Twenty-six dairy companies just got access to vital funding through the Dairy Business Innovation Alliance (DBIA). The partnership between the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA) and the Center for Dairy Research (CDR) recently announced the 26 companies and cooperatives that have been selected to receive Dairy Business Builder grants, totaling $2.3 million in funding.
“This group of projects showcases the innovative spirit and drive of our dairy industry. We’re pleased to help these businesses, and the industry as a whole, continue to grow and thrive,” commented the WCMA Executive Director John Umhoefer.
This year’s awardees hail from all 11 states served by DBIA. Of the 16 businesses, 18 are receiving a DBIA grant for the first time and 12 are farmsteads.
According to a press release, DBIA’s Dairy Business Builder Grant program aims to encourage small- to medium-sized dairy farmers, entrepreneurs, and processors to pursue innovative projects such as dairy farm diversification, on-farm processing, value-added product creation, and efforts to market dairy products for export. Reimbursement grants of up to $100,000 each are awarded following a competitive review process.
“These grants have become an important factor in helping support the growth of our dairy businesses in our region as they continue to innovate by creating new products or expanding their markets,” said John Lucey, the CDR Director, in the press release.
The DBIA is supported by funding from the United States Department of Agriculture. Since its inception, the Alliance has now administered over $9.4 million in grants to 103 dairy businesses in Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
The creation of the nationwide program in the 2018 Farm Bill, and Wisconsin’s inclusion, were championed by U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin).
“Dairy businesses are a key part of our state’s identity and major drivers of our state’s economy, and I am thrilled that these innovative businesses are continuing that legacy,” said Sen. Baldwin. “It is critical that our cheesemakers, farmers, and dairy processors have the tools they need to develop new dairy products and adapt to market changes, and I am so proud to help provide those resources, so they can accomplish that and move our Made in Wisconsin economy forward.”
The next grant application period will open on August 28.
To view this round’s Dairy Business Builder Grant recipients, and to read more about the program, click here. Stick with DMN for more industry news.
