CDFA AWARDS MORE THAN $19 MILLION IN GRANTS TO SUPPORT GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTIONS AT DAIRIES

Dairy Digester Research and Development Program projects are expected to reduce over 2.45 million MTCO2e per year, equivalent to removing more than 545,000 cars from the road

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SACRAMENTO, December 21, 2023 – CDFA’s Office of Environmental Farming and Innovation (OEFI) and the California Dairy Research Foundation (CDRF) are pleased to announce the award of $15.65 million in grant funding to 11 projects in the Dairy Digester Research and Dairy Digester Research and Development Program (DDRDP), and $3.74 million in grant funding to three projects in the Dairy Plus Program. Combined, the newly awarded projects will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated total of 198,196 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents per year.
 
The DDRDP incentivizes anaerobic digesters in California dairy operations to reduce methane created by cow manure. Anaerobic digesters capture methane from waste, transforming it into renewable energy, like electricity, renewable natural gas, and hydrogen. The 11 DDRDP projects will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated total of 182,762 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents (MTCO2e) per year, the equivalent of removing 40,600 cars from the road each year.
 
“Methane is one of the most potent greenhouse gases there is, but it’s also one we know how to reduce,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “The projects funded through DDRDP and the Dairy Plus Program play an important role in California’s methane emission reduction efforts and help us meet our target of a reduction of 40 percent below 2013 levels by 2030 – among the most ambitious goals in the world.” 
 
The Dairy Plus Program, a new complementary program for the DDRDP and OEFI’s Alternative Manure Management Program, is a collaboration between CDFA, CDRF, and the USDA as part of the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities grant, which focuses on large-scale projects for improved water quality and nutrient management in addition to methane reduction. The Dairy Plus Program works as an additional benefit for current and past recipients of grants from the DDRDP and AMMP. Grant recipients of this program will enhance their manure management practices and reduce GHG emissions by an estimated annual total of 61,101 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents (MTCO2e), which is like removing about 13,600 cars from the road each year.
 
Incentivized practices include filtration of digested manure using worms (vermifiltration) and coagulation of fine-digestedmanure solids (advanced solid-liquid separation assisted by flocculants) that can help capture nitrogen and keep more manure out of a liquid environment.
 
This latest grant round brings the total number of DDRDP-supported projects to 140. Collectively, it is anticipated that DDRDP will reduce over 2.45 million MTCO2e per year, equivalent to removing more than 545,000 cars from the road, or powering 308,000 homes for one year.
 
"The DDRDP continues to be a productive and cost-effective program to reduce GHGs," said Michael Boccadoro, Executive Director of Dairy Cares, an organization of California dairy farmers. "The program is the foundation of California’s world-leading efforts to reduce methane from the state’s dairy sector, already providing more than two million tons of carbon dioxide reductions annually."
 
In addition to methane reductions, anaerobic digesters provide other important co-benefits such as reducing odor, reducing air pollutants like nitrogen oxides and hydrogen sulfide, and facilitating compost production from separated manure solids. Compost can then be recycled as a fertilizer and animal bedding.
 
"Our dairy farmers make the sector more sustainable through a projected 40 percent reduction in methane by 2030, actively combating climate change while simultaneously improving air and water quality in the state,” said Prof. Frank Mitloehner, director of the CLEAR Center, a UC Davis research extension program advancing sustainability in animal agriculture. “Credit goes to the DDRDP and the Dairy Plus Program for recognizing the impressive job our farmers are doing to protect our planet while providing nutritious food to a widespread population and – perhaps most important of all – standing as a shining example of what can be done with determination, cooperation and support.”
  
Detailed information on DDRDP and the Dairy Plus Program, including the application process and application requirements, is available respectively at: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/ddrdp and https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/dairyplus/
 

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