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Feds help fund CA dairy fixes

August 1, 2013, Hickman, CA — Antonio Alberto and his family have a nice view on their dairy farm, which sits on a bluff about 70 feet high near the Tuolumne River – a challenge when ensuring the manure from their cows does not reach the river below.

This topography, unusual in a region where most dairy farms are on flat ground, helped Alberto qualify for a federal program that seeks to prevent water pollution.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service provided $231,000 over two years, covering roughly half the cost of improvements to manure and water handling. Among them are leveling some of the acreage for more efficient irrigation of feed crops, and recirculating water that otherwise could run off the fields. READ MORE