By Grace Atherto
Midwestern dairy businesses can prepare now to apply for a total of approximately $3 million across two direct-to-business grant programs offered by the Dairy Business Innovation Alliance (DBIA), opening August 4. The funding will be available to small- to medium-sized dairy farmers, manufacturers, and processors in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
The Dairy Business Builder and Dairy Industry Impact grant programs are administered by the DBIA, a partnership between the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA) and the Center for Dairy Research (CDR). Applicants interested in diversifying on-farm activity, creating value-added products, or enhancing dairy byproducts are eligible to apply for the Dairy Business Builder program.