Survey Shows DBIA Grants Spur Economic Growth, Business Resilience; John Umhoefer and John Lucey Comments

The Dairy Business Innovation Alliance (DBIA) is driving innovation, business growth, resilience, and workforce development in the Midwest dairy industry, according to the results of a new survey.

Alliance partners Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association and the Center for Dairy Research conducted a survey targeting 212 DBIA-funded projects across the Alliance’s 11-state service region, seeking feedback on the impact of the Dairy Business Builder and Dairy Industry Impact grant programs. Grants of up to $100,000 each are awarded twice each year to dairy farmers and processors for projects that diversify on-farm activity, create value-added products, enhance dairy by-products, boost dairy exports, improve sustainability practices, and more.

“This data proves what we – and hundreds of DBIA grant recipients – have already seen: the Alliance’s targeted investments generate sustainable, meaningful success for individual dairy businesses, their rural communities, and the broader industry,” said WCMA Executive Director John Umhoefer in a recent press release.

"The DBIA program is clearly working by helping grow the sales and resiliency of small dairy businesses including farmstead operations. Our grant funding is being leveraged, on average, around eight times by these small businesses with their own funds. The DBIA program has helped modernize and expand these businesses and thereby increase sales of milk products," added CDR Director John Lucey.

Key insights from the survey underscore the broad success of the DBIA grant program:

• 65 percent of respondents said their DBIA grant project increased their sales volumes.
• More than 50 percent of respondents reported an increase in the volume of milk their business used as a result of the grant project.
• 93 percent of respondents said their award supported job creation or retention that would not have otherwise been possible.
• Nearly 80 percent said the grant contributed to the overall resiliency of their business.
• More than 70 percent said the grant increased the potential for future business growth. Nearly 70 percent said the grant improved the long-term outlook for their business.

For complete survey results showcasing the tangible results of DBIA grant funding, visit dbia.wisc.edu.

DBIA’s grant programs advance the organization’s mission to support small and mid-size dairy businesses in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

The DBIA is supported by funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and was created in the 2018 federal Farm Bill. Since then, the DBIA has awarded over $20 million across more than 250 grants to Midwestern dairy farms and businesses. The program also offers technical assistance to dairy farmers and processors in participating states. More information is available online at cdr.wisc.edu/dbia.