CONCENTRATED ANIMAL FEEDING OPERATION CAFO Improvement Fund

BY VALENE CAUHORN, TANYA HIBLER, AND MEGAN SATTERWHITE

The Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) Improvement Fund was established in 2022 to provide grant funding to CAFOs in the state of Idaho to improve the environmental quality of their operations. The Idaho Cattle Association (ICA) and Idaho Dairy Association (IDA) worked with the Idaho State Legislature to allocate five million dollars to this grant. A committee was established that has two ICA Representatives, two IDA Representatives, one University of Idaho representative, one Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) Representative, and one Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (IDEQ) Representative. Valene Cauhorn and Megan Satterwhite have been appointed by the Idaho Cattle Association.

In 2022, the CAFO Improvement Fund paid for thirteen on farm projects out of a total of 35 applications. The projects funded in 2022 included flush water recycling system, screw presses, centrifuge, roller/drum presses, sloped screens, new lagoon construction, Reverse Osmosis System, plumbing for additional acreage, and advanced distillation.

The legislature has appropriated another five million dollars to the CAFO Improvement Fund for 2023 for CAFOs to make environmental improvements to their facilities. Applications will be available July 1st and are due August 31st. There will be a webinar in July to ask questions. Once the date for the webinar is decided upon, it will be posted on the IDEQ website.

The committee is looking for applications that show an improvement from their existing operation and are currently in compliance with ISDA’s Nutrient Management Plan (NMP). The application should include details that specifically call out the potential impact to the farm and how the project permits better management nutrients with implementation. All applications should have a water quality focus on manure and nutrient utilization. Additional benefits to natural resources are also taken into consideration during the review of applications. It is important to remember that applications should be for projects that are beyond the regulatory requirements.

The CAFO Improvement Fund will cover 60% of the project, with the applicant being responsible for the other 40%. The cost share funds will be capped at $1 million per owner/partnership.

If you have questions regarding projects and applications, please reach out to Valene (vcauhorn@agpros.com) or Megan (megan@idahodairymens.org) and we will help answer questions the best we can. Please visit the link below for additional resources. https://www.deq.idaho.gov/water-quality/grants-andloans/confined-animal-feeding-operations-improvement-subgrants-in-idaho/