AMMP Funding for Dairy and Other Livestock Producers
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) recently announced $18.94 million in awards for 27 projects under the Alternative Manure Management Program (AMMP). AMMP provides financial support for dairy and other livestock producers to implement manure management practices that reduce methane emissions.
While AMMP has historically received less funding than anaerobic digester projects (a related program that primarily benefits large dairies), this year marks the first time the programs received roughly equal levels of financial support, with CDFA providing $18.71 million in grant funding for 14 dairy digester projects. CalCAN has been calling for parity between the programs for years, most recently in late 2021 after the passage of legislation that directed CDFA to prioritize AMMP projects over dairy digesters.
Though AMMP and dairy digester projects received similar funding, over half of the applicants to the dairy digester program received awards (14 out of 27 or 51.9%) while a lower share of AMMP projects were funded (27 out of 62 or 43.5%). As in prior years, AMMP funds have not kept pace with increased producer demand for the program. See Table 1 for a breakdown of total dairy methane funds, the percentage allocated to AMMP, and the complete program applications and percent of projects funded each year.
Table 1. Funds Allocated and Awarded, 2017-2022.
San Joaquin Dairies Receive Most AMMP Project Awards
San Joaquin Valley dairies made up the largest share of 2022 AMMP projects, with 23 of the 27 awards for this cycle going to producers in that region. As shown in Table 2, this matches with historical funding patterns since the program first launched in 2017. Of the projects funded this year, 21 involve solid separation practices, while the remaining six will install compost-bedded pack barns. A complete list of projects with additional details is available on the CDFA website. CalCAN will continue to monitor the program and will provide updates on our blog as they are available.
Table 2. AMMP Project Awards by County, 2017-2022.
AMMP Grantees and Climate-Friendly Producers
Brindeiro & Danbom Dairy Farms
“Getting the AMMP award sped up our plans to modernize our manure management system by about 10 years. Dairy farmers in the SanJoaquin Valley are chomping at the bit to get more tools that improve their environmental sustainability.”
– Paul Danbom
Renati Dairy
“You have to be interested in reducing methane emissions not because you have to but because you want to and it’s good for business and the climate. The AMMP program is a great opportunity, a no-brainer to get great projects done that help dairy operations.”
– Ty Renati
Check out our Elevate Farmer Voices page for more stories of dairy producers who have benefitted from AMMP grants.