Dairy Business Builder Grant Now Accepting Applications Until October 19, 2023

Aug 29, 2023

Last year the Dairy Business Innovation Alliance (DBIA) launched its Dairy Business Builder Grant opportunity with eligibility for Michigan companies with MDARD joining the federal DBIA program in September of 2022. This grant aims to encourage small- to medium-sized dairy farmers, entrepreneurs, and processors in the Midwest pursue projects such as dairy farm diversification, on-farm processing, value-added product creation, and efforts to market dairy products for export.

"Our state's farms and food processers are creating quintessential Made in Michigan products every day. The DBIA program supports our dairy industry by providing additional funding availability for our dairy farmers and processors to help them increase and streamline their processing," said MDARD Director Tim Boring. "Michigan's dairy industry is an important part of our state's economic engine, and these opportunities further our investments in our rural and agricultural communities."

Since its creation of the 2018 U.S. Farm Bill, the DBIA has administered technical assistance and over $7.5 million in grant funding to dairy businesses throughout the Midwest. Reimbursement grants of up to $100,000 each will be awarded to different dairy businesses after a competitive review process.

During previous rounds of funding, six Michigan companies received $2.4 million in grants. Selected businesses include Dairy Distillery Alliance in Constantine, Charlevoix Cheese Company, Furniture City Creamery in Grand Rapids, Saltless Sea Creamery in Traverse City, Semifreddo LLC in Hart, Thistle Dew Creamery in Vassar, and VernDale Products Inc. in Detroit. Previous award recipients can be found here.

A "Helpful Hints" webinar for the Dairy Business Builder Grant was recorded on August 22, 2023 and is available on their website. Applications for the grant will be accepted until October 18, 2023 at 6pm EDT. Applications will then be reviewed, and award announcements will be made in December.

Source : michigan.gov

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.