REPORT SUMMARY
Community Capital Advisors (CCA) and Urban Rural Regional Strategies (URRS) (the “CCA Team”) are pleased to submit a feasibility study and framework for the development of a financial mechanism for North Coast small dairy farms to acquire and operate small scale methane digesters while allowing farm owners to mitigate financial risks, ensure economic security, and build future wealth.
The nine sections of the report correspond to the CCA Team’s scope of work and demonstrate the CCA Team’s understanding of the interest and demand, concerns and barriers, and complexities of financing digester systems within the context of small dairy farms in California, and specifically the North Coast.
The CCA Team looked beyond the research, data, and testimonials highlighting methane digesters for large scale dairy operators, and instead focused solely on addressing the financial needs and challenges of small dairy farmers, who, to date, have not received noteworthy financial or political support in adopting methane digestion technology from state or federal programs. This narrative report is accompanied by an Excel-based financial model.
“Dairy digesters remain one of the most efficient GHG programs in terms of cost of each ton of GHG reduced.” ~Diary Digester Research and Development Program, 2021 Report to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee
Community Capital Advisors and Urban Rural Regional Strategies are grateful to all the
people who supported our research and helped us understand the state of small dairy
digesters in California and beyond. We especially thank California FarmLink for their invaluable inputs and the following for their time, interest, and the breadth of knowledge that they provided.