The northeast dairy business innovation center S application addresses critical dairy supply chain development needs

The $19 million Project Grant from the US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service's Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives program (CFDA 10.176) will support the Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center's efforts to strengthen the regional dairy supply chain in Vermont. The majority of grant funds will be awarded competitively to dairy farms and processors through subawards for existing processor expansion, new processor/co-packer startups, milk storage and energy efficiency upgrades, and farm improvements. Additional funds will support a dairy product innovation challenge, pilot funding for a regional apprenticeship program, and development of a business-to-business directory of value-added regional dairy products. Expected outcomes include job creation, increased sales, new partnerships and profits, expanded infrastructure, and higher regional milk utilization. The grant runs from September 2022 through September 2026.

This includes focused opportunities for farmers to increase their viability and utilization of new technologies and for processors to increase capacity and efficiencies. Given the market turmoil created by the exit of horizon, the purpose of this round of grant funding is to support increased utilization and consumption of regionally produced milk and dairy products.primary activities are focused on subawards in four distinct funding areas existing processor expansion, new processor CO packer start up, milk storage capacity and energy efficiency upgrades, and farm improvements. The majority of grant funds will be awarded competitively to regional dairy farms and processors through one of these programs. Additional funds will support a dairy product innovation challenge to identify and support new product development at scale, pilot funding for the development of a regional apprenticeship program, and support for the design and launch of a business to business directory of regionally produced value added products. The NE dbic will be awarding numerous subawards to dairy farms and processors, as they are the primary beneficiaries of this work. Expected outcomes include job creation and maintenance, increased sales through existing or new market channels, new partnerships that result in higher profits, expanded infrastructure, and increased utilization of regional milk. NE dbic also measures outcomes related to subrecipient education, satisfaction, and future outlook.