Closed
California state funding opportunity
2026 Dairy Plus Program
CA Department of Food and Agriculture
- Portal ID164058
- Grant IDCA Department of Food and Agriculture
- StatusClosed
Competitive proposals usually start 6+ weeks out.
Program summary
Synopsis
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Office of Agricultural Resilience and Sustainability (OARS) 2026 Dairy Plus Program will award competitive grants to California dairy farms for the implementation of advanced manure management practices that address both methane emissions and nitrogen and salt surplus.
The 2026 Dairy Plus Program will make approximately $34 million available to support the implementation of advanced manure management practices. The 2026 Dairy Plus Program will provide supplemental funding opportunities for projects in previous and in-progress Alternative Manure Management Program (AMMP) and Dairy Digester Research and Development Program (DDRDP), and for projects in the process of implementing a system that is equivalent to approved AMMP and/or DDRDP practices (i.e., AMMP-like and/or DDRDP-like practices). Projects proposing advanced manure management practices must go beyond the usual GHG emission reductions and benefits already provided by the AMMP and DDRDP, and equivalent AMMP and/or DDRDP-like practices: · The maximum grant term will be 12 months initially, with the possibility of 24 months pending extension of contract end date approval from USDA. The start and end dates of the grant agreement are subject to change and contingent on the approval of the CPA 52 (NRCS-CPA-52 Environmental Evaluation Worksheet) for the proposed project, as well as pending extension of contract end date approval from USDA. · Project funding award cap at $750 per cow, for a maximum of $1,250,000 per project. · Grants are paid out on a reimbursement basis following invoice submission by the awardee. Grant funds are subject to state and federal program reimbursement timelines and the availability of program funding. The proposed project must meet the following eligibility requirements for the 2026 Dairy Plus Program: · The project site must be in a commercial California dairy operation. A dairy operation is defined as an entity that operates a dairy herd, which produces milk or cream commercially, and whose bulk milk or bulk cream is received or handled by any distributor, manufacturer, or any nonprofit cooperative association of dairy producers. · California farmers, ranchers, and California Native American Tribes are eligible to apply. Producers receiving grant award funds must be located in California with a physical California business address. · Producers receiving grant award funds must be registered with the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) for the specific farm/tract information for all tracts. Note: One farm per tract is eligible for award. · Only 1 FSA-registered entity is eligible for an award in each solicitation round. If multiple dairy operations under one FSA-registered entity/producer name are selected, only 1 dairy will be awarded. ·Eligible project types can be categorized as: o In-progress or previous AMMP recipient proposing a Dairy Plus Program project. o In-progress or previous DDRDP recipient proposing a Dairy Plus Program project. o In-progress or already operational “AMMP approved practice/AMMP-like” or “DDRDP approved practice/DDRDP-like" system proposing a Dairy Plus Program project. · The recipient and project must adhere to all “Requirements and Limitations,” which include federal requirements specific to the USDA Advancing Markets for Producers program.
Timeline
Key dates
-
June 16, 2026
Opportunity posted to California Grants Portal -
September 14, 2026
Applications close -
November 2026
Expected award date
Who may apply
Eligibility
Eligible applicant types as published by the awarding agency:
- Business
- Individual
- Tribal Government
- Additional info on eligibility
- Site must be in a commercial California dairy operation, defined as an entity that operates a dairy herd, which produces milk or cream commercially, whose bulk milk or cream is received/handled by distributor, manufacturer, or nonprofit cooperative association of producers. CA farmers, ranchers, and CA Native American Tribes are eligible to apply. Producers receiving grant award funds must be registered with the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA).
- Geography
- Projects in the State of California.
Awarding agency
Additional information
- Agency name
- CA Department of Food and Agriculture
- Full announcement
- View the full announcement ↗
- Grantor contact
-
Dairy Plus Program Team
1-916-214-1227
CDFA.OEFI_DairyPlus@cdfa.ca.gov
Funding
Funding source
- Source
- Federal
- Funding method
- Reimbursement(s)
- Notes
- The California Dairy Research Foundation (CDRF), in collaboration with CDFA and several other organizations, has been awarded $85 million in funding by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) under the Advancing Markets for Producers (AMP) initiative. Approximately $34 million of the total awarded amount will support the implementation of advanced manure management practices through the new Dairy Plus Program.
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GTC 360° Advisors pursues grant funding at the local, state, federal, and international levels. The firm’s advisor network is positioned in every state to help clients identify and compete for regional and state-level funding in addition to federal opportunities.What is GrantSignal AI, and how does it help find grant opportunities?
GrantSignal AI is GTC 360° Advisors’ AI-powered funding intelligence platform. It aggregates federal, foundation, and other public funding sources into a single dashboard, then uses AI to match opportunities to an organization’s mission, eligibility, and capacity — rather than relying on simple keyword search — and sends alerts as new, winnable opportunities appear.Does GTC 360° Advisors provide grant compliance and post-award management?
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