From a UC Davis analysis

The California Dairy Research Foundation (CDRF) and University of California, Davis CLEAR Center has announced the release of a new analysis of methane reduction progress titled Meeting the Call: How California is Pioneering a Pathway to Significant Dairy Sector Methane Reduction. 

The paper, authored by researchers at UC Davis concludes that efforts are on track to achieve the state’s world-leading target for reducing dairy methane emissions by 40% by 2030.

The report, written by distinguished professors of livestock emissions and agricultural economics, takes a comprehensive look at progress and projections, expanding upon the analysis of progress previously conducted by the California Air Resources Board. By documenting achievements to date, additional reduction efforts already funded, historic and current economic trends, and the projected availability of new solutions, the analysis lays out a workable path toward meeting California’s goal. The pathway shows that California dairy farms are on track to achieve the full 40% dairy methane reduction goal and will reach “climate neutrality” by 2030. Climate neutrality is the point in which no additional warming is added to the atmosphere.

“This analysis shows that California’s dairy sector is well on its way to achieving the target that was established by SB 1383 in 2016,” said CDRF’s Executive Director Denise Mullinax. “With much important work still ahead, a clear understanding of this pathway helps dairy farmers, policy makers, researchers, and other partners make decisions to strategically press forward.”

The report outlines the need for continued implementation of California’s four-part strategy for dairy methane reduction: farm efficiency and herd attrition, methane avoidance (alternative manure management), methane capture and utilization (digesters), and enteric methane reduction. Continued alignment of state and federal climate-smart agricultural approaches and incentives will also be critical to maintaining progress.

“Milk demand is growing, and California is among the world’s low-cost suppliers of dairy products. It follows that effective California policy to reduce dairy greenhouse gas emissions must recognize that measures that cause milk production to exit the state do not mitigate global climate change,” said study coauthor Daniel Sumner, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Agriculture and Resource Economics at UC Davis. “Therefore, measures to help off-set mitigation costs, provide positive incentives for adoption of low-cost emission-reducing practices, and help stimulate innovation in methane reduction, are the economically efficient approaches.”  

The paper recognizes that enteric methane from the dairy and other livestock sectors is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. and California. Several feed additives are expected to become commercially available in the next several years, which could be used to reduce enteric methane emissions from California’s dairy herd.

“Adoption of enteric feed additives will become a valuable tool for dairy value chains to meet their greenhouse gas reduction goals,” said coauthor and professor Dr. Ermias Kebreab, Associate Dean of Global Engagement and Director of the World Food Center at UC Davis. “While this report provides only a broad overview of some of the most promising solutions, there is an incredible amount of research being conducted at UC Davis, nationally and internationally. The dairy industry, global food companies, state and federal agencies, and others continue to invest heavily in supporting enteric mitigation research efforts.”

The report finds that methane reductions from California’s programs and projects in place today, coupled with the implementation of a moderate feed additive strategy to reduce enteric emissions, is on track to reduce between 7.61 to 10.59 million metric tons of methane (CO2e) by 2030, all from the dairy sector alone.

The collective investment in California’s dairy methane reduction effort — from public and private funding — now exceeds $2 billion and counting. The California dairy sector, in coordination with the California Department of Food and Agriculture, was recently awarded up to $85 million by the United States Department of Agriculture under the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities. The funding will leverage additional matching state funds and private capital investments, for a total of more than $300 million in new investment.

“It is important to highlight California’s investments and success to date as an example of what is possible within the global livestock sector,” said co-author, Dr. Frank Mitloehner, professor and air quality specialist and director of the UC Davis CLEAR Center. “California dairy farmers have demonstrated tremendous progress toward the state’s methane reduction goal over the past several years. Given the short-lived nature of methane, this rapid reduction is an important contribution to the global effort to quickly limit climate warming.”

NOTE — CDFA facilitates methane reduction through its Dairy Digester Research and Development Program and Alternative Manure Management Program, and is furthering its work in this space with a recently-announced $5 million funding allocation, the California Livestock Methane Measurement, Mitigation and Thriving Environments Research Program, for research in the areas of nutrient management and methane reduction.

Taken from a California Strategic Growth Council news release

The California Strategic Growth Council (SGC) has approved over $74 million in grants to protect 54,000 acres of agricultural lands at risk of development. The investments are part of Round 8 of the Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program (SALC), a state program protecting agricultural lands, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and strengthening primarily rural economies.

This is the eighth round of annual funding from SGC’s SALC Program and brings the total acres of agricultural land protected or in the process of being protected through SALC Program grants to 195,000 acres.

Investments from this round of funding will create 25 agricultural easements in 17 counties as far north as Siskiyou County and as far south as Santa Barbara County. This suite of easements will total approximately 54,030 acres. Safeguarding this agricultural land will avoid an estimated 619,227 metric tons of CO2 equivalent over the next 30 years, which amounts to taking 133,424 cars off the road for one year.

SGC will also award 20 capacity-building grants as part of a new component of the SALC program this year. These projects will facilitate the development of agricultural conservation acquisition projects in 33 counties as far north as Del Norte and Siskiyou counties and as far south as San Diego and Imperial counties. While initially the SALC Program had allocated up to $3 million for capacity grants, the Strategic Growth Council voted to increase the allocation to $4.4 million in response to the high demand for capacity grants from across the state. Capacity grants accelerate progress towards the California’s Natural and Working Lands goal to conserve 30 percent of California’s lands and coastal waters by 2030 by increasing the number of projects supported for future investment. 

Additionally, the SALC Program has awarded three planning grants to two public agencies and one California Native American tribe to support planning for the implementation of Sustainable Community Strategies and the protection of agricultural lands.

SGC administers the SALC Program in partnership with the California Department of Conservation.

CDFA Secretary Karen Ross:  “This program has been a tremendous success, as evidenced by the fact that this round of SALC awards protects about the same number of acres protected in the 20 years prior to the start of the program.  These projects will be a big help as we work to keep California agriculture sustainable and flourishing. “

SALC Round 8 Awardees:

Easement Grantees

·     Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space

·     Solano Land Trust

·     California Rangeland Trust (4 projects)

·     Sutter Buttes Regional Land Trust

·     Northern California Regional Land Trust (2 projects)

·     Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority

·     California Farmland Trust (2 projects)

·     City of Davis

·     The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo (2 projects)

·     Bear Yuba Land Trust

·     Ag Land Trust (3 projects)

·     Siskiyou Land Trust

·     Shasta Land Trust (3 projects)

·     Northcoast Regional Land Trust

·     Sierra Foothill Conservancy

Capacity grantees

·     American Farmland Trust

·     Sierra Foothill Conservancy

·     Land Trust of Santa Cruz County

·     American River Conservancy

·     Siskiyou Land Trust

·     Shasta Land Trust

·     Mother Lode Land Trust

·     Tule Basin Land and Water Conservation Trust

·     San Benito Ag Land Trust

·     Land Trust for Santa Barbara County

·     Placer Land Trust

·     Mendocino Land Trust

·     California Open Lands

·     Sacramento Valley Conservancy

·     Solano Land Trust

·     San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust

·     Northcoast Regional Land Trust

·     Land Trust of Santa Clara Valley

·     California Farmland Trust

·     The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo

Planning grantees

·     San Diego LAFCO

·     Hoopa Valley Tribe

·     County of Tulare

CDFA’s Antimicrobial Use and Stewardship (AUS) program has released its fourth Annual Report. The AUS program is a comprehensive antibiotic stewardship and monitoring program, established to fulfill the mandates of California law, Livestock: Use of Antimicrobial Drugs (FAC Sections 14400 – 14408). For more information on the AUS program, and to view the AUS 2022 Annual Report, please visit our website: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/AHFSS/aus/.

The AUS 2022 Annual Report focuses on the 2021– 2022 fiscal year, spanning July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022, and provides a description of AUS activities during this time, including updates from the following program focus areas:

• Program Products: What materials and information have we produced?
• Animal Management Strategies: What health promotion and infection prevention practices can be used or further developed in California to combat antimicrobial resistance and reduce antibiotic usage?
• Antibiotic Sales & Use: What antibiotics are sold and how are they used in California?
• Antibiotic Resistance: How are we looking at trends in antibiotic resistance?
• Communication & Engagement: How are we reaching people and improving our efforts?
• AUS-Funded Research Publications & Presentations: How are our researchers building upon current scientific knowledge and informing the scientific community?
• Looking Ahead: What’s next?

The AUS program is excited to share its progress, all of which is possible due to engagement from our many stakeholder groups. We would like to thank everyone who contributes to our activities – your guidance and feedback at all stages of our work, including research, outreach, and education efforts, is crucial to the program’s success. This includes organizations and groups who support our implementation and vision, as well as livestock owners who participate in our studies and researchers who share their expertise.

News release from the Governor’s Office

Bringing offshore wind power to the West Coast. Providing funding for 90,000 new EV chargers across the state. Approving a new solar policy that will make our grid more reliable and accelerate energy independence. Finalizing a plan to cut air pollution by more than 70%. And that’s all since last week. 

“We are making history here in California, and today caps an amazing ten days for world-leading climate action,” said Governor Gavin Newsom. “California is leading the world’s most significant economic transformation since the Industrial Revolution – we’re cutting pollution, turning the page on fossil fuels and creating millions of new jobs.” 

On Thursday, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved an unprecedented plan to cut air pollution, shift away from fossil fuels, and ramp up clean energy production – leading the world with a comprehensive roadmap to achieve net zero pollution. The Scoping Plan will:

• Cut air pollution by 71%;
• Slash greenhouse gas emissions 85% by 2045;
  • That includes a 48% reduction of greenhouse gasses by 2030, surpassing the statutory mandate to reduce emissions to at least 40% below 1990 levels in 2030;
• Reduce fossil fuel consumption to less than one-tenth of what we use today, a 94% drop in demand for oil and 86% drop in demand for all fossil fuels;
• Create 4 million new jobs;
• Save Californians $200 billion in health costs due to pollution.

Two key state groundwater conservation programs are in the midst of public comment periods, providing stakeholders with important opportunities to help shape these programs.

One is the Department of Water Resource’s LandFlex Program, which will provide immediate drought relief to drinking water wells in drought-stricken communities and limit unsustainable groundwater pumping in critically overdrafted (COD) basins.  LandFlex will provide $25 million in block grants to Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) to grant to farmers who limit agricultural water use. GSAs would work directly with farmers to identify land that would reduce pumping impacts to nearby dry wells. LandFlex will provide financial incentives to farmers for each enrolled acre. Public comments are being accepted through December 29.

The second program of interest is the Department of Conservation’s Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program, which is working to increase regional capacity to repurpose agricultural land to reduce reliance on groundwater while providing community health, economic well-being, water supply, habitat, and climate benefits.  Public comments are being accepted through December 30.

Today is National Poinsettia Day, and CDFA recently visited a poinsettia nursery in Hughson, Stanislaus County, to view its popular wholesale and retail operation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itcjvA13PtU

https://youtu.be/Lx0DefWkC1k

California is the leading poinsettia producer in the nation, with more than $35.6 million in production value last year.

DWR News Release

In drought-stricken communities, drinking water wells are going dry because groundwater is being pumped faster than it can be replenished. To further protect clean drinking water, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) in coordination with CDFA has developed the LandFlex Program to support groundwater sustainability agencies and local growers to limit unsustainable groundwater pumping effecting drinking water wells.

The program aims to free up water in the event of a fourth consecutive dry year, accelerate implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), and prevent drinking water supply problems in 2023. Enacted by the state in 2014, SGMA addresses the issues of over-pumping and provides a framework for local agencies to better manage and protect groundwater supplies for long-term sustainability.

The $25 million grant program would award funds to local groundwater sustainability agencies to pay growers to immediately idle land as a one-year drought-relief measure. The proposed program would target operators of small- and medium-size farms in areas where agricultural pumping reductions would help keep household and small community water system wells from going dry.

As of November 2022, 1,394 dry wells have been reported statewide, a nearly 40% increase over the same period last year. For comparison, fewer than 100 dry wells were reported annually in 2018, 2019, and 2020.

In order to reach vulnerable communities in need and provide small or disadvantaged farmers access to the program, DWR is working directly with partners in non-governmental organizations and the agriculture industry to spread the word about this program. Partners include the Community Alliance with Family Farmers, Self-Help Enterprises, Western United Dairies Foundation, and the Almond Alliance.

Before LandFlex is officially launched, a public comment period on the draft guidelines will begin on Friday, December 9 and close on Thursday, December 29. Public comments may be submitted via email: sgwp@water.ca.gov.

For those interested in applying for a LandFlex grant, DWR will host an Applicant Workshop on Thursday, January 19, 2023. To register for the workshop and learn more about the LandFlex program and how to apply, please visit water.ca.gov/landflex.

As part of Healthy Soils Week, which concludes today, representatives from CDFA, the California Legislature, the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA), California Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS), and other climate-focused agencies from around the state joined the Wine Institute, California Association of Winegrape Growers, and Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) for a tour of Bogle Family Vineyards in Yolo County to learn about the importance of healthy soil management practices and the vital role soil health plays in producing California wines.  

Soil experts and agronomists from the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) and Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) showcased these practices through a hands-on application. Bogle Vineyards staff explained how healthy soil practices are incorporated into the day-to-day operation of the vineyards and the benefits they provide.  

UCCE Agronomy Advisor Konrad Mathesius discussed the soil formation process and gave a presentation on how this process resulted in various layers of soils in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta while highlighting the soil profile from the vineyard. He also discussed the impact of healthy soils practices on soils and how these practices change soil structure, improve belowground biodiversity, and boost soil organic matter. This all plays an important role in delivering the elements essential to life, such as water, air, and nutrients.  

During his presentation, Mathesius explained that, “Erosion control, nutrient cycling, movement of air and water up and down the soil profile are all very positive things we can see, and the healthy soils objectives are one way to achieve that.”  

That understanding and knowledge base is behind CDFA’s Healthy Soils Program, which was established in 2016. The objectives of the program are to increase statewide implementation of conservation management practices that improve soil health, increase carbon sequestration, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These objectives are achieved by providing financial incentives to California growers and ranchers to implement one or several of 27 different practices. 

The Healthy Soils Program has awarded more than $100 million to more than 1,500 projects. The program is currently working on details for an additional $85 million that was allocated in the fiscal year 2022. 

For more information on the program, please visit: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/healthysoils/