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CDFA awards largest total ever for dairy methane/GHG reduction projects


December 2, 2019  by Manure Manager

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) recently awarded it largest combined total of awards – nearly $102 million – for dairy methane reduction projects across the state.

Administered through the Office of Environmental Farming and Innovation (OEFI), the awards include 43 Dairy Digester Research and Development Program (DDRDP), 50 Alternative Manure Management Program (AMMP) and three demonstration projects.

Since 2015, 213 dairy families in California have participated and contributed to methane reduction efforts through the DDRDP and AMMP programs. Together, these projects reduce an estimated 2.2 million metric tons of greenhouse gases (GHGs) per year, which is equivalent to removing more than 460,000 cars from the road.

The DDRDP and AMMP incentive programs enable farmers to contribute to climate change resiliency and energy-secure economies. With this recent round of grants, dairy families will be over 25 percent towards the methane reduction goal of 40 percent below 2013 levels by 2030.

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Program updates

The Dairy Digester Research and Development Program (DDRDP) provides financial assistance for the installation of dairy digesters in California, which result in reduced greenhouse gas emissions. For the 2019-20 funding cycle, three public stakeholder meetings were held in September 2019. The public comment period closed on October 16. There will be additional opportunity to provide input on the draft Request for Grant Applications (RGA) in November/December. The application process will begin in January/February 2020.

The Alternative Manure Management Program (AMMP) provides financial assistance for the implementation of non-digester manure management practices in California, which result in reduced greenhouse gas emissions. In November/December 2019, there will be opportunity to provide input on the draft Request for Grant Applications (RGA). AMMP technical assistance providers will be trained in January 2020 to then provide support for the grant application process, which is expected to begin in late January/early February.

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