USDA Awards $23 Million to Support Small Dairy Processors

Oct. 5, 2023

Three universities and one economic development group get funds to help dairy farmers and processors in their regions.

USDA this week announced $23 million in awards to support dairy businesses and producers under the Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives (DBI) grant program. The program supports small and mid-sized dairy businesses in the development, production, marketing and distribution of dairy products.

This year’s funds were given to DBI initiatives at California State University Fresno, University of Tennessee, Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets, and University of Wisconsin. Those programs will use the funding to provide technical assistance and subaward funds to dairy farmers and businesses in their regions, supporting them with business plan development, marketing and branding, as well as increasing access to innovative production and processing techniques to support the development of value-added products.

Dairy farmers, processors and other businesses interested in the program must contact the appropriate initiative to be considered for direct technical assistance or a subaward. For more information, visit USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives webpage (https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants/dbi).

About the Author

Dave Fusaro | Editor in Chief

Dave Fusaro has served as editor in chief of Food Processing magazine since 2003. Dave has 30 years experience in food & beverage industry journalism and has won several national ASBPE writing awards for his Food Processing stories. Dave has been interviewed on CNN, quoted in national newspapers and he authored a 200-page market research report on the milk industry. Formerly an award-winning newspaper reporter who specialized in business writing, he holds a BA in journalism from Marquette University. Prior to joining Food Processing, Dave was Editor-In-Chief of Dairy Foods and was Managing Editor of Prepared Foods.