One-time funding of $30,000,000 from the Climate Investment Account was appropriated for the 2023-25 biennium to the Washington State Conservation Commission Sustainable Farms and Fields program for organic agricultural waste and greenhouse gas emissions reduction through climate-smart livestock management. View the proviso.
This one-time funding resulted in two new funding opportunities:
Alternative Manure Management
Research and Demonstration
Dairy Anaerobic Digesters has moved to the Department of Commerce (see the Dairy Anaerobic Digesters section below for more information).
Click here, or scroll to the bottom of this page to watch a Q&A webinar on Climate-Smart Livestock Management funding opportunities. The Research and Demonstration portion of the webinar begins at 41:30.
Click here to sign up for Sustainable Farms & Fields: Climate-Smart Livestock updates.
Research and Demonstration
SCC seeks to fund applied research and demonstration projects that will result in increased adoption of climate-smart livestock management practices and/or improved accounting of the impacts of climate-smart livestock management practices in agricultural settings in Washington.
Preference is for projects focused on NRCS-approved practices, including practices aimed at reducing enteric methane emissions and manure management or application. Other proposed practices will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
This funding is open to conservation districts and other public entities only. Interested producers should reach out to their CD, WSU Extension Office, or local climate-smart government program. All projects must be completed by June 30, 2025.
The application window for the Research and Demonstration funding is closed. To view the FAQ sheet, click here. To view funded projects, click here.
Alternative Manure Management Funding
The objective of this funding is to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with manure handling systems from baseline levels at dairy and livestock farms in Washington through grants to conservation districts and other public entities for project implementation.
This funding is open to conservation districts and other public entities only. Interested producers should reach out to their CD, WSU Extension Office, or local climate-smart government program.
Projects must occur on livestock operations where manure is stored in anaerobic (liquid)form and may include multiple components of a manure handling system, associated upstream and downstream components needed to accommodate the change to the manure management system, including transporting manure for eventual field application.
$2,900,000 in reappropriated funding is available in the 2025-2027 biennium to support alternative manure management activities. This funding is from the Climate Commitment Account. SCC expects to announce an application round for this funding in summer 2025— stay tuned!
Applicants for SFF Alternative Manure Management are asked to use the CARB AMMP Tool modified for Washington to estimate greenhouse gas emissions reductions for their projects, where possible. SFF Program Manager, Karen Hills, walks through how to use the tool in a webinar from 2024. Please scroll to the bottom of this page to view it.
SCC was appropriated $22,000,000 in the 2023-2025 biennium to fund anaerobic dairy digesters. This appropriation was moved to the Department of Commerce for the 2025-2027 biennium. Please stay tuned to news from the Department of Commerce regarding the next steps for this funding.
Funds provided to conservation districts and other public entities will be utilized consistently with the Sustainable Farms and Fields Program Guidelines, the funding proviso language, and program procedures. Eligible activities will be consistent with the proviso language. More information is being developed.
This opportunity is supported with funding from Washington’s Climate Commitment Act. The CCA puts cap-and-invest dollars to work reducing climate pollution, creating jobs, and improving public health. Information about the CCA is available at www.climate.wa.gov.
Eligibility
This funding is open to conservation districts and other public entities only. Interested producers should reach out to their CD, WSU Extension Office, or local climate-smart government program.
A report to the legislature from SCC providing information on projects funded through the SFF Climate-Smart Livestock Management program is now available, here.
A list of funded Alternative Manure Management Projects for 2023 - 2025 is available, here.
About this Conservation Program
One-time funding of $30,000,000 from the Climate Investment Account was appropriated for the 2023-25 biennium to the Washington State Conservation Commission Sustainable Farms and Fields program for organic agricultural waste and greenhouse gas emissions reduction through climate-smart livestock management.
This video introduces the Sustainable Farms & Fields program. This program helps Washington farmers and ranchers adopt climate-smart practices—like cover cropping and no-till planting—through grants and technical support that benefit the climate, soil health, and farm sustainability.