California’s Department of Food and Agriculture is inviting public comments on its draft request for grant applications for a trio of dairy programs -- the 2023 Alternative Manure Management Program, the 2023 Dairy Digester Research and Development Program and the new Dairy Plus Program.

Comments will be accepted by email until 5 p.m. May 23. The agency will hold an online stakeholder workshop at 2 p.m. Wednesday, May 17, to provide information and answer questions.

AMMP and DDRDP are supported by funding from the Budget Act of 2022 and provide financial assistance for the installation of dairy digesters and non-digester manure management practices on dairy and livestock operations in California, which will result in reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

The Dairy Plus Program will offer the opportunity to supplement traditional AMMP and DDRDP projects with funds from the USDA Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities program. CDFA and the California Dairy Research Foundation teamed up to secure funding from this USDA program, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while expanding markets for America’s climate-smart commodities.

Source: California Department of Food and Agriculture