What is a dairy digester?
Your cows already produce it every day: manure. When manure sits in an open lagoon, it breaks down and releases methane straight into the air. A digester simply puts a heavy-duty cover over that lagoon, so instead of escaping, the gas gets captured.
Under the cover, the manure keeps breaking down naturally — no chemicals, no additives, just the same biology that's always been happening in your lagoon. The difference is that the methane collects under the cover instead of drifting away. That captured gas is called biogas.
We clean and upgrade that biogas until it's the same quality as the natural gas in a pipeline. At that point it's called renewable natural gas, or RNG — and it's worth real money. It can be injected into the pipeline, or used to fuel trucks. Either way, gas that used to be a problem becomes a product, and your dairy shares in what it earns.
Why now: the regulation is real
California passed a law called SB 1383. In plain terms, it requires the dairy and livestock sector to cut methane emissions 40% below 2013 levels by 2030. That's not a proposal or a debate — it's on the books, and 2030 is closer than it sounds.
Right now, participation in digester projects is voluntary. That's exactly why this is the right window. When you act early, you choose your partner, you negotiate your terms, and you have time to do it right. Dairies that wait until the deadline is on top of them will have fewer options, less leverage, and less time — and compliance decisions may increasingly be shaped by regulators instead of by you.
We'd rather you join us now, on your terms. A digester built today means you're ahead of the rule, earning revenue in the meantime, and free to focus on what you do best: milking cows.
What it costs you: nothing
This is the part most dairymen ask us to repeat. Here's the model:
- We fund it. Aligned Digesters covers 100% of the cost to develop and build the digester. No capital from you, no loans in your name.
- We build it. We're a licensed contractor and we do the construction ourselves — we don't hand your dairy off to a third party.
- We operate it. Our team runs and maintains the digester day in and day out. Your crew keeps doing exactly what they do now.
- You share the revenue. When the gas sells, your dairy gets a share. Manure becomes a second income stream on top of milk.
- You make real progress on compliance. A digester is the most direct path toward the state's methane reduction target — measured, documented, and handled by us.
- You take on no added liability. The digester, its permits, and its operation are our responsibility, not yours.
What we handle with the government
Digester projects live and die on paperwork — permits, air district approvals, state programs, credit markets. That's our job, not yours.
We work directly with the agencies that matter: CARB (the California Air Resources Board, which runs the state's clean-fuel credit program known as LCFS), CDFA (the California Department of Food and Agriculture, which offers digester grants), and the local permitting authorities. Knowing how these programs actually work — what qualifies, what pays, what the paperwork requires — is where much of a project's value is won or lost.
We've done this before. Our projects have been awarded multi-million-dollar grants through CDFA's dairy digester program. We operate under long-term gas offtake agreements with major energy partners. When you work with us, that regulatory experience works for your dairy.
The process, step by step
- 1. First conversation. You call us, or we visit your dairy. We walk the site, look at your herd size and your lagoon, and answer every question straight. No obligation.
- 2. Feasibility and terms. We evaluate whether a digester makes sense on your operation and put a clear agreement in front of you — what we build, what we operate, and what your dairy's revenue share looks like.
- 3. Permits and funding. We handle the engineering, the permits, the agency filings, and the financing. This is the longest stretch, and it's all on our side of the fence.
- 4. Construction. Our crews build the digester — the lagoon cover, the gas cleanup equipment, the connections. We schedule the work around your operation, not the other way around.
- 5. Gas flows, checks follow. The digester comes online, we operate and maintain it, and your dairy starts receiving its share of the revenue. You'll see us on site keeping it running — that's it.
Questions dairymen ask us
Does it smell? Less than what you have now. Covering the lagoon traps the gas that causes the odor. In our experience, the smell goes down, not up.
What happens to my lagoon? It stays your lagoon — it just gets a cover and does double duty. It keeps handling your manure the way it always has, and the digested material still comes out the other end for your normal use.
Do I lose land? Very little. The digester uses your existing lagoon, and the gas equipment takes up a modest footprint nearby. We plan the layout with you so it doesn't interfere with your operation.
What if I sell the dairy? The agreement addresses that up front, in writing, before you sign anything. We structure terms so a sale or transfer is handled cleanly — you'll know exactly how it works before you commit.
How long is the agreement? These are long-term agreements — that's what makes zero-cost construction and steady revenue possible. The exact term is part of the deal we put in front of you, and we'll walk through every year of it before you sign.
Does it disrupt milking operations? No. Construction is planned around your schedule, and once the digester is running, our team operates it. Your milking routine, your feed program, and your crew's day don't change.