Source: USDA

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) today announced $18.4 million in funding for the Dairy Business Innovation (DBI) Initiatives to support dairy businesses in the development, production, marketing and distribution of dairy products through direct technical assistance and grants to dairy businesses. The initiatives are led by the University of Tennessee; the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets; and the University of Wisconsin.

This funding opportunity will continue work that the initiatives previously started, focusing 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.

The DBI Initiatives program was authorized by the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 (Farm Bill). The three initiatives were selected through a competitive process in 2019 and are expected to perform projects from fiscal years 2020 through 2022.