One thing our industry is known for is lifting those around us, and the Dairy Business Innovation Alliance (DBIA) is known for just that. Recently, the partnership between the Center for Dairy Research (CDR) and the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA) announced a new round of Dairy Industry Impact grants for dairy farmers, processors, and manufacturers in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
“The dairy industry thrives on fresh ideas and creative problem-solving, sparked by the challenges and opportunities dairy businesses encounter every day. We look forward to seeing innovative concepts for advancing the industry and ensuring dairy’s strong future,” said WCMA Executive Director John Umhoefer.
As noted in the release, the Dairy Industry Impact grant program aims to help dairy businesses pursue ideas and solutions with the potential to advance the dairy industry. Reimbursable grants of up to $250,000 each will be awarded through a competitive review process.
Grant recipients will be required to share the results of their project. Abstracts are accepted now and are due August 31 at 5:00 p.m. CT. Applicants must be located in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, or Wisconsin. A select group of applicants will be invited in September to submit full grant proposals by November 3.
“This program supports new ideas or proposals that, if successful, could have a broader industry impact. We hope this program will help drive more innovation in the dairy industry,” commented John Lucey, the Director of the Center for Dairy Research.
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 administered over $3.7 million in 79 grants to dairy farms and businesses in all five participating Midwestern states. The program also offers technical assistance to dairy farmers and processors in the region.
Deli Market News will keep an eye on the wires to report on the next innovators taking the stage.
