FRESNO, CALIF. – The Pacific Coast Coalition Dairy Business Innovation Initiative (PCC-DBII) announced a new round of grant awards is available to dairy farmers and processors in its six-state region of Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington.

The funding is designated to help dairy entities become more competitive and innovative through product development, production, marketing and distribution.

“In this round, we anticipate awarding over $4.1 million via more than a dozen grants of approximately $50,000 to $1,000,000 for the spring 2023 period,” said Carmen Licon Cano, project director and assistant professor in food science and nutrition at Fresno State, which hosts PCC-DBII.

“This opportunity is part of a whole-farm system approach and increasing collaboration with other farms or dairy sector stakeholders,” Cano said.

Per PCC-DBII, potential projects for this cycle include product line expansion, alternative processing technologies and value-added new product development. As an example, the organization cited a recent $50,000 grant that was awarded to Blue Silo Creamery, Jefferson, Ore., which looked to grow its target audience by introducing new products.

A webinar that will cover the grants, project applications and grant writing tips will be hosted by PCC-DBII on Jan. 13. Those interested in the webinar can sign up for it online. 

Part of a nationwide initiative to help the dairy industry address ongoing supply chain and food system challenges, PCC-DBII is funded by the US Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service.