The much anticipated first round of Dairy PLUS Program funding was released by CDFA on June 28, 2023 Applications are due by 5:00 p.m. on August 28, 2023.
The funds are the first of their kind to be offered to California dairy producers. They pair federal dollars secured by the California Dairy Research Foundation and the CDFA-UC-CA dairy industry team from USDA’s Climate Smart Commodities Program with CDFA AMMP and DDRDP dollars to incentivize adoption of advanced climate-smart manure management practices. Advanced manure management practices address both methane emissions and nutrient surplus.
All California dairy producers are eligible to apply for Dairy Plus+ Program dollars, including producers that have previously received DDRDP or AMMP funds in the past.
The Dairy PLUS Program will make approximately $75 million available in USDA Climate Smart Commodities funding plus additional funds from CDFA. Funds for individual projects have been designed to incentivize innovative and forward-thinking projects and are substantial. Funding scenarios are available in the CDFA solicitation on the Dairy Plus Program Website.
2023 Eligible practices include:
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Vermifiltration
- Weeping walls (with 2 cells or more)
- Advanced solids separation with flocculation and/or bead filters
- Subsurface drip irrigation/fertigation (plus one of the practices above)
- Aerated composting (plus one of the practices above)
CDRF and CDFA have been hosting informational workshops. Workshops cover eligible practices, how to apply and application sections, scoring criteria, and the benefits calculator tool.
CDRF Workshop:
- Thursday July 13 10:00 AM- 12:00 PM
CDFA Workshops:
- Tuesday, July 11 1:00 PM – 3:30 PM
- Thursday July 20 10:00 AM -12:30 PM
Register for the meetings directly on CDFA and CDRF websites. Recordings will be available after the webinar.
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