Michigan Selected to Join Dairy Business Builder Grants Program

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) announced Michigan is joining the federal Dairy Business Builder Grants program, which aims to support small- to medium-sized dairy businesses in diversifying on-farm activity, creating value-added products, enhancing dairy by-products, and creating or enhancing dairy export programs. Michigan now joins Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Ohio, Kansas, and Wisconsin as partners in the Dairy Business Grants program.

"At MDARD, we're proud to support and encourage sustainability and innovation within our robust dairy industry. These new federal funds allow us to better further that commitment," said MDARD Director Gary McDowell. "Michigan's dairy industry provides nutritious foods produced and processed locally while making a significant economic impact across our state, which is why Governor Whitmer signed a bipartisan budget that further invests in rural and agriculture economic development."

Dairy farmers, manufacturers, and processors in Michigan can apply now until Nov. 10 at 5 p.m. (CT) for a new round of Dairy Business Builder grants through the Dairy Business Innovation Alliance (DBIA), a partnership between the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA) and the Center for Dairy Research at the University of Wisconsin -- Madison (CDR). The reimbursement grants of up to $100,000 each aim to support small- to medium-sized dairy businesses.

Since its creation in the 2018 U.S. Farm Bill, the DBIA has administered technical assistance and over $3.7 million in grants to dairy businesses in five Midwestern states. Additional funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture is now supporting an expansion of the program's service area to include Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, and Ohio.

Application materials and resources are available online at cdr.wisc.edu/dbia. Successful applicants will be notified by Dec. 15. Questions may be directed to DBIA Program Coordinator Emily Slatter at eslatter@cdr.wisc.edu or (608) 301-7751.