manure on corn and grass ground as often as applicable. A phosphorus removal system applies the nutrients from their dairy on the cropland, with the goal of the operation becoming less reliant on commercial fertilizers.

In partnership with Vermont Gas Systems, Middlebury College and Vanguard Renewables, Goodrich Farm installed an anaerobic digester two years ago. The system includes two 660,00-gal.-capacity tanks that process up to 100 tons of manure and 180 tons of organic food waste into renewable natural gas daily.

“Our exploration around becoming better farmers, stewards of the land and community members brought our dairy farm family together with a prestigious educational institution, with a public utility, several environmental groups and an innovative group of organic waste recycling and renewable energy entrepreneurs,” Chase says. “When we got into the same room, a tremendously beneficial partnership developed with lasting benefits for the farm, the community and the environment.”

The Economics

Before Chase and Danielle came back home, their father began milking on a second facility and added an additional 300 cows.

“This was a good short-term plan,” Danielle says. “We knew we would need more cows at some point.”

In July 2020, the farm consolidated milking operations from older barns at two separate sites to one freestall barn and a 28-cow rotary to cut back on energy costs and labor while enhancing cow comfort and herd health.

“We wanted to maximize efficiencies and have one stream of manure and milk pick-ups to simplify the entire operation,” Chase notes.

This transition did not come without hiccups. The project was delayed a whole year because of COVID-19 and production quotas.

“It was hard to move forward with a business model when market conditions tell you not to build the barn,” Chase adds. “Hindsight is always foresight, and we are glad we pushed forward and built regardless of the challenges presented.”

Today Goodrich Farm milks 800 cows and has produced more than 18 million pounds of milk through their cooperative, Agrimark. Focusing on cow comfort and increasing production while honing in on efficiency has brought success in other facets of the dairy. For example, the herd’s somatic cell count has decreased to under 100,000, which the family credits to using separated solids for bedding rather than sawdust.

“It is really fresh and dry bedding,” Chase says. Stalls are bedded three times weekly and the four-row freestall barn gives cows plenty of room. Add in automated fans and curtains and it’s a consistently good place for cows to live.”

The family notes the digester has saved nearly $50,000 annually on bedding alone. The digester also produces more than 80,000 tons of low-carbon, low-odor organic digestate annually, which saves another $200,000 in commercial chemical fertilizers.

The Society

Accepting unusable food and beverage waste for the digester diverts nearly 66,000 tons of non-farm organic waste from landfills annually. The digester produces 600 kilowatts of renewable electricity annually, which is comparable to heating nearly 5,000 homes on an annual basis.

One of the sibling’s main goals is to carry on the tradition of farming – it’s also part of their definition of sustainability.

“When my sister and I returned to the family farm a dozen years ago, our focus became how we can achieve this sustainable goal.”

Chase and Danielle’s emphasis on being wise stewards of their resources and pocketbook has allowed them to put one foot in front of the other, achieving a sustainable formula that will propel them into the future.

Hunter Haven Farms Showcased During Dairy Technology Tour

Tue, 13 Jul 2021 18:07:16 GMT

Near Pearl City, Illinois, sits Hunter Haven Farms, which was recently showcased during the Dairy Technology Tour hosted by the Illinois Milk Producers Association (IMPA) and the University of Illinois Extension for their dairy’s technological advancements. Hunter Haven’s new owners and longtime manager Scott and Jennifer Brenner and Nathan and Amanda Dinderman led their farm tour to a virtual audience earlier this month.

“These tours are an excellent way for our farmers to get a behind-the-scenes look at the latest innovations, technologies and management practices on dairy farms throughout Illinois,” IMPA manager, Tasha Bunting says.

Hunter Haven Farms began in 1976 and after many years of success, the dairy transitioned ownership from brothers Doug and Tom Block and their families to being sold to the current owners in 2019. Brenner says that the transition for the farm, which was set up as a corporation in 1997, was successful because of solid planning. “The Block family wanted to see the dairy continue and we were interested in the opportunity to continue in the dairy business,” he states. “There were hard questions and compromises. But, if everybody has the same goal, in the end, you can make it work.”

Today, Hunter Haven is home to 925 cows who are milked three times daily and the farm produces most of its own feed on approximately 2,000 acres.

Hunter Haven has seen many changes over the years, including in 2000, when 100-stalls were added to the existing freestall barn. Five years later they installed a methane digester online and the following year 200 additional stalls were added to the barn. The decision to transition the old barn into tunnel ventilation was made about a decade ago. “Tunnel ventilation is much nicer for the cows,” Brenner says. “I think we see as much benefit in the winter as we do in the summer.”

Focusing on improving cow comfort, the farm’s goal includes purposely placing fans to generate an average windspeed around 7-9 mph through the barns via tunnel ventilation. “The system reduces the farm’s water usage as a different method to cool cows in the summer,” Brenner adds.

Further aiding to cow comfort, the farm creates its own bedding for its cows as the biodigester creates natural gas from cow manure, which forces the boilers to make hot water for the farm. This destroys pathogens and breaks down the fiber in the manure to create a byproduct used for bedding the cows.

Although the digester initially created electricity for the grid, after the farm lost the generator in a fire, the decision was made to utilize the digester strictly for the farm after repairs were made. The digester also produces a liquid product that is then used to fertilize Hunter Haven crops.

The 2,000 acres farmed by Hunter Haven, includes corn silage and haylage, which is part of the farm’s TMR diet. They also grow soybeans, which are sent to a local processor to be roasted and then fed back to their cows.

Focusing on feed costs, Brenner remarks that they concentrate on locking in their commodities and feed costs in. “Soymeal prices are up 50%,” Brenner said during the virtual tour. “If we were in the cash market now, it could add another 50 to 70 cents per hundredweight.”

Brenner also shared during the virtual farm tour that they made the management decision to custom raise all their calves to lock costs in and establish culling protocols.

To learn more about Hunter Haven Farm and to watch the Dairy Tech Tour video, visit illinoismilk.org .

State Fair Butter Statue Goes Back to the Farm

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 03:01:09 GMT

The butter sculpture at the New York State Fair is coming down, but it’s being recycled.

The statue of three state troopers with a calf and a child is made with roughly 700 pounds of butter. Butter statues are an annual attraction at the State Fair in Syracuse, which ran through Labor Day.

On Tuesday, the statue will be dismantled for transportation to Noblehurst Farms in Livingston County. The butter will be recycled in a methane digester to help create electricity.

The farm is working with the American Dairy Association North East and Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners.

Two Steps Forward for Dairy Digesters

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 02:53:26 GMT

Two California dairies win state grants to build innovative, energy-producing biogas projects.

The California Energy Commission (CEC) has granted two San Joaquin Valley dairies $4 million each for innovative biogas projects that will generate electricity, reduce methane emissions and, in the case of one, help launch the state’s first “hub-and-spoke” dairy digester cluster.

Lakeview Farms Dairy of Bakersfield, Calif., and West Star North Dairy of Buttonwillow, Calif., were the only two dairies among the six renewable energy research projects awarded in March by the CEC, the state’s primary energy policy and planning agency. The six awards, totaling nearly $14 million, followed a competitive application process.

The dairy projects are slated to start this month and reach completion by March 2019. The electricity from both dairy’s digesters will head to PG&E, California’s largest energy utility.

Developer California Bioenergy--working through its American Biogas subsidiaries--will finance, design, build, own and operate both projects in partnership with the two dairies. The specially formed entities will match the grant-funding for each project.

“These projects aim to generate and sell renewable electricity to either PG&E through long-term energy contracts or to the dairy via Net Energy Metering programs, helping to achieve the state’s renewable energy goals and making dairy digester, renewable energy projects more affordable,” says Gina Barkalow, CEC grant manager for the projects.

As part of the state’s first “hub-and-spoke” dairy digester cluster, the Lakeview Farms project will install a 1 megawatt generator and prepare a platform to accept future biogas from neighboring dairies.

The two biogas ventures are designed for maximum capture and destruction of methane, helping to achieve the state’s greenhouse gas reduction goals, CEC says. California’s Renewable Portfolio Standard has set a target of 33% renewables by 2020. A new bill would increase the renewable procurement target to 50% renewables by 2030.

Both biogas projects will help investor-owned utilities “address the challenges posed by the intermittency of other renewable sources of energy, such as wind and solar,” says Cal Bioenergy’s Neil Black.

Lakeview and West Star North are flush-dairy operations that produce large volumes of manure water.

Using a covered-lagoon digester to process manure into biogas, the 7,000-cow Lakeview Farms will generate renewable electricity for export to PG&E’s electricity distribution grid. Located within an eight-mile radius of 11 other dairies south of Bakersfield, the Lakeview project will help launch the state’s first “hub-and-spoke” dairy digester cluster.

“The project will install a 1 megawatt generator and, at the same time, put in place a platform to accept future capacity, utilizing biogas from neighboring dairies,” Black says.

The hub-and-spoke approach for this cluster was initially examined in a USDA study on the economic feasibility of dairy digesters in California. “The idea is to allow the dairies to benefit from the aggregation of capital investment and reduce operation and management costs by centrally locating the generators and associated electrical equipment,” says Black.

West Star North Dairy, 35 miles north of Lakeview Farms, is home to more than 7,000 milking cows, replacement heifers and dry cows. Like Lakeview, West Star North’s biogas project will include a covered-lagoon digester and a 1-megawatt generation system.

One of two unique aspects of the West Star North project is its planned double-cell digester system. Two covered lagoons--one fixed, the other variable volume--will lie yards apart from each other. Manure water will flow sequentially from the first into the second lagoon. This system will enable wastewater quantity to vary by time of year as well as allow for the potential of co-digestion to increase biogas output. Only one other California dairy digester project, at the Bidart Old River Road Dairy near Bakersfield, has a double-cell, covered-lagoon digester system. Located near Lakeview Farms dairy, that project also was developed by CalBioenergy.

“The West Star North project will improve dairy operations and reduce dairy costs by advancing lagoon digester design,” Black says. “It will use the same design innovations to potentially retire the existing storage lagoon, an approach developed with 4Creeks, a dairy-focused engineering firm.”

Manure from both dairies’ cows will supply the digesters, which ultimately will generate electricity for PG&E.

A second innovative feature will prime West Star North for a future where energy storage on the farm is possible. Over the next year, the project will prepare its generator platform to add a second megawatt. That will allow West Star North to become one of the first dairies to participate in the state’s AB 2514 energy storage program. That 2010 landmark legislation was designed to increase the use of energy storage systems.

“We are readying West Star to compete in this program at a future date,” Black says. “If successful, it would provide a new revenue stream. Participation would mean that the utility is able to ‘dispatch’ or control an engine generator, starting electricity generation when they need it.”

With the State of California on board, the two dairy projects have a solid vote of approval. Moreover, the different approaches of each will showcase the viability of biogas efforts, “proving the benefits and setting the standard for future dairy digesters in California,” Black says.

U.S. Dairy Digester Portfolio

The two new biogas ventures near Bakersfield will boost California’s dairy digester numbers to 22, but the nation’s top dairy state still lags behind three other states in biogas projects.

Among the 202 anaerobic digesters commercially operating on U.S. dairies as of January 2015, the following states have the highest number, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s AgSTAR program:

Wisconsin - 37
New York - 32
Pennsylvania - 23
California - 20
Vermont - 16
Ohio - 10
Minnesota - 8
Washington - 8
Indiana - 7
Michigan - 7
Oregon -7
Idaho - 6

More than 80% of all commercial anaerobic digesters in the U.S. are located on dairies. Of those, most are plug-flow digesters, complete-mix systems or covered lagoons.

The U.S. swine industry accounts for the second-highest number of commercial anaerobic digesters, with 39.

U.S. Dairy Digester Portfolio Continues to Grow

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 02:52:56 GMT

The dairy industry leads in the number of commercial anaerobic digesters on U.S. livestock operations.

Among the 202 anaerobic digesters commercially operating on U.S. dairies as of January 2015, the following states have the highest number, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s AgSTAR program:

Wisconsin	37
New York	32
Pennsylvania	23
California	20
Vermont	16
Ohio	10
Minnesota	8
Washington	8
Indiana	7
Michigan	7
Oregon	7
Idaho	6

More than 80% of all commercial anaerobic digesters in the U.S. are located on dairies. Of those, most are plug-flow digesters, complete-mix systems or covered lagoons.

The U.S. swine industry accounts for the second-highest number of commercial anaerobic digesters, with 39.

Two new biogas ventures near Bakersfield, Calif., will boost California’s dairy digester numbers to 22.

Digester projects will get underway next month at Lakeview Farms Dairy of Bakersfield, Calif., and West Star North Dairy of nearby Buttonwillow, Calif. They were the only two dairies among the 12 renewable energy projects awarded in March by the California Energy Commission (CEC), the state’s primary energy policy and planning agency. The 12 awards, totaling $21 million, followed a competitive application process.

The two San Joaquin Valley dairies received CEC grants of $4 million each to help fund innovative biogas projects that will generate electricity, reduce methane emissions and, in the case of one, launch the state’s first “hub-and-spoke” dairy digester cluster.

The dairy projects are slated to reach completion in March 2019. The electricity from both dairy’s digesters will be sold to PG&E, California’s largest energy utility.

“These projects aim to generate and sell renewable electricity to PG&E through long-term energy contracts or Net Energy Metering programs, helping to achieve the state’s renewable energy goals and making both dairy digester, renewable energy projects more affordable,” says Gina Barkalow, CEC grant manager for the projects.

By 2020, 33% of California’s electricity must come from renewable energy.

Leap of Faith: California Dairy Helps Lead the Way in State's Renewable Energy Efforts

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 02:52:10 GMT

Video shows how New Hope Dairy’s anaerobic digester turns 30,000 gallons of manure a day into electricity for the power grid.

In a video released today, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) takes a closer look at the anaerobic digester at New Hope Dairy in Galt, Calif. The 1,500-cow dairy is a pioneer in the state’s renewable energy efforts.

The dairy’s owners, Arlin Van Groningen and Arlan Van Leeuwen, explain how 30,000 gallons of manure are collected six times a day from their herd and pumped to the onsite digester. There, methane gas is produced, ultimately becoming electricity for the energy grid.

The project is not only helping fulfill “green” energy requirements but also managing manure for the dairy as well as creating composted soil amendments from the post-digester manure.

Officials from the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, project developers and government officials also weigh in on the dairy’s progressive and successful venture.

“The future for dairy digesters in the state of California is. . . unlimited,” says CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “People like New Hope Dairy have done a fabulous job. They’re our pioneers. They’re the ones willing to take this leap of faith to be a part of the new energy economy and helping combat climate change and reduce greenhouse gases.”

See the 4-minute video here .

Gas to Gas: Dairy Manure Powers California Ethanol Plant

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 02:51:50 GMT

In a first for the Golden State, a dairy, a digester and an ethanol plant partner to create renewable energy.

California’s first biogas project connecting a dairy to an ethanol plant officially crossed the finish line last week with a public inauguration at its San Joaquin Valley site.

Nearly six years in the making, the $9.5 million renewable energy project relies on manure piped from a dairy a mile away to an anaerobic digester at the Calgren Renewable Fuels ethanol production facility in Pixley, Calif.

Calgren’s digester captures manure-generated methane gas and burns it as clean biogas to power the ethanol plant. In turn, the plant yields nearly 60 million gallons of ethanol a year that, blended with gasoline, creates a low-carbon fuel for many of California’s 27 million cars.

Officials said the Pixley biogas project is the first California digester to use agricultural waste to create renewable natural gas to power another renewable energy facility. It’s also the first digester in the Golden State to be 100% American made and constructed. The plant now becomes California’s lowest-carbon commercial ethanol producer.

“This project is a model for biorefineries in California and throughout the U.S.,” Jim Mckinney, program manager for the California Energy Commission , said at the digester’s Feb. 10 grand opening. The state agency contributed $4.6 million in grant funds to the project.

The project produces several benefits, officials said.

The dried manure solids that are discharged at the back end of the digester cycle are trucked back to Four-J Dairy every day to be used as bedding for the herd.

“We turn waste into fuel,” said Calgren Renewable Fuels president Lyle Schyler, adding that ethanol comprises 10% of fuel at California’s gasoline pumps. Moreover, the project’s carbon output “is quite low,” because of the digester and other emission-controlling equipment at the plant. “This project is exceptionally green,” Schlyer said.

“Electricity and hydrogen are getting a lot of media attention these days as the fuels of the future,” said Mckinney. “But it is the workhorse plants like this Calgren facility that reduce the carbon content of our fuel supply. At 58 million gallons per year, that’s enough low-carbon fuel for 145,000 cars every year.”

The new biogas system will reduce the amount of natural gas used to fire Calgren’s boilers by 6% and reduce the carbon footprint of the plant’s fuel product by 67 grams of carbon per megajoule, added Mckinney. “That’s one third less carbon than gasoline and one third less carbon than most of the corn ethanol from the Midwest that we import,” he said.

The project’s benefits don’t stop with Calgren and the California environment. Frank Junio and his family also have profited from the project. It’s their Four-J Dairy that’s supplying the manure to Calgren’s plant .

For their role in providing the manure, the Junios got a new manure management infrastructure for their 1,800-cow dairy operation. That includes a double-lined lagoon.

Frank Junio’s dairy supplies the manure to the ethanol plant, seen in the distance.

The dairy also gets the dried manure solids that are discharged at the back end of the digester cycle. Those manure solids are trucked daily from the Calgren plant to Four-J Dairy, where they’re used as bedding for the Junios’ dairy herd. The digester’s remaining effluent is piped back to the dairy each day to be applied to field crops.

The Pixley biogas digester is a two-stage, plug-flow complete mix system. It has a 1-million gallon capacity, said Steve Dvorak, whose Wisconsin-based DVO company engineered the digester. (Calgren’s Daryl Maas conceived and guided the project; Regenis built the digester.) While 90% of the waste going into the digester comes from the dairy, the digester has received permitting to use all feed stocks, including municipal waste and food processing waste.

Located 12 miles south of Tulare and adjacent to Freeway 99, the Calgren facility was built in 2008. It’s one of only four commercial ethanol production plants in California. Corn feed stock for Calgren’s plant arrives by train from the Midwest at the neighboring JD Heiskell facility . It’s then transferred via elevators and conveyors to Calgren’s plant for processing. In addition to ethanol, the Calgren plant produces wet distillers grains and corn oil.

California Announces Available Funding for Dairy Digester Development Program

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 02:50:52 GMT

An estimated $11 million in competitive grant funding will be awarded to provide financial assistance for installing dairy digesters that result in reduced greenhouse gas emissions and provide other environmental benefits.

Source: California Department of Food and Agriculture

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is now accepting applications for the Dairy Digester Research and Development Program (DDRDP), authorized by the Budget Act of 2014.

CDFA was appropriated monies from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to provide financial assistance for the installation of dairy digesters in California, which will result in reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

“Digester technology is precisely the kind of innovation that California farmers are known for,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “It promotes low carbon fuels, agricultural energy efficiency and other operational advantages. We are very encouraged about the potential of this program.”

Agricultural regions, including disadvantaged communities in the Central Valley as identified by the California Environmental Protection Agency using CalEnviroScreen, will benefit from reduced GHG emissions and improved air and water quality protections. Additionally, Central Valley dairy farmers will have revenue generation potential by converting agricultural waste into clean energy that can be used on-farm or off-site as transportation fuel or electricity.

An estimated $11 million in competitive grant funding will be awarded to provide financial assistance for the installation of dairy digesters that result in reduced greenhouse gas emissions and provide other environmental benefits.

Applicants must access the Application Guidelines for detailed information and program requirements. Applications must be submitted electronically on the CDFA grant submission website by Monday, Feb. 23, 2015 at 5 p.m. PST.

CDFA will hold application workshops and a webinar to provide information on program requirements and the application process (see below). There is no cost to attend the workshops or webinar, however, registration is required. Space is limited at each workshop location. Individuals planning to attend must email grants@cdfa.ca.gov with their contact information, number of seats required and workshop location. Further details will be provided upon confirmation of registration.

Visit the CDFA DDRDP website at www.cdfa.ca.gov/go/dd .

Tulare– Jan. 21, 2015

1:00 to 3:00 p.m.

University of California Cooperative Extension Tulare County

4437 S. Laspina Street (Across the street from World Ag Expo)

Room: Tulare County Agricultural Building Auditorium

Tulare, CA 93274

Webinar– January 27, 2015

1:00 to 3:00 p.m.

Space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat at:

https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/255870386

Webinar Information will be provided upon registration.

Sacramento – January 28, 2015

1:00 to 3:00 p.m.

California Department of Food and Agriculture

1220 N Street

Room: Auditorium

Sacramento, CA 95814

Prospective applicants may contact CDFA’s Grants Office at grants@cdfa.ca.gov with general program questions.