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Confined Animal Feeding Operations Improvement Subgrants in Idaho

DEQ, in partnership with the Idaho State Department of Agriculture and the agricultural industry, has again offered grant opportunities for state fiscal year 2024 that support the implementation of environmental improvement programs on confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) for the purpose of improving soil, water, and air quality with an emphasis on manure and nutrient management. This year’s grant application period closed on August 31, 2023, and the Committee is currently in the process of reviewing and recommending projects for funding.

Funds may be used to protect/improve air, water, or soil quality or reduce greenhouse gas emissions on the CAFO site. Projects eligible for CAFO improvement grants are not eligible for funding under the Clean Water Act § 319 Nonpoint Source Grant program or the Idaho Ag BMP fund. 

In October 2022, the CAFO Improvement Fund Committee awarded $5 million to 13 applicants to support environmental improvement projects in the agricultural industry. The successful applicants demonstrated a significant improvement in current operations, ranked highest in water and air quality protection categories, and included one or more of the following components: 

Funded Projects included:

  • DariTech Biolynk water recycling system
  • Screw presses
  • Centrifuge
  • DariTech DT 360 presses
  • Sloped screens
  • Separation building
  • New lagoon construction
  • Reverse Osmosis System
  • Pump for lagoon to add acreage for lagoon water application
  • Advanced distillation
  • Pipeline to additional acreage for lagoon water application

A successful CAFO grant must meet the following criteria:

  • A minimum of 40% of the total project costs must come from sources other than the CAFO Improvement Fund.
  • Projects must start within one year of the award and be completed within 3 years.
  • Producer must have an approved and current Environmental/Nutrient Management Plan (NMP) in accordance with state regulations and must comply, as demonstrated by the most recent NMP review.
  • Demonstrate how project/equipment/practice will be maintained over time.
  • Project must be implemented within the CAFO management area.

Upcoming Meetings

Application Process

Applications for awards in state fiscal year 2024 were accepted July 1, 2023, through August 31, 2023. Applications were reviewed for completeness and then sent to the CAFO Improvement Fund Committee for scoring and prioritization. Before delivering applications to the committee, information identifying a specific facility owner was redacted to allow for a fair and equitable review from the committee.

The CAFO Improvement Fund Committee is currently reviewing applications received, prioritizing the projects, and will meet on October 18, 2023, to recommend projects to DEQ for funding. DEQ will work with individual applicants to enter into subaward contracts. After the committee makes recommendations, letters will be mailed to all applicants informing them of their application status.

Budget Conditions

Once an applicant has been awarded a grant, DEQ will work with the facility to enter into a sub-award. CAFO Improvement projects will be reimbursed regularly after the facility submits an invoice to DEQ for payment. An invoice template will be provided with the sub-award contract. This template will have the approved budget column populated with information from the submitted budget.

Receipts should be attached and organized for easy verification. DEQ will review each invoice with accompanying documents and send a PDF copy of the invoice to the facility for signature. A signed copy of the PDF invoice should be returned to DEQ for payment to be processed electronically.

Invoice Process

Once an applicant has been awarded a grant, DEQ will work with the facility to enter into a sub-award. CAFO Improvement projects will be reimbursed regularly after the facility submits an invoice to DEQ for payment. An invoice template will be provided with the sub-award contract. This template will have the approved budget column populated with information from the submitted budget.

Receipts should be attached and organized for easy verification. DEQ will review each invoice with accompanying documents and send a PDF copy of the invoice to the facility for signature. A signed copy of the PDF invoice should be returned to DEQ for payment to be processed electronically.

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Surface and Wastewater Division Administrator

Mary Anne Nelson
mary.anne.nelson@deq.idaho.gov
(208) 373-0291

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