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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

New Mexico Farmer Talks Tech and Sustainability on The Weather Channel

Thu, 16 Feb 2023 13:25:48 GMT

A regular on The Weather Channel, earlier this week, dairy farmer, Tara Vander Dussen, also known as the New Mexico Milkmaid, joined live from her eastern New Mexico dairy to talk about the dairy industry’s commitment to reducing its carbon footprint.

“I find it extremely beneficial to go live on national media platforms,” the fifth-generation dairy farmer says. “As farmers, we often feel like it’s difficult to get our message out there or that our voices aren’t heard. So, when we have the opportunity and are invited to share, we should. This allows us the chance to connect with thousands, tens of thousands, and even hundreds of thousands of people.”

“Every time I go live on a media outlet, I am always pleasantly surprised by the messages I receive afterward. People from outside of agriculture message me about how much they enjoyed learning more about ag and how they are happy they could start following me on social media. People want to know more about where their food comes from, and how it’s grown and produced. I see it as part of our job to share with them.”

Vander Dussen holds a degree in environmental science from the University of Arizona and after that, she moved back to New Mexico, got married and began working as an environmental scientist. Vander Dussen and her husband, Daniel, along with their two young daughters, live and work on their family-owned dairy, which is home to nearly 2,000 cows.

The New Mexico dairy farmer shared that there are a lot of exciting things happening in the world of technology for dairy cows.

“Dairy farmers are working with scientists across the world on all sorts of different technology in order to reduce our methane emissions,” she says.

Vander Dussen explained that reducing methane on the farm is indeed important, as agriculture can be one of the solutions to reduce our climate problem.

“Actually, we’re looking into what we could feed the cattle to reduce methane,” she shares. “If we could reduce methane in the ruminant, that would really help reduce methane, as well as a lot of other things.”

Vander Dussen is currently installing solar panels and by year’s end, their barn will be fully solar-powered.

“There are so many different ways to help reduce emissions on the farm and I feel like not everyone has to do everything, but if everyone did something, we could really make a big difference,” she says. “I know dairy farmers are doing that.”

No, Wyoming Isn't Looking to Ban Electric Vehicles...Yet

Fri, 20 Jan 2023 19:33:15 GMT

California turned heads in August when its lawmakers pushed and passed legislation to ban the sale of gas-powered vehicles state-wide by 2035. In Wyoming, similar legislation was recently proposed, but on the opposite side of the aisle.

Sen. Jim Anderson (R-Wyo.) introduced a resolution last Friday aimed at phasing out electric vehicle sales in Wyoming by 2035. According to the resolution, the concept is being considered in order to sustain the state’s oil and gas industry.

“The oil and gas industry in Wyoming has created countless jobs and contributed revenue to the state,” says Sen. Dan Dockstader (R-Wyo.). “Wyoming will be robbed of 12,000 to 16,000 jobs if we dismiss gas vehicles for the sake electric. It’s unacceptable.”

Tabled Until 2024

Following the proposal, the resolution was referred to Wyoming’s minerals committee, where it was discussed and tabled, “at least,” through the year, Dockstader says.

“The resolution won’t be heard on the Senate floor in 2023, but we will revisit it in 2024,” he says.

The resolution discussion follows the Biden administration’s federal ban on oil and gas leasing. According to Dockstader, the ban is costing Wyoming $304 million per year, from 2021 to 2025.

“At some point as a state we have to push back and say our people and our jobs are more important. Our mineral and gas industry, that’s what’s employing our families across the state, and we stand with them.”

Electric Outlook

Outside of electric vehicles, Dockstader says he and his fellow Wyoming legislators aren’t completely closed off to new technologies.

“We’re using hydroelectric power here in Wyoming as well as wind power and solar. We’re not saying we’re not interested in trying other energy outlets. But if you step away from our current energy sources, or step away from gas-powered vehicles, you can’t drive the economy,” he says.

Docskstader pointed to California, saying the state—and any others that choose to ban gas-powered vehicles—can expect “serious” economic consequences.

“The havoc the U.S. is experiencing now with rapid inflation will reach far beyond the economy if we take away oil and gas and continue this electric vehicle spending,” he says. “We didn’t need this before and we won’t need this in the future, at least not in Wyoming.”