{"id":130,"date":"2025-07-15T21:16:53","date_gmt":"2025-07-15T21:16:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/?p=130"},"modified":"2025-07-16T18:06:30","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T18:06:30","slug":"fernandes-family-farms-four-digesters-one-legacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/2025\/07\/15\/fernandes-family-farms-four-digesters-one-legacy\/","title":{"rendered":"Fernandes Family Farms: Four Digesters, One Legacy\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Fernandes Family <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The Fernandes family has been dairying in California\u2019s 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\u2014 and now, they\u2019re also producing renewable fuel from manure while capturing methane that would be emitted as a powerful greenhouse gas to the atmosphere. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a> (DDRDP) \u2014Fern 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\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

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Gary Fernandes & Family <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The DDRDP grants helped Maas Energy Works, Calgren, and their partners deploy covered lagoon digester technology across multiple dairies, expanding California\u2019s largest dairy biogas pipeline cluster, supporting the state\u2019s investment in renewable energy infrastructure and meeting the state\u2019s ambitious climate goals by significantly decreasing methane emissions from manure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.\u00a0

How the Calgren Digesters Work<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dairy Digester <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s 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\u2019s digesters are estimated to be reduced by over 550,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions over the next 10 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Farm Practices That Make a Difference<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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: <\/p>\n\n\n\n