Get that image of Cinderella with a broom out of your head! It’s not that kind of sweep. We’re not sweeping any tree nuts into windrows, either. 

When we say SWEEP, we mean the State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program from the California Department of Food and Agriculture. It’s a grant program designed to help growers implement new tools to save water and conserve energy on the farm. SWEEP isn’t the only grant available to California growers, but it’s our favorite. Mostly because it doesn’t require any grower fund matching. 

According to the CDFA’s website, 1,130 projects have been funded by SWEEP so far for a total value of more than $123 million. Projects have reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 93,000 tons and saved 144,000 acre-feet of water per year! These grants ease the financial burden of on-farm upgrades, have a positive environmental impact, and help save money on future utility bills, too. That’s what we call a win-win-win! 

Whether it’s installing solar panels, adopting pump automation, or, of course, utilizing Tule sensors to make irrigation decisions that can save water, there are many projects you can fund through SWEEP grants. It’s truly a smorgasbord of opportunities!  

And we’ve got great news – the CDFA has $110 Million to fund SWEEP projects this year! The program’s getting started a little later than we’d anticipated, but better late than never with a budget like that! Because they’re working with unprecedented funds, CDFA is facing unique administrative challenges.  

To help, they’re allocating $40M to test out a new block grant pilot program. Block grant recipients will accept grower applications through their own programs probably through the end of April 2023. Once the pilot program is complete, CDFA will accept traditional SWEEP grant solicitations most likely in the summer of 2023. The remaining SWEEP funds will be allocated to grower projects this way.  

Whether you apply through a block grant recipient or wait until you can go directly through CDFA, it’s best to start preparing as early as possible. Either method may well be more first-come-first-served than competitive in nature. If that’s the case, there’s plenty you can do now to ensure a smooth and timely application. 

We’ve been encouraging growers to get started by testing pumps, organizing records, and gathering quotes early. We even partnered with Innovative Ag Services and HotSpot AG to host a summer workshop series to help growers learn how to prepare. If you missed it, don’t worry! There’s a helpful webinar recording here. 

Don’t think you have time to fill out a SWEEP grant application? Think of it this way: it usually takes about 30 hours to complete an application. And each award can be up to $200,000. Does making $6,700 an hour seem worth it to you? If you’re really in a pickle and want to give yourself the best chance of success, contact us at info@tuletechnologies.com. We’ll put you in touch with a professional grant writer who specializes in SWEEP. Be sure to tell them Tule sent you! 

Take a look at CDFA’s website, start pulling some pump records, and be sure to let us know if you have any questions. Happy SWEEP-ing!