Author: Sureena Johl

Investing in Impact: How the OARS Team Helps Deliver Climate Solutions on California Dairy and Livestock Farms 

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The CDFA Office of Agricultural Resilience and Sustainability (OARS) is dedicated to supporting California’s dairy and livestock farmers in their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. As proof of that, the CDFA’s Alternative Manure Management Program (AMMP) and Dairy Digester Research and Development Program (DDRDP) awarded nearly $25 million in April 2025 to support the implementation of manure management projects on farms across the state. But these awards represent more than funding—they reflect months of technical work, partnership, and a shared commitment to climate-smart agriculture.  

Behind each award is a rigorous, multi-layered review process led by the dedicated OARS staff and program partners. This process is designed to be fair, transparent, and results-driven, ensuring that projects selected will lead to long-term, measurable methane reductions and maximize social, economic and environmental co-benefits, like enhanced nutrient management and alternative revenue streams from waste products. 

It begins with administrative and financial reviews to verify that applications meet the department’s requirements. Then, experts from academia all over the country conduct a comprehensive technical review, evaluating proposed projects based on their potential to reduce methane emissions and achieve other benefits.  

After that, OARS invites the input of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), comprising state and federal agency individuals with expertise in manure management, methane reduction measures, environmental impacts, and permitting in California, playing a crucial role of making sure the CDFA is selecting the best applicants within the competitive pool of candidates. In preparing the funding recommendations, OARS considers applicants’ past performance on previous grants, including their ability to complete projects on time, on budget, and deliver results. This careful and considered approach enables the selection of the most effective and impactful projects. Once the applicants are selected, the OARS team contacts each awardee and educates them on the next steps in the grant process, which are accomplished through emails, webinars, video calls, and engagement of OARS’ free-of-charge technical assistance providers when possible. 

One important note: the ideal time for public input—especially regarding scoring criteria or program rules—is during the drafting of the Request for Grant Applications (RGA), before CDFA accepts applications. Once rules are finalized and the application period begins, CDFA is unable to change them. That’s why early engagement from the public, including producers, stakeholders, and advocacy groups, is crucial to shaping a program that serves all Californians.   

By supporting manure management practices that reduce methane emissions, CDFA OARS is driving meaningful change on California’s dairy and livestock farms and supporting the state’s climate and environmental goals. These efforts are making California a better place to live and grow food, with cleaner air and water, and a more resilient agricultural industry. The state investments in climate-smart agriculture are paying dividends, and the benefits will be felt for generations to come. As the state continues to lead the way on climate action, the CDFA OARS remains committed to supporting innovative solutions that benefit the environment, the economy, and the people of California. 

Author: Roberta Franco

CDFA Looks to Get Ahead of Invasive Agricultural Pests

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California leads the nation in specialty crop production, growing more than 400 different crops across its diverse agricultural landscape. With such variety comes a complex web of pest management challenges that demand innovative, research-driven solutions. The OARS Office of Pesticide Consultation and Analysis is continuously working to support pest management that meets agricultural needs and state policy goals. One way we do that is through our Adaptive Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for Invasive Agricultural Pests grant program, which is currently accepting applications.  
 
The program’s goal is to develop IPM program(s) or components that can be rapidly implemented when new invasive agricultural pests arrive and become established in California or when recently arrived invasive pests resurge or expand their range or host species. The program also supports research to refine and optimize existing IPM strategies to improve their effectiveness or exploring additional control measures against established invasive agricultural pests that drive extensive pesticide use but remain uncontrolled due to developed pesticide resistance. If you are researching innovative ways to control invasive pests, check out the Request for Proposals.  

One previously funded project that recently completed is ‘A proactive approach to prepare for the invasion of Tuta absoluta into California’ lead by Dr. Ian Grettenberger. This project addressed the South American tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta, a devastating pest of tomatoes of high concern to California. If T. absoluta invades California, there will be an immediate need for management information to address its spread and to protect tomato production. Because T. absoluta has been spreading through other parts of the world, there is the opportunity to adapt existing knowledge to California’s needs.  

Management tactics tested include chemical management, biological control via indigenous and introduced natural enemies, and cultural management through variety resistance and plant breeding. Information on these methods will help growers and officials in the short-term and will help provide long-term solutions for T. absoluta in California.  

Author: Kevi Mace

Supporting Biodiversity in Olives: A Regenerative Approach to Habitat Integration

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At the International Olive Sustainability Conference, the Center for Regenerative Agriculture researchers demonstrate on-farm biodiversity through an interactive tour of a hedgerow funded by the CDFA Pollinator Habitat Program 

Dr. Boyd highlights a leaf serving as habitat for natural enemies to global industry professionals

In September 2024, the UC Davis Olive Center hosted the International Olive Sustainability Conference (IOSC), gathering global experts in sustainable olive production. As part of the post-conference tours, participants visited California Olive Ranch (COR), one of the partnered growers under the American Olive Oil Producers Association (AOOPA). AOOPA received funding through the CDFA’s Pollinator Habitat Program to support pollinator habitat implementation across California olive farms. The tour featured a native hedgerow planted in April 2024 to enhance biodiversity and support beneficial insect communities. 

Dr. Elizabeth Boyd, entomologist and professor, and Gerardo Tapia, graduate researcher pursuing a Master of Science in Regenerative Agriculture and supported by the Center for Regenerative Agriculture and Resilient Systems (CRARS) at California State University, Chico, led an interactive tour of the hedgerow. Using sweep nets and vials, they highlighted the presence of native pollinators and natural enemies, including parasitic wasps and predatory lacewings. Attendees had the opportunity to observe lacewing eggs within both the hedgerow and the adjacent olive grove. Additional beneficial insects observed included syrphid flies, Western European honeybees, and assassin bugs. A plant species list was distributed while participants engaged in discussion about the hedgerow’s influence on olive grove ecology, pollinator diversity, and regenerative management practices. 

Green lacewing (Chrysopidae) observed on the surface of Olea europaea (olive) leaf.
Two Hymenopteran feeding on Sambucus nigra ‘elderberry’. Both of these bees belong to the insect family Apidae
Hover fly (Syphridae) on the surface of a leaf of Sambucus nigra ‘elderberry’.

Although olive trees are self-pollinating and do not depend heavily on insect pollinators, the hedgerow provides critical habitat for pollinators, beneficial insects, and wildlife. COR’s implementation of this hedgerow through the Pollinator Habitat Program reflects growing interest in ecological solutions that offer multiple on- farm benefits, including erosion control, soil health, and biodiversity. 

Hedgerow site visited during the industry tour.
Left: intensive olive planting.
Right: established hedgerows.
Photo taken May 2, 2025.

In addition, Gerardo Tapia is conducting research for his master’s thesis to evaluate how hedgerows influence the functional composition of beneficial insect communities in olive groves. The study compares field margins with and without hedgerows using non-lethal, catch-and-release methods. Functional groups studied include pollinators, predatory insects, and parasitoid wasps. 

These efforts highlight the value of habitat enhancement, even in low-pollinator-dependent systems. They also highlight the importance of collaborative approaches between producers, researchers, and agencies like CDFA in supporting a more resilient agricultural landscape! 

By: Gerardo Tapia Jr and Elizabeth A. Boyd, Ph.D. (Center for Regenerative Agriculture and Resilient Systems)  

Technical Assistance Program Builds Statewide Partnerships in Climate Smart and Conservation Agriculture 

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The OARS Technical Assistance (TA) Program is critical to realizing the OARS mission: “to use the best available science and knowledge from the agricultural community to design and implement practical solutions to California’s natural resource challenges that improve the environmental and economic sustainability of producing nutritious food, fiber, and energy.”   
 
The CSA TA Grant Program plays a key role in reducing the barriers farmers and ranchers face in accessing OARS incentive programs—especially for small-scale producers and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. By funding a statewide network of trusted organizations, OARS ensures that producers have access to direct, hands-on support that helps them build resilience and long-term sustainability in their operations. 

What Does Technical Assistance Include? 

Technical Assistance Providers (TAPs) are embedded within OARS’ Alternative Manure Management Program (AMMP), State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP) and Healthy Soils Program (HSP) to guide producers through every step of their participation. TAPs support farmers and ranchers as they: 

  • Learn about available funding 
  • Plan and design conservation or sustainability projects on their farms 
  • Navigate and apply for OARS funding 
  • Manage their grant awards 
  • Implement and complete projects on the ground, fine-tuning to optimize benefits 

In addition to one-on-one support, TAPs also conduct outreach and education in their regions, sharing success stories that highlight the real-world benefits of OARS-funded projects, and participating in the annual CDFA OARS Technical Assistance Conference.  

While the program is designed to be robust, the amount of technical assistance a producer receives can vary depending on several factors, including program complexity, location, and the capacity of the TA provider. It’s also important to note that producers need to be proactive in communicating with their TA providers to get the most from the services available. Ideally, assistance is available for every stage shown in the OARS technical assistance framework (see figure). 

Some programs, like those focused on methane reduction, may have less technical assistance built in—mainly because these projects are often engineering-heavy and the companies doing the installations typically handle most of the planning and implementation. However, producers involved in methane-related projects can still receive technical assistance for grant management and reporting through OARS-supported providers. 

OARS represents a uniquely Californian approach to sustainable agriculture and environmental stewardship. By investing in on-the-ground support and tailoring it to meet the diverse needs of California’s agricultural producers, OARS is helping lead the nation in equitable and practical climate-smart farming solutions. 

California Conservation Planning Partnership (C2P2) advances the OARS Technical Assistance Program Goals

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CDFA and OARS continues its commitment to providing technical assistance to farmers and ranchers by streamlining technical assistance in California through the California Conservation Planning Partnership (C2P2) Memorandum of Agreement (MOA). Signed in 2022, this MOA brings together CDFA, the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR), and the California Association of Resource Conservation Districts (CARCD) as official partners dedicated to providing services to California’s farmers and ranchers. The C2P2 partners have committed to coordinate their technical assistance services for farmers, ranchers, and foresters implementing conservation and climate-smart agriculture practices on their land.  

Over the last year, the C2P2 partnership has made great strides in advancing their mission through assembling a steering committee, supporting partner initiatives and meetings, and this year has initiated breakout working groups to dive deeper into coordinating services to meet the needs of farmers and ranchers. If you are interested in learning more about C2P2 or would like the opportunity to connect with C2P2 partners, take our short C2P2 Interest Survey! 

Dr. Sara Garcia, OARS Technical Assistance Coordinator, represents CDFA’s OARS team in a C2P2 Panel Discussion at the 2024 CARCD State Conference

Author: Dr. Sara Garcia

Fernandes Family Farms: Four Digesters, One Legacy 

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Fernandes Family 

The Fernandes family has been dairying in California’s San Joaquin Valley since the 1920s, when Frank Fernandes came over from the Azores and started milking cows during the Great Depression. A century later, his grandsons continue to dairy and have expanded on multiple facilities— and now, they’re also producing renewable fuel from manure while capturing methane that would be emitted as a powerful greenhouse gas to the atmosphere. 

Joe Fernandes passed the operation to his six sons: Joey, Greg, Gary, Frank, Jared, and Josh. Together, they manage four Tulare County dairies with anaerobic digesters funded by CDFA Dairy Digester Research and Development Program (DDRDP) —Fern Oaks (2019), Legacy Ranch (2017), LegenDairy Farms (2022), and Sousa & Sousa (2018, also known as Legacy Holsteins). All four dairies are based in Tulare County as a part of the Calgren Dairy Fuels Cluster, California’s first full-scale dairy pipeline network. In total, the four projects received $5.3 million through DDRDP. Greg runs Fern Oaks; Gary runs LegenDairy; Jared and Josh manage daily operations at Legacy Ranche, while Frank handles farming. Most digesters were built with Maas Energy Works. Joey also developed a separate project through a DDRDP grant with California Bioenergy. 

Gary Fernandes & Family 

The DDRDP grants helped Maas Energy Works, Calgren, and their partners deploy covered lagoon digester technology across multiple dairies, expanding California’s largest dairy biogas pipeline cluster, supporting the state’s investment in renewable energy infrastructure and meeting the state’s ambitious climate goals by significantly decreasing methane emissions from manure. 

By offsetting upfront infrastructure costs and reducing risk for dairy owners, the funding made the project financially feasible. It also accelerated the adoption of low-emission technology and increased the supply of low-carbon, renewable transportation fuels. 

How the Calgren Digesters Work 

Each digester captures methane from manure, which is then sent to the Calgren facility where it is processed and upgraded into renewable natural gas (RNG). The RNG is either compressed onsite or piped into the utility grid. That RNG powers trucks and helps replace diesel with low-carbon fuel. Every upgrade serves a clear purpose: to run a cleaner, smarter, and more resilient farm.  

Dairy Digester 

Calgren employs an experienced team of operators and mechanics who visit the digester sites multiple times per week to conduct routine inspections and maintenance. This includes checking equipment functionality, inspecting the digester covers, and ensuring steady manure flow into and out of the system. Around the clock, Calgren’s operations team also monitors the entire digester network from a centralized control room, ensuring that biogas is continuously processed and reliably injected into the SoCalGas pipeline. Together, the family’s digesters are estimated to be reduced by over 550,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions over the next 10 years. 

Farm Practices That Make a Difference 

The Fernandes dairies focus on practical upgrades that improve animal welfare, cut GHG emissions, and keep the farm running efficiently. Depending on the site, those upgrades include: 

  • Sand bedding for cow comfort and reuse 
    • Sand bedding improves cow comfort and hoof health. It’s also recycled, reducing costs and waste. (Used at all dairies except Sousa & Sousa) 
  • Bagged silage to reduce feed losses 
    • All dairies use bagged silage instead of stacking it in piles. This reduces spoilage and shrinkage from ~15% to ~2%, preserving more of the harvested feed and improving overall efficiency. 
  • On-farm solar 
    • Legacy Ranch 2, Fern Oaks, and LegenDairy have solar panel installations that provide renewable power, lowering utility bills and GHG emissions. 
  • LED lighting upgrades 
    • Legacy Ranch and LegenDairy use LED lighting throughout their dairies—an energy-efficient alternative to traditional lighting that reduces electricity use. 
  • Cow Manager health monitoring system 
    • LegenDairy uses Cow Manager®, a system of ear tags that tracks cow activity, eating behavior, rumination, and temperature to detect illness early and ensure timely treatment and management. 
  • Healthy Soils Program participation 
    • Legacy Ranch 2 received funding from CDFA’s Healthy Soils Program to adopt conservation tillage, a practice that reduces soil disturbance, helping retain carbon and lower emissions. 

As Gary Fernandes puts it, their approach comes down to lessons passed down from their dad, Joe: 

“You take care of the cows, they take care of you.” 
“Control the things you can control.” — Joe Fernandes 

These values continue to shape how the family runs their dairies—one decision at a time. 

What Other Dairies Can Learn 

The Fernandes family didn’t do this alone. They partnered with Calgren Dairy Fuels, Maas Energy Works – and California’s incentive program, DDRDP – to share infrastructure and get technical support with digester operations. That teamwork helped lower costs and keep the projects sustainable long-term. 

Their success shows that family dairies can: 

  • Cut costs by sharing pipeline infrastructure 
  • Protect the land and keep the business strong 
  • Use California’s climate programs to fund real projects 

California Climate Investments and GHG Reductions 

The Fernandes family’s digesters represent a major step forward in climate-smart agriculture. Each was supported in part by grant funding from California’s Dairy Digester Research and Development Program (DDRDP), administered by CDFA and funded through California Climate Investments (CCI). 

In total, the projects received over $5.3 million in state grants—reducing greenhouse gases, improving local air quality, and supporting Tulare County’s agricultural economy. 

“AMMP and DDRDP are part of California Climate Investments, a statewide initiative that invests billions from Cap-and-Trade dollars into reducing greenhouse gas emissions, boosting the economy, and enhancing public health and the environment—especially in disadvantaged communities.” 

On the Ground in Solano County: Celebrating Local Leadership and Innovation in Climate-Smart Agriculture 

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On Thursday, April 17, the Office of Agricultural Resilience and Sustainability (OARS) joined the Solano County Farm Bureau for a farm tour through Yolo and Solano County. This wasn’t just any field visit—this tour highlighted the power of local decision-making in advancing climate-smart agriculture. 

Thanks to funding from the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), the Solano County Farm Bureau was a recipient of a both Healthy Soils and SWEEP Block Grant. With this grant, they were able to facilitate their own application process—empowering the local community to identify, prioritize, and implement projects that are specifically tailored to the region’s unique agricultural and environmental needs. This localized approach allows for more customized support, streamlined communication, and hands-on technical assistance that resonates with producers and partners on the ground. 

Seeing Water Efficiency and Healthy Soils in Action 

Our tour kicked off at Robben Ranch, where we witnessed a State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP) project in action. With a $40,000 grant, the ranch installed a tailwater recycling system and flow meter to improve irrigation efficiency and reduce water waste. Farm Manager Aaron Black and Solano County Farm Bureau’s, technical assistance provider Katie Simpson-Johnson of Blankinship & Associates shared how their collaboration helped bring this project to life—from application to implementation—ensuring the system would have long-term benefits for both the farm and the environment. 
 
Next, we visited Tim Bolla, of Bolla Farms, a recipient of the Healthy Soils Program (HSP), who is implementing several practices – compost application, hedgerow establishment, riparian forest buffer planting, and range planting. With support from the Solano Resource Conservation District, Tim’s project is enhancing soil health, increasing biodiversity, and sequestering carbon—key goals of the Healthy Soils initiative. 

We then met Sean McNamara, of Sierra Orchards, an organic farmer leading the way in sustainable innovation. Sean is repurposing walnut shells to create his own compost, participating in Whole Orchard Recycling, and has also benefited from past SWEEP funding to enhance water use efficiency by installing drip irrigation. His multi-faceted approach to farming underscores how different programs can work together to create synergies that drive long-term resilience. 

Our final stop was at Sparks Ranch, where Karina Sparks is leveraging SWEEP funding and technical assistance to replace an outdated irrigation pump and install a network of soil moisture probes and pressure sensors. These upgrades are expected to reduce energy and water use, while improving crop management and productivity. 

Why it Matters 

Throughout the day, we heard directly from growers, grant administrators, and technical assistance providers about why these funding opportunities matter—not just for farm viability, but for environmental and ecological sustainability. The projects we visited are improving soil health, conserving water, reducing energy use, boosting biodiversity, and increasing resilience to climate extremes. 

What stood out most was the value of local leadership. By enabling organizations like the Solano County Farm Bureau to manage their own grant application solicitations, producers can design projects that reflect local conditions, foster trust, and deliver more personalized support. 

OARS is proud to work alongside these partners to advance California’s climate smart agriculture goals. We’re grateful for the growers and organizations who hosted us, and we look forward to supporting more projects that keep our agricultural lands thriving for generations to come. 

For a full list of Healthy Soils Block Grant Recipients click here.  

For a full list of SWEEP Block Grant Recipients click here.  

Healthy Soils Block Grant Organizations Innovate to Give Farmers Hands-on Help and Advice

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The Healthy Soils Program (HSP) Block Grant Pilot is designed to promote widespread adoption of healthy soils practices. Healthier soils provide more nutrients, retain more water, are more resilient to extreme weather, and sequester more carbon. Through a competitive selection process, CDFA awarded 14 HSP Block Grants to recipient organizations in December 2023. These organizations have been working closely with growers on developing healthy soils project proposals and proper completion of practices. They have also been innovating new ways to provide technical assistance, in the field and beyond. 

Soil sampling at Martin Family Farm. Matt Tooney – Project Manager and Conor Higgins – Mobile Irrigation Lab Manager, Yolo County Resource Conservation District, Katie Brazelton

Solano County Farm Bureau partnered with Solano and Contra Costa Resource Conservation Districts (RCDs) and has awarded 68 healthy soils projects to farmers. Together, the partners have been providing several technical assistance services, including language assistance, on-site soil sampling, plant ordering and distribution, and detailed practice implementation recommendations. The Healthy Soils Program requirement for soil sampling has served as a great opportunity to demonstrate to the growers how they can sample their soil and interpret results of soil health metrics. The team guides farmers through checklists of the practice and documentation requirements, as well as providing practice recommendations – for example, counseling on species for plantings and hedgerow maintenance planning. For farmers making plantings, they have combined orders and bought plants directly from wholesalers on behalf of the growers, making the prices per plant cheaper and taking the onus of quality control off of the farmers. And for Spanish- and Hmong-speaking farmers, they have been able to provide translation services, even coordinating compost purchase and delivery on behalf of the growers. Lastly, they share their knowledge and experience of other support opportunities, from federal to local agencies. 

Soil sampling with the Harveys. Farmer Rita Harvey; Conor Higgins – Mobile Irrigation Lab Manager, Yolo County Resource Conservation District

Farm Bureau staff member Katie Brazelton has found that growers tend to feel more confident in tackling their HSP projects when they see a team of people ready to help them succeed, especially when those team members are farmers too (as the Farm Bureau is farmer-led): “My husband is a 4th generation farmer, so I approach the grant with that perspective in mind. I’m here to help you be successful so don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I don’t know all the answers, but I have a team of people that will help us, and I can always double check with CDFA when necessary.” Through this process, they are cultivating relationships between farmers, the Farm Bureau, the RCDs, and the UCCE that will last beyond the HSP grant term. These are resources that growers can add to their “toolbox” for their farming operations going forward. 

Kautz Family Farms’ Success with SWEEP Grant

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Kautz Family Farms, a 147-acre winegrape operation in Lodi, received a 2019 State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP) grant award of $84,000. The SWEEP grant, part of California’s effort to promote sustainable farming practices, supports growers in adopting energy-efficient technologies and water conservation practices that reduce their environmental impact. 

The Kautz’s SWEEP grant supported the installation of a 50-horsepower surface water pump and variable frequency drive, allowing the farm to use surface water instead of groundwater. This reduces water extraction from the critically over-drafted groundwater basin and requires less energy than their groundwater pump. The farm also installed a flow meter, soil moisture sensors, and a remote telemetry unit on the new pump. These irrigation water management tools help the farm managers remotely measure and monitor water use and make better decisions about the timing and frequency of irrigation. 

Recently, local technical assistance organization, Atlas Consulting, reached out to Kautz Family Farm to follow up on the outcomes of their SWEEP project. Atlas Consulting is one of twelve SWEEP technical assistance providers (TAPs) currently funded through OARS’ Climate Smart Agriculture Technical Assistance program. SWEEP TAPs work with producers to develop plans for irrigation projects, help them apply for funding and guide them through the implementation of their grant-funded projects. TAPs also play a very important role supporting communication between OARS and awardees, verifying the completeness of projects, and following up on the outcomes. TAPs are the boots-on-the-ground local resource for producers engaging in SWEEP. 

Through their deeper look at the outcomes of Kautz Family Farm SWEEP project, Atlas Consulting estimates that the farm has reduced energy costs by 19% and saved approximately 45% of water compared to pre-project. In addition to providing technical support, Atlas Consulting also created this video spotlight to celebrate the outcomes of Kautz Family Farm’s SWEEP project.  

Water Efficiency Technical Assistance (WETA) Program Supports Producers with No-Cost Irrigation System Evaluations and Pump Efficiency Tests

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As the 2025 irrigation season is upon us in California, farmers can consider reaching out to a technical assistance provider funded by the OARS Water Efficiency Technical Assistance (WETA) program. WETA provides funds to technical assistance providers to complete irrigation system evaluations and pump efficiency tests, as well as provide training on water use efficiency and nutrient management practices.  

WETA technical assistance provider, Tehama RCD conducing an in-field irrigation evaluation. 

An irrigation system evaluation is the inspection and testing of an irrigation system to inform if repairs are needed and to see if water is being distributed evenly throughout the field. When a producer implements the recommendations from an irrigation system evaluation, they often save water and money and improve their crop yields. Similarly, a pump efficiency test, performed by a pump technician, can help a producer identify when a pump needs to be serviced or replaced, which can result in energy efficiency improvements and cost savings. WETA-funded technical assistance providers can also help a producer fine-tune their irrigation system and water management practices.   

OARS first received funding to provide WETA grants in 2021. Currently there are approximately 25 funded WETA technical assistance providers. Many of these grants will be expiring in 2026 so make the most of these services while they are available. To find out if there is a WETA service provider in your area and what types of assistance they are offering, please visit the program website at https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oars/technical/weta.html