The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced the Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives grant program has awarded $18.4 million to the initiatives at the University of Tennessee, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets and the University of Wisconsin.
The three initiatives were competitively selected in fiscal year 2019 to fulfill the purpose of the program. These funds will continue work started under their previous awards and will support projects that start no later than September 30, 2020 and end no later than September 29, 2023. The funds will be equally divided to the initiatives.
The initiatives provide direct technical assistance and make sub-grants to dairy businesses to support dairy businesses in the development, production, marketing and distribution of dairy products. These initiatives specifically focus on:
- Diversifying dairy product markets to reduce risk and develop higher value uses for dairy products.
- Promoting business development that diversifies farmer income through processing and marketing innovation.
- Encouraging the use of regional milk production.
To learn more about AMS grant funding to enhance and strengthen agricultural systems, visit www.ams.usda.gov/grants.
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