SACRAMENTO, June 7, 2023 – The California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Office of Pesticide Consultation and Analysis (OPCA) is now accepting grant applications for its Biologically Integrated Farming Systems Grant Program (BIFS). 
 
The goal of the BIFS grant program is to fund the on-farm demonstration and evaluation of innovative, biologically based farming systems that employ sustainable pest management (SPM) strategies.  
 
This program aligns with the State’s new pest management strategic planning document, “Accelerating Sustainable Pest Management: A Roadmap for California,” which seeks to guide a transition toward the adoption of safer, sustainable pest control practices. 
 
“The BIFS program is distinct in that it facilitates the creation of grower-to-grower learning networks in which grower skills and experiences can be shared,” said Dr. Hanna Kahl, a past BIFS grant recipient, and the Ecological Pest Management Specialist with the Community Alliance with Family Farmers. “We have heard from walnut growers we work with in San Joaquin, Sutter, Yuba, and Butte counties that this approach makes it easier for them to visualize and practically apply alternative pest management strategies like mating disruption to their farms.” 
 
OPCA received a one-time appropriation for this program as part of the AB 179 Budget Act of 2022, and $1 million of this appropriation will be available during this funding cycle.   
 
Applications for the BIFS program are due by 5 PM PST, July 31, 2023. Public or private colleges and universities, local, State, and federal government entities including tribal governments, non-profit organizations, and commodity groups are eligible to apply. The project lead(s) and their institutions must be based in California. Detailed information on the BIFS program, including the application process and requirements, is available at https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/opca/bifs.html