Apply Now for Dairy Business Innovation Alliance Grants

Aug 07, 2025

By Grace Atherton

Applications are open now for direct-to-business grants across two programs offered by the Dairy Business Innovation Alliance (DBIA). A total of approximately $3 million in funding is available to small- to medium-sized dairy farmers, manufacturers, and processors in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

The Dairy Business Builder and Dairy Industry Impact grant programs are administered by DBIA, a partnership between the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA) and the Center for Dairy Research (CDR). Applicants interested in diversifying on-farm activity, creating value-added products, or enhancing dairy byproducts are eligible to apply for the Dairy Business Builder program. Businesses pursuing projects focused on exporting or sustainability with a potential impact on the broader industry can apply for the Dairy Industry Impact grant program. Applicants may apply to both grant programs and are eligible to receive awards of up to $100,000 from each offering. For large equipment expenditures, awards of up to $150,000 may be made due to rising equipment costs.

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Video: 2026 T.K. Cheung Lecture in Animal Science - Dan Weary

T.K. Cheung Lecture in Animal Science: "Using science to assess and improve the welfare of dairy cattle"

Dan Weary is a Professor at the University of British Columbia. Dan did his BSc and MSc at McGill and Doctorate at Oxford before co-founding UBC’s Animal Welfare Program where he now co-directs this active research group. His research focuses on understanding the perspectives of animals and applying these insights to develop methods of assessing animal welfare and improving the lives of animals. His work has helped drive changes in practices (including the adoption of higher milk rations for calves and pain management for disbudding) and housing methods (including the adoption of social housing for pre-weaned calves). He also studies cow comfort and lameness, social interactions among cows, and interactions between cows, human handlers and technologies like automated millking systems that are increasingly used on farms. His presentation will outline key questions in cattle welfare, highlight recent UBC research addressing them, and showcase innovative methods for improving the lives of cattle and their caretakers.