Indiana’s Tulip Tree Creamery was awarded a $100,000 grant from 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.
Earlier this week, DBIA announced the 26 total companies and cooperatives that have been selected to receive Dairy Business Builder grants totaling $2.3 million.
This year’s awardees hail from all 11 states served by DBIA. Eighteen of the 26 businesses are receiving a DBIA grant for the first time, and 12 are farmsteads.
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 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. The next DBIA grant application period will open on August 28, 2023.
“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 CDR Director John Lucey.
“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,” said WCMA Executive Director John Umhoefer.
The DBIA is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Including the awards listed above, since its inception as part of the 2018 Farm Bill, the DBIA has 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 program also offers technical assistance and education to dairy farmers and processors in the region.
