USDA to invest $80 mln to support dairy resilience
The additional funding will be used to expand capacity
10 March 2022
1 minute read
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced an investment of $80 million in the Dairy Business Innovation (DBI) Initiatives. In November 2021, DBI awarded $18.4 million to three current Initiatives at University of Tennessee, Vermont Agency for Food and Marketing and University of Wisconsin, and $1.8 million to a new initiative at California State University Fresno.
According to a USDA press release, each initiative will now have the opportunity to submit additional proposals for up to $20 million in American Rescue Plan funds to further support processing capacity expansion, on-farm improvements, and technical assistance to producers.
“The pandemic has demonstrated that dairy producers and regional dairy processors, particularly those engaged in value-added production, faced systemic shocks over the past several years,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “We have heard directly from producers and processors – particularly organic producers and processors in the Northeast – on how we can work with the industry to build long-term resilience of regional dairy supply chains."
"The Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives have supported regional-focused efforts tailored to the needs of dairy farmers and businesses locally," he added. "This additional funding will expand the capacity of the four initiatives to provide technical assistance and sub-grants exponentially.”
