Funding Available in California to Reduce Manure Methane Emissions
Dairy producers are well on the way to achieving California’s goal of 40% greenhouse gas reduction from manure by 2030. Greenhouse gas reduction funds have been used successfully to reduce manure methane emissions. More than $110,000,000 have been awarded for dairy digesters. The intent of these digesters is to capture bio- gas. The gas will be used for vehicle fuel or to replace natural gas. Many dairies “cluster” together. The clusters are designed to make it more efficient to use a common biogas pipeline. Additional sources of funds are being used for dairy digesters as well. Dairy digester developers continue to work to connect facilities together into pipelines. Contact a digester developer now if you’re interested in applying for state funds. In 2019, $61-$75 million are available for digester projects. Application information will be available in early January. Applications will be due in February. These applications take considerable time and input. Collecting some of the information now prepares you for the actual process in January. More information is available about the application process at https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/ddrdp/.
If you’re interested in seeing where digesters are located, see the Dairy Cares map available at https://www.dairycares.com/dairy-digesters. If a digester isn’t for your facility, consider installation of an alternative manure management practice (AMMP). More than $30,000,000 have been awarded for AMMP in the last few years. These practices prevent methane from forming by keeping manure from getting into liquid storage. Applications for funding are usually done by dairy producers. Technical service may be available from your local Cooperative Extension Office in addition to trade associations or consultants. Cooperative Extension Advisor, Betsy Karle (bmkarle@ucanr or 530-865- 1156) can help direct you to resources. Many pieces of detailed information are needed for the application. Did you apply before and not receive funding? If so, review comments on your proposal and improve your application. If you’re new to the process, take time to go through all the required documents and spreadsheets first. This will give you a feel for how much time the process will take and whom you’ll need to contact for information. In 2019, $19-$33 million will be available for non-digester practices. More information about AMMP is available https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/AMMP/.
