Tuesday, September 20, should be cleared off for the dairy industry as the Dairy Business Innovation Alliance (DBIA), an initiative run by the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA) and the Center for Dairy Research (CDR), revealed an exciting development opportunity. For those Midwestern dairy farmers, manufacturers, and processors interested in the Dairy Business Builder grant program, the initiative has opened the registration for its September 20 webinar focused on preparing competitive applications.
“These grants offer meaningful, targeted support for dairy farmers and processors to pursue creative new ideas and grow their businesses. If you’re looking for useful tips to submit your best application, you won’t want to miss this webinar,” detailed the Executive Director for WCMA John Umhoefer.
This free webinar, scheduled for 12:00 p.m. CT, is open to dairy entrepreneurs in the DBIA’s newly expanded 11-state region: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Kansas, and Wisconsin.
Innovators can apply for the Dairy Business Builder reimbursement grants for up to $100,000 each. The application round opens on September 19, when application materials will become available at cdr.wisc.edu/dbia. Completed applications will be due November 10 by 5:00 p.m. CT. As noted in the release, the grants will be awarded through a competitive review process. Eligible projects include dairy farm diversification and on-farm processing, the creation of value-added dairy products, and efforts to market dairy products for export.
“This practical, no-cost webinar is a valuable tool to help dairy businesses with crafting stronger proposals for this important grant program,” commented John Lucey, the Director for CDR, on the join initiative’s informative session, which is supported by funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and was created in the 2018 federal Farm Bill.
Since its creation, the DBIA has offered technical assistance and administered over $3.7 million in 79 grants across two programs to dairy farmers and processors in participating states.
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