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Water Money to Make it Work Better
SWEEP Applications Open and
Ventura County Workshop
Announced!
California Department of Food and Agriculture is now accepting applications for the State Water Efficiency & Enhancement Program (SWEEP), a competitive grant program that provides funding to farmers and ranchers to invest in irrigation water and energy efficiency. Agricultural operations can apply for up to $100,000 for projects that involve improvements to irrigation systems, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and save water. Projects funded through SWEEP commonly include elements such as soil, plant or weather sensors; micro-irrigation systems; pump retrofits or replacements; renewable energy; and variable frequency drives – among others.
Applications are due Monday, December 16th at 5PM PST.
For more information about SWEEP and where to start your application click here:
SWEEP Applications Open and Ventura County Workshop Announced!
California Department of Food and Agriculture is now accepting applications for the State Water Efficiency & Enhancement Program (SWEEP), a competitive grant program that provides funding to farmers and ranchers to invest in irrigation water and energy efficiency. Agricultural operations can apply for up to $100,000 for projects that involve improvements to irrigation systems, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and save water. Projects funded through SWEEP commonly include elements such as soil, plant or weather sensors; micro-irrigation systems; pump retrofits or replacements; renewable energy; and variable frequency drives – among others.
Applications are due Monday, December 16th at 5PM PST.
For more information about SWEEP and where to start your application click here: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/sweep/
To review the application request click here: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/sweep/docs/2019_SWEEP_RGA.pdf
Technical assistance provided: Contact Alli Rowe amrowe@ucanr.edu for assistance on Ventura County SWEEP applications
Outside of Ventura County? Find your local TA provider here: http://ciwr.ucanr.edu/Programs/ClimateSmartAg/TechnicalAssistanceProviders/
Ventura County Workshop:
UC Cooperative Extension Ventura County will be hosting a workshop where you can learn more about the SWEEP application process, find out where you can get technical assistance, and learn how to apply for the grant. Please see flyer attached for more details.
Where: UC Cooperative Extension Ventura County, 669 County Square Dr. Suite #100, Ventura, CA
When: Monday, November 4 2PM – 4PM
Registration is free, reserve your space here: http://ucanr.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=28554
To review the application request click here: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/sweep/docs/2019_SWEEP_RGA.pdf
Technical assistance provided: Contact Alli Rowe amrowe@ucanr.edu for assistance on Ventura County SWEEP applications
Outside of Ventura County? Find your local TA provider here: http://ciwr.ucanr.edu/Programs/ClimateSmartAg/TechnicalAssistanceProviders/
water meter
Fix That Irrigation System - SWEEP Grants Coming This Fall
California Department of Food and Agriculture will reopen the State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP) towards the end of 2019. The SWEEP program provides up to $100,000 for practices that increase water use efficiency and reduce energy use in water management. Practices that are eligible include pump retrofits, installation of variable frequency drives, converting a pump to run on solar, or changing irrigation systems to a more efficient application. While there is no set date for SWEEP to reopen, now is the time to get your project and application materials together.
Stay tuned for more information and date announcement! In the meantime, you can:
- Go to SWEEP website: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/sweep/
- Review the most recent Request for Grant Applications: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/sweep/docs/2018_SWEEP_RGA.pdf
- Create a project design and list the practices you want to implement
- View the list of 2018 recipients and project descriptions: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/sweep/docs/2018-SWEEP_ProjectsSelected-for-Award.pdf
- Get quotes for items needed for the project, itemized and with labor included
- Get a pump efficiency test for all the pumps that will be affected by the project
- Get 12 months of energy use data for pumps (e.g. energy bills or fuel receipts)
- Schedule time to talk to a technical assistance provider – Alli Rowe at UCCE Ventura, amrowe@ucanr.edu or Jamie Whiteford with Ventura County RCD, jamiewhiteford.vcrcd@gmail.com
To get your wheels turning, check out these examples of recently awarded projects:
Santa Cruz: This project will install a solar photovoltaic system to power the farm's groundwater pump, switching from fossil fuel based electricity to a renewable energy source. It will also install a variable frequency drive (VFD) at the well pump to improve energy use efficiency and reduce GHG emissions from groundwater pumping. Finally, through this project the farming operation will acquire a flowmeter and five soil moisture sensors to improve irrigation scheduling and water conservation.
Sutter: This project plans to transition from farming 80 acres of rice with a flood irrigation system to farming 80 acres of almonds with a micro sprinkler irrigation system. Also, the old pump will be replaced with a 75 HP pump and moisture sensors will be utilized to help manage water usage.
Riverside: The project proposes to install soil moisture sensors, cloud based data collection, a flow meter, weather station, and automatic shut off valves to increase water savings. To reduce greenhouse gas emission the project proposes to install a solar system to power well pumps.
irrigATING CITRUS
CDFA Grant Help
Introducing your new information source for CDFA grants,
Kern County and Ventura County
Shulamit Shroder and Alli Rowe are two of the newest members to UC Cooperative Extension. Shulamit is based out of Kern County and serves Kern, Tulare, and King Counties. Alli is based out of and serves Ventura County. Both specialize in the climate smart agriculture initiatives from the California Department of Food and Agriculture. They provide technical assistance for the SWEEP, AMMP, and Healthy Soils grant programs.
- The State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP) encourages farmers to install more efficient irrigation systems that decrease their water consumption as well as their greenhouse gas emissions. You can apply for a SWEEP grant for up to $100,000.
- The Alternative Manure Management Program (AMMP) awards funds - up to $750,000 - to livestock producers who decrease their methane emissions by changing the way that they manage manure.
- The Healthy Soils Program incentivizes the implementation of conservation agriculture techniques that decrease erosion and greenhouse gas emissions, like cover cropping, compost, crop rotation, and mulching. For this grant, there is $75,000 available per project.
Keep an eye out for future announcements about grant deadlines - they have all passed but should reopen within the next year, pending further funding.
For more information about these programs and for help applying for these grants, please contact Shulamit or Alli at:
Shulamit Shroder: sashroder@ucanr.edu or 661-868-6218
Alli Rowe: amrowe@ucanr.edu or 805-645-1464
soil
SWEEPing Citrus
Spotlight on SWEEP in Citrus
Shulamit Shroder, UCCE climate smart agriculture specialist - Kern County
In 2014, Bruce Kelsey in Kern County received a grant through the California Department of Food and Agriculture's State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP). He used the funds to set up 8-foot-wide plastic weed mats underneath his mature organic citrus trees. He also decreased his electrical consumption by about 30% and installed soil moisture sensors, a water flow meter, and a pressure-sustaining device.
Benefits
Labor: The installation of the weed mat was a labor-intensive process, but it ended up paying off in the long term. It diminished weed populations so that he no longer has to weed under his citrus trees. Now he only mows with a small mower in the lanes between his trees.
Water usage: His overall water usage decreased by about 10%. The weed mat decreased evaporation and weed pressure while the other devices allowed him to better manage and schedule his irrigation.
Drawbacks
Pests: Bruce experienced an increase in earwigs in the weed mat orchard. The plastic covering provided the perfect humid environment for the insects.
Organic certification: The weed mats will eventually start to disintegrate, which could contaminate his soil. To maintain his organic certification, he will have to rip them up once they start to break down. Smaller, younger trees do not protect the plastic from the sun, which quickly destroys the plastic. For this reason, he recommended against using weed mat in immature orchards.
Figure 1. Weed mat in place.
Find the Green Darner
Find the green darner. Trying to spot the green darner dragonfly, Anax junius--so named because of...
Green darner dragonfly, Anax junius, in Benicia State Historical Park. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
