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2023 Dairy Plus Program

Grantor:

CA Department of Food and Agriculture

Departmental Grant ID:

9566

Portal ID:

37124

Status:

Closed

Opportunity Type:

• Grant

Last Updated:

May 15, 2024, 1:25 pm  |  View change notes

Categories:

• Agriculture
• Animal Services
• Environment & Water

Details

Purpose:

The California Department of Food and Agriculture's (CDFA) 2023 Dairy Plus Program will award competitive grants to California dairy farms for the implementation of advanced manure management practices that address both methane emissions and nutrient surplus.

Description:

The Dairy Plus Program will make approximately $75 million available to support the implementation of advanced manure management practices.

The 2023 Dairy Plus Program will provide supplemental funding opportunities for projects in the 2023 Alternative Manure Management Program (AMMP), the 2023 Dairy Digester Research and Development Program (DDRDP), and previously awarded and completed AMMP or DDRDP projects. Projects proposing advanced manure management practices must go beyond the usual GHG emission reductions and benefits already provided by the AMMP and DDRDP programs.

• The grant term will be 24 months.

• Project funding awarded at $750 per cow, for a maximum of $1,250,000.

• Costs incurred before the beginning of the grant agreement will not be reimbursed.

• Awarded projects must be complete and operational no later than 24 months after the start of the grant agreement.

• CDFA reserves the right to offer an award amount different than the amount requested.

• Grants are paid out on a reimbursement basis following invoice submission by the awardee.

The proposed project must meet the following eligibility requirements for the 2023 Dairy Plus Program:

• The project site must be in a commercial California dairy operation. A dairy operation is defined as an entity that operates a dairy herd, which produces milk or cream commercially, and whose bulk milk or bulk cream is received or handled by any distributor, manufacturer, or any nonprofit cooperative association of dairy producers.

• Producers receiving grant award funds must be located in California with a physical California business address.

• Eligible project types can be categorized as new 2023 AMMP project + Dairy Plus Program project, new 2023 DDRDP project + Dairy Plus Program project, Previous AMMP recipient with a new 2023 DDRDP project + Dairy Plus Program project, Previous AMMP recipient proposing a Dairy Plus Program project, Previous DDRDP recipient proposing a Dairy Plus Program project

• The recipient and project must adhere to all “Requirements and Limitations,” which include federal requirements specific to the USDA Partnership for Climate-Smart Commodities program. Each Dairy Plus Program project requesting funding must include at least one of the following project components that reduce methane emissions and nutrient surplus. Practices eligible for federal funding under this grant are limited to certain NRCS-listed practices or those supported and quantified by the CARB Benefits Calculator Tool for AMMP and/or DDRDP.

1. Projects accompanying a new 2023 or previous AMMP project:

a. Vermifiltration

b. Solid separation of manure solids through a weeping wall – the system must have a minimum of two cells.

c. Advanced solid-liquid separation assisted by flocculants and/or bead filters

d. Practices above (a., b., or c.) AND subsurface drip irrigation.

e. Practices above (a., b., or c.) AND aerated composting

2. Projects accompanying a new 2023 or previous DDRDP project:

a. Post-digester vermifiltration

b. Post-digester advanced solid-liquid separation assisted by flocculants and/or bead filters

c. Practices above (a., or b.) AND subsurface drip irrigation.

 

Eligibility Requirements

Eligible Applicants:

• Individual
• Tribal Government

Producers eligible for this grant must:

1. Establish Farm Records with the Farm Service Agency (have farm, tract, and fields numbers in place)

2. Complete an AD-2047

3. Certify Highly Erodible Land Conservation (HELC) and Wetland Conservation (WC) compliance via Form AD-1026, Highly Erodible Land Conservation and Wetland Conservation Certification, and

4. Certify that they are not a foreign person or entity.

Eligible Geographies:

CDFA will prioritize awards to small and historically underserved producers by carving out a minimum of 10% of Dairy Plus Program funds (or approximately $7,500,000) throughout the program’s lifetime. Underserved producers generally are defined in (https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/getting-assistance/underserved-farmers-ranchers). Small farms are defined in the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities Data Dictionary for Recipients).

Matching Funding Requirement:

Cost share requirements may differ for each funding scenario (refer to the Funding Scenarios section); however, cost share is encouraged for all funding scenarios to demonstrate commitment to the project. If an applicant opts for a funding scenario where cost share is required, documented evidence of having secured matching funds must be provided as part of the application.