MADISON, WI – Dairy farmers, manufacturers, and processors attending World Dairy Expo in Madison October 4-7 are invited to visit the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA) at booth 4423 in the Exhibition Hall to explore the grant opportunities and technical assistance offered by the Dairy Business Innovation Alliance (DBIA), a partnership between WCMA and the Center for Dairy Research (CDR). The Alliance serves dairy businesses in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
WCMA and CDR staff will be available in booth 4423 from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Each day, a different DBIA grant recipient will join the booth, ready to answer questions and share their experience:
- Tuesday, October 4:
- Stop by between 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. to chat with Anna Landmark of Landmark Creamery in Paoli, Wisconsin about the company’s recent and future growth.
- Wednesday, October 5:
- Bob Wills of Cedar Grove Cheese in Plain, Wisconsin will be available from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. to discuss Cedar Grove’s innovative wastewater treatment project.
- Thursday, October 6:
- Join Tammy Fritsch of Two Guernsey Girls Creamery in Freedom, Wisconsin between 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. to learn about the company’s expansion into block cheese production.
- From 2:00 – 4:00 p.m., Paul Scharfman of Specialty Cheese Company in Reeseville, Wisconsin will be available to share insights from the business’ three DBIA grant projects, including one to expand cheese exports internationally.
- Friday, October 7:
- Jennifer Orchard of Royal Guernsey Creamery in Columbus, Wisconsin joins the DBIA booth from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. to discuss the launch of their debut product line, supported in part by DBIA grant dollars.
The DBIA is supported by funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and was created in the 2018 federal Farm Bill. Since then, the DBIA has offered technical assistance and administered over $3.7 million in 79 grants across two programs to dairy farmers and processors in participating states.