MADISON, WIS. – The Dairy Business Innovation Alliance will host a free webinar for Midwest dairy farmers, manufacturers and processors that want to prepare competitive applications for the upcoming round of Dairy Business Builder grants.

The Sept. 20 session, scheduled for noon CT, is open to dairy entrepreneurs in the DBIA’s 11-state service area of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

The informational webinar for the grant process is set to come the day after application materials become available from DBIA on Sept. 19. The applications are due on Nov. 10.

Dairy Business Builder reimbursement grants are designed to help small- to medium-sized operations diversify on-farm activities, create value-added products, enhance dairy byproducts and create or enhance export programs. A business can receive as much as $100,000 through the grant program.

“These grants offer meaningful, targeted support for dairy farmers and processors to pursue creative new ideas and grow their businesses,” said John Umhoefer, executive director for the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association. “If you’re looking for useful tips to submit your best application, you won’t want to miss this webinar.”

Added Center for Dairy Research director John Lucey: “This practical, no-cost webinar is a valuable tool to help dairy businesses with crafting stronger proposals for this important grant program.”

Interested dairy professionals can register for the webinar online through the DBIA website. 

An initiative put together by WCMA and CDR, the DBIA is supported by US Department of Agriculture funding. Since its creation in 2018, the DBIA has been able to award more than $3.7 million in grants to dairy farms and businesses.