Recently, the dairy industry received some much-needed capital to advance its research and development. The Dairy Business Innovation Alliance (DBIA), a partnership between the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA) and the Center for Dairy Research (CDR) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, announced that 38 companies and cooperatives were selected to receive Dairy Business Builder grants totaling $1.7 million.
“A strong and successful dairy industry depends, in part, on a robust, diverse community of individual dairy businesses,” commented the Executive Director of WCMA John Umhoefer. “These grants will support the continued growth of these enterprises and the overall health of our dairy industry.”
According to the release, the Dairy Business Builder grant program aims to encourage small- to medium-sized dairy farmers, entrepreneurs, and processors in the Upper Midwest to pursue innovative projects. Projects could include dairy farm diversification, on-farm processing, value-added product creation, and efforts to market dairy products for export.
Reimbursement grants of up to $50,000 each are awarded following a competitive review process.
“In these challenging times, these DBIA grants are even more important to creating a vibrant dairy industry as they support the growth of farmstead businesses and allow our small cheese and dairy plants to expand and diversify,” said CDR Director John Lucey.
Click here for the full list of recipients of this incredible investment.
Deli Market News will continue to report on all things dairy, specialty, and deli.
