2026 Dairy Plus Program Grant Applications Now Open!
DAVIS, Calif., June 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The California Dairy Research Foundation (CDRF) today announced that California dairy farmers can now apply to the next round of the Dairy Plus Program, a collaborative initiative designed to support advanced manure management projects on dairy farms. A total of $34 million is available with individual projects receiving up to $1.25 million in funding.
The Dairy Plus Program aims to help dairy farms improve management practices, achieve environmental goals, and build resiliency. The program has completed two prior grant rounds, in which 37 projects have been awarded a total of $43.6 million. The program is funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)'s Advancing Markets for Producers (AMP) Initiative, and it is administered by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA)'s Office of Agricultural Resilience and Sustainability (OARS) in partnership with CDRF.
"The Dairy Plus Program supports dairy farmers' important efforts to continually innovate and improve the protection of natural resources," said Denise Mullinax, Executive Director of CDRF. "By adopting state-of-the-art practices, dairy farms can address nitrogen and salt surpluses, prepare for changing water quality regulations, and work toward meeting multiple environmental targets. We encourage eligible producers to explore the program and determine whether it can help them reach their environmental and operational goals."
The 90-day application period for the third round of Dairy Plus funding opened on June 16. Applications must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. PT on September 14. This is anticipated to be the final round of funding.
The Dairy Plus Program supports several pathways for enhanced manure management, including the use of vermifiltration systems, manure solid separation via weeping wall, advanced solid-liquid separation with flocculants and/or bead filters, and advanced solid-liquid separation by centrifuge. Practices may be accompanied by the use of a digester and/or subsurface drip irrigation systems.
All projects eligible for Dairy Plus funding consideration must be paired with other key manure management practices or technologies, that have been either privately or publicly funded. Full eligibility requirements and application materials are available on the Dairy Plus Program webpage.
In addition to providing incentive funding, Dairy Plus includes technical assistance, environmental benefit measurement, and efforts to create new market opportunities for sustainably produced commodities.
HOW TO APPLY
Eligible applicants include:
• Previous AMMP and DDRDP awardees
• Dairy producers who have not received AMMP or DDRDP funding but have implemented, or are currently implementing, approved AMMP or DDRDP practices using private or alternative funding sources.
WEBINARS TO ATTEND:
June 25, 10am Register HERE
July 8, 3 pm Register HERE
Application Deadline
Applications must be submitted by Monday, September 14, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. PT.
More Information
For complete details on eligibility requirements, application materials, awarded projects, and approved practices, visit CDFA’s Dairy Plus Program webpage.
About the Dairy PLUS Program
The Dairy Plus Program, led by the California Department of Food and Agriculture's (CDFA) Office of Agricultural Resilience and Sustainability (OARS), provides competitive grants to help California dairy farms adopt advanced manure management practices. These sustainable strategies aim to reduce methane emissions, manage nitrogen and salt levels, and address key environmental challenges in dairy production.
Projects selected for funding include vermifiltration (filtration of manure wastewater using worms), advanced separation assisted by flocculants (coagulation of fine manure solids for separation out of liquid) and weeping walls (non-mechanical separation of manure solids from water) that can keep more manure out of a liquid environment and help capture nitrogen. Importantly, they may also reduce reliance on synthetic fertilizer, build soils, protect ground water quality and make operations more profitable from a nutrient-management perspective.
Dairy Plus Program incentive funds will help bring emerging technologies aimed at reducing methane and improving groundwater protection to California dairies as full-scale projects. The practices will be measured by UC researchers to quantify emission reductions and improved water quality outcomes.
Funding for the Dairy Plus Program is provided through CDRF, in collaboration with CDFA, as part of a larger U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) initiative - now named Advancing Markets for Producers (AMP). Eighty-seven percent ($75 million of $86.7 million) of CDRF’s total AMP grant is allocated directly to dairy farmer incentive payments for the implementation of advanced manure management practices. Every Federal dollar is matched with state matching funds as well as producer dollars.
All announced awards for the program are contingent upon dairy producers completing a pre-project consultation and meeting federal requirements.