2024 September Board Book

CDQAP PROVIDES CA DAIRY PRODUCERS WITH FRONT-LINE LEADERSHIP AND EDUCATION IN AN EFFORT TO PROVIDE THE TOOLS NEEDED TO MEET REGULATORY COMPLIANCE, SUPPORT ONGOING IMPROVEMENTS, AND DEMONSTRATE THEIR COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY

mation as possible, CDQAP was proactive in organizing a joint industry- academic workgroup and draft producer workshop. The workshop addresses whole farm nitrogen balance management options and provides a tool for evaluating manure utilization options. Tool finalization is ongoing in 2024 and workshops are planned for after the DGO release, anticipated in 2025. The program’s monthly newsletters highlighted outreach related to dairy producer funding opportunities in the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s (CDFA) and CDRF’s Dairy PLUS Program. The Dairy PLUS Program provides grants to California dairy farms for implementa tion of manure management practices that address both methane emissions and nutrient surplus. CDQAP worked collaboratively with government and industry organizations to provide support for producers seeking to improve their manure management practices and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as well as improve water quality. Dairy food safety and animal health continued to be a high priority for CDQAP in 2023. CDQAP and CDRF were awarded a grant of nearly $900,000 from CDFA for a comprehensive composting research project addressing the environmental impact of dairy mortality disposal. This research will pave the way to allow carcass composting during emergencies and when rendering is not available. Also in 2023, CDQAP partnered with CDFA and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to prepare for livestock pandemics. Using funds from a non-industry grant (previously awarded to CDQAP and UC Davis), CDQAP made significant progress promoting producer and processor ability to continue to ship milk from unin fected farms during “stop movement” and/or “quarantine” orders, such as during a Foot and Mouth disease outbreak. Additional outreach topics in 2023 included biosecurity, cybersecurity, and producer health solutions Using funding from CDFA and others, work on the Farm Enhanced Biosecurity Plan Builder tool continued. CDQAP

also continued to brief industry leaders on a vesicular stomatitis outbreak and what California producers can do to protect their herds. Many California dairy farms experienced severe flooding in 2023 due to unprecedented rainfall followed by snow melt. CDQAP responded by coordinating with their regulatory and trade association partners to provide outreach to producers on flooding. Outreach topics included emergency actions that could be taken in between storms, livestock evacuations, a checklist for repopulating a dairy, staying in regulatory compliance during flooding, and updated information on state and federal relief programs. This year CDQAP increased their efforts to address criminal and activist activities directed at the dairy industry. They partnered with state and federal law enforcement agencies to quickly respond to two cyber attacks on producers in 2023. CDQAP also hosted two workshops with federal agencies aimed at mitigating criminal activities, both foreign and domestic, directed at the dairy industry. This included virtual training with the FBI’s InfraGard program. At the local level, CDQAP is working with the Central California Intelligence Center to train and educate producers about how to properly respond to suspicious drone activity. Finally, CDQAP partnered with the nation’s foremost experts on farmer stress to deliver outreach for dairy field staff faced with producers experiencing unusual levels of stress. In partnership with the California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB), CDQAP hosted a webinar that included testimony from producers that successfully faced crises and provided advice on addressing mental fatigue.

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