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SACRAMENTO, November 9, 2026 - The California Department of Food and Agriculture's (CDFA) Fertilizer Research and Education Program (FREP) is now accepting pre-proposals for the 2027 FREP Grant cycle. FREP's competitive grant program funds projects that advance efficient nutrient and irrigation management practices that minimize environmental impacts through research, demonstration, education and training.
2027 FREP Grant priorities include: outreach, education and demonstration projects focused on increasing the adoption of efficient crop nutrient and irrigation management practices and technologies; evaluating challenges and barriers to adoption of management practices; the role of organic input materials in soil nutrient management; demonstrating and/or validating management practices that optimize nutrient and/or irrigation water use; filling knowledge gaps for nutrient and irrigation management in specific crops; understanding nutrient movement from the root zone; and mitigation strategies to reduce nutrient losses.
California's agricultural communities are diverse and many have historically lacked access to resources and information needed to successfully run their businesses. Thus, CDFA encourages projects that include demonstrable benefits for socially disadvantaged farmers and farm workers.
The 2027 FREP Grant request for proposals, timelines, funding priorities and more are available on the FREP Grant webpage. Applicants are invited to submit pre-proposals to FREP by Monday, December 14, 2026. Pre-proposals should align with at least one of the identified funding priorities and use the provided pre-proposal template.
All pre-proposals will be reviewed by CDFA's Fertilizer Inspection Advisory Board's Technical Advisory Subcommittee (TASC). Applicants whose pre-proposals are selected by TASC will be invited to develop full proposals.
Since 1990, FREP has funded more than 280 projects, investing over $32 million in research, outreach and education projects focusing on irrigation and nutrient management practices in California. Visit the FREP Database to access completed and ongoing research that is readily available, easily understandable and convenient for growers to implement.
For more information, please send email inquiries to [email protected].
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