New Climate Change Program Launches  

This week, California launched an innovative new program aimed at lessening the climate change impact of dairy farms. The Alternative Manure Management Practices (AMMP) Program, run by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), will fund between $9 million to $16 million in dairy and livestock manure management projects that reduce methane emissions and help improve air and water quality.

Dairy and other livestock producers will be eligible for grants of up to $750,000 for projects that convert from manure lagoon systems to methods that avoid or minimize liquid anaerobic manure handling, a major source of methane emissions. This could include transitioning to pasture-based operations where manure is distributed by the livestock on grazing land rather than collected in anaerobic piles or lagoons. It could also include various techniques for separating and drying manure to be spread on pastures or made into compost.

See the CDFA program page for application details.  Find the CalCAN factsheet on the program here. Please note that the application deadline has been extended to October 16, 2017 at 5pm PDT.

Three grant application workshops are scheduled, with more workshops possible. The current workshops schedule is as follows:

Eureka, Thursday, September 7, 2017
2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Humboldt County Agricultural Commissioner
5630 S. Broadway
Eureka, CA 95501

Santa Rosa, Friday, September 8, 2017
2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Sonoma County Agricultural Commissioner
133 Aviation Blvd., Suite 110
Santa Rosa, CA 95403

Modesto, Thursday, September 14, 2017
2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
ABC Room
Stanislaus County Agricultural Commissioner
3800 Cornucopia Way, Suite B
Modesto, CA 95358

CDFA will also host a webinar for potential AMMP applicants on September 14th. To register, see the CDFA program webpage.

California Seeks Dairy Methane Reductions

Last year, CalCAN and our allies advocated for the creation of AMMP as the state looked to reduce methane emissions from dairies and livestock operations as part of its efforts to address Short-Lived Climate Pollutants, a group of potent greenhouse gases.  Dairy operations account for 80 percent of the state’s methane emissions. SB 1383, passed last year, requires a 40 percent reduction of dairy methane emissions by 2030.

In addition to AMMP, the state will also fund the installation of digesters on dairy operations. More on that program can be found here.

Read more on CalCAN’s analysis of dairy methane issues here.

Three stakeholder workgroups are currently meeting to advise the California Air Resources Board on the market, regulatory and research barriers and needs for the dairy industry to meet the SB 1383 emissions reduction target of 40 percent by 2030. CalCAN participates in the Non-Digester Work Group, which meets next on September 18th. Preliminary recommendations to CARB will be made in November, with follow up and final recommendations by the work groups to be completed in 2018. More information about the work groups can be found here.

If you would like more information about AMMP or dairy methane issues more generally, please send us an email at info@calclimateag.org.