Funds available in California for dairy digester development

Jan 21, 2015

Grant winners will be announced between May and June 2015

By Diego Flammini, Farms.com

The application period is open for interested parties who want to receive funding from the California Department of Food and Agriculture for the Dairy Digester Research and Development Program (DDRDP).

Around $11 million is being made available through the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund with approval from the 2014’s Budget Act to provide financial backing to those who want to install dairy digesters in California with the hopes it can reduce greenhouse gasses (GHG). There will also be $500,000 available for digester research and demonstration initiatives.

What do dairy digesters do?

They use manure from livestock to produce methane, which can be used to produce electricity and, heat buildings, or used as a transportation fuel.

“Digester technology is precisely the kind of innovation that California farmers are known for,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross in a release. “It promotes low carbon fuels, agricultural energy efficiency and other operational advantages. We are very encouraged about the potential of this program.”

Interested applicants must submit their application package by Monday, February 23^rd, 2015, 5:00p.m. PST.

The packages must include a variety of information including a cover page, project narrative, a work plan, summary of costs, greenhouse gas emissions reductions and impacts and benefits on the environment and surrounding communities.

There will be also be information sessions for interested parties.

Wednesday, January 21
University of California Cooperative Extension Tulare County
4437 S. Laspina Street (across from World Ag Expo)
Tulare County Agricultural Building Auditorium
1p.m. – 3p.m.

Tuesday, January 27
Webinar
There’s limited space so anyone interested must reserve their spot
1p.m. – 3p.m.

Wednesday, January 28
California Department of Food and Agriculture
1220 N Street
1p.m. – 3p.m.

Video: A chain harrow is a game changer

Utilizing a rotational grazing method on our farmstead with our sheep helps to let the pasture/paddocks rest. We also just invested in a chain harrow to allow us to drag the paddocks our sheep just left to break up and spread their manure around, dethatch thicker grass areas, and to rough up bare dirt areas to all for a better seed to soil contact if we overseed that paddock. This was our first time really using the chain harrow besides initially testing it out. We are very impressed with the work it did and how and area that was majority dirt, could be roughed up before reseeding.

Did you know we also operate a small business on the homestead. We make homemade, handcrafted soaps, shampoo bars, hair and beard products in addition to offering our pasture raised pork, lamb, and 100% raw honey. You can find out more about our products and ingredients by visiting our website at www.mimiandpoppysplace.com. There you can shop our products and sign up for our monthly newsletter that highlights a soap or ingredient, gives monthly updates about the homestead, and also lists the markets, festivals, and events we’ll be attending that month.