MADISON, WIS. – A public letter composed by the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA) and Organic Valley, with the backing of 200-plus leaders in the dairy industry, calls on Congress to fully fund Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives (DBII) in 2025 and throughout the duration of the next Farm Bill.
WCMA shared that the letter – sent to agricultural appropriations subcommittees chairs Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.), and agriculture committees chairs Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.) – requests $36 million in annual federal support for DBII.
The program is administered by the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). DBII provides resources to four regional initiatives headquartered in Wisconsin, California, Vermont and Tennessee.
Since launching in 2018, DBII has offered $165 million in research, market analysis and business grants for dairy farmers and processors.
Organic Valley director of government and industry affairs Adam Warthesen said the dairy industry is under pressure as it deals with market disruptions, supply chain and labor concerns, and biosecurity threats.
“[DBII resources offer] both farmers and processors opportunity to innovate and modernize amid those challenges, creating more stable, more resilient businesses,” Warthesen said. “Since the program was first launched, we’ve seen both inflation and increased demand for DBII dollars, and $36 million in annual federal funding will deliver the support needed now.”
Rebekah Sweeney, WCMA’s senior director of programs and policy, said: “Targeted investments in new value-added dairy product development, export endeavors and on-farm diversification help to ensure stability in the food supply chain now and in the future.”
The complete letter regarding DBII funding is available online.
Dairy businesses attached to the letter:
Achadinha Cheese Company, California
Agri Bridge, California
Agri-Mark, Inc., Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont
AJ’s Dairy, Iowa
Alliance Dairies, Florida
Alpinage Cheese LLC, Wisconsin
Andersen Dairy Inc., Washington
Arena Cheese, Wisconsin
Associated Milk Producers, Inc., Minnesota, Wisconsin
Augment LLC, Wisconsin
Ayers Brook Goat Dairy, Vermont
Balfour Farm, New York
Barstow's Longview Farm, Massachusetts
Beauty View Dairy Products, Nebraska
Bedrock Farm, Vermont
Berning Acres, Illinois
Berrybrook Organics, South Dakota
Bertram Dairy Farm, Wisconsin
Big Picture Farm, Vermont
Black Radish Creamery, Ohio
Blue Ice Creamery, Illinois
Blue Ribbon Dairy, Florida
Blue Silo Creamery, Oregon
Boss Dairy Farms, Inc, Michigan
Bouchard Family Dairy LLC, Vermont
Boxcarr Handmade Cheese, North Carolina
Brookfield Farm, New Hampshire
Brush Creek Swiss Farms, North Carolina
Buffalo Creek Farm and Creamery, North Carolina
Carmichael Dairy LLC, Tennessee
Carr Valley Cheese Co., Wisconsin
Cedar Grove Cheese, Wisconsin
Central Coast Creamery LLC, California
Chapel Hill Creamery, North Carolina
Cheese Merchants, Illinois
Cheese Trail, California
Chimacum Valley Dairy, Washington
Cinnamon Ridge Farms, Iowa
Clover Mountain Dairy, Washington
Columbia Community Creamery, Washington
Conant Acres, Maine
Contoocook Creamery, New Hampshire
Copper Crow Distillery, LLC, Wisconsin
Cosmic Goat Farm and Creamery, Maine
Country Food, Pennsylvania
Country View Dairy, Iowa
Creamline Farms, Oregon
Dairy Distillery, Michigan
Dairy State Cheese LLC, Wisconsin
Deerland Dairy, Illinois
Diamond Farms, Pennsylvania
Don-Sim Farm Partnership LLP, Vermont
Dreamies Creamery, Oregon
Easton Dairy, New York
Eau Galle Cheese Factory, LLC, Wisconsin
Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery, Wisconsin
Fantello Farmstead Creamery, Washington
Farm Life Creamery, South Dakota
First Mid Bank & Trust, Wisconsin
Foggy Bottoms Boys LLC, California
Fraga Farmstead Creamery LLC, Oregon
Fredrikson Farm, Michigan
French Broad Creamery, North Carolina
Frozen Innovations, LLC, Illinois
Gardner's Wisconsin Cheese, LLC, Wisconsin
GoodSport Nutrition, Illinois
Grace Pond Farm, Maine
Grassland Dairy Products Inc, Wisconsin
Graywall Farm, Connecticut
Great Lakes Cheese, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin
Green Dirt Farm, LLC, Missouri
Grison Creamery LLC, Missouri
Guggisberg Cheese, Ohio
Gurn-Z Meadow Farm, Wisconsin
Hansens's Sugar Shack, LLC, Wisconsin
Harrison's Homegrown Dairy Farm, Vermont
Hawthorne Valley Farm, New York
Hidden Springs Creamery, Wisconsin
Highfield Farm Creamery, Wisconsin
Hightail Delivery, Iowa
Hildebrand Farms Dairy, Kansas
Hill Valley Dairy, Wisconsin
Hinterland Dairy, Iowa
Homestead Farm, New York
Honorone Farm, New York
Howe Family Farm, Pennsylvania
Huffard Dairy Farms, Virginia
Ingredient Resource, Inc, Oregon
Irvey's Ice Cream Co., Tennessee
Jamestowne Dairy Farm, West Virginia
Kings-Ransom Farm, LLC, New York
Lady-Lane Farm, Oregon
Landmark Creamery, Wisconsin
Larson Farm and Creamery, Vermont
Leeco Dairy, Georgia
Leo Leo Gelato Inc, California
Little Lou’s Creamery, Tennessee
Looking Glass Creamery, North Carolina
Lost Peacock Creamery, Washington
Maid-N-Meadows LLC, Kentucky
Mapleline Farm, Massachusetts
Marieke Gouda, Wisconsin
Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association, Maryland, Virginia
Masters Gallery Foods, Wisconsin
Mayday Farm, Maine
Meadow Ridge Farm LLC, Connecticut
Milky Way Farm, Pennsylvania
Millers Organic Dairy LLC, Wisconsin
MK Dairy, LLC, New York
Moore Local, Iowa
Mount Rainier Creamery, Washington
Mountain Dairy, Connecticut
Mountain Fresh Creamery, Georgia
Moxie Ridge Farm, New York
Murraydale Farms LLC, New York
Myerwood Farms LLC, New Jersey
Nash Family Creamery, Tennessee
Nasonville Dairy, Wisconsin
Nicasio Valley Cheese Co., California
Nichols Farm LLC, New York
Nico's Ice Cream, Oregon
Nol-Chem Corp, Oregon
North Country Creamery, New York
Novonesis, Wisconsin
Oake Knoll Farms, LLC, Massachusetts
Oliver Family Creamery, LLC, Alabama
Oregon Ice Cream Company, Oregon
Painterland Sisters, Pennsylvania
Paulson Family Farm LLC, Virginia
Perk Family Organic Dairy, West Virginia
Petit Pot, California
Pine River Pre-Pack, Inc., Wisconsin
Pleasant Lane Farms Creamery LLC, Pennsylvania
Prairie Homestead Creamery, Minnesota
Ran-Lew Dairy Milk Co., North Carolina
Redhead Creamery LLC, Minnesota
Reverence Farms, North Carolina
Rivergate Dairy, Virginia
Robert Giacomini Dairy, Inc., California
Rocky Oaks Goat Creamery, California
Roc-Star Ice Cream Products, New York
Roelli Cheese Co., Inc., Wisconsin
Rokeyroad Holsteins dba, Kansas
Rosa Brothers Milk Company Inc., California
Rowlett's Milkhouse Creamery, Kentucky
Royal Guernsey Creamery, Wisconsin
Ruby Jewel, Oregon
Saltless Sea Creamery, LLC, Michigan
Sargento, Wisconsin
Sartori Cheese, Wisconsin
SCREAM, LLC, Iowa
Semifreddo LLC, Michigan
Shatto Milk, Missouri
Shooting Star Creamery, California
Shop Springs Creamery, Tennessee
Sidehill Farm, Vermont
Snowville Creamery, Ohio
Southeast Milk, Inc., Florida
Steensma Creamery, Washington
Stein Family Farms LLC, California
Stepladder Farmstead Creamery, California
Stil Dreamn Dairy, Missouri
Stonyfield, New Hampshire
Straus Home Ranch, California
Sugar and Snow Gelato, North Carolina
SweetLand Farm, Maine
Tester Dairy Farm, North Carolina
The Mullen Dairy & Creamery , Ohio
The Salty Goat, Oregon
Thistle Dew Dairy & Creamery, Michigan
Thomas E Stanley & Sons, Florida
Three Creeks LLC, Georgia
TMK Creamery LLC, Oregon
Troyer Specialty Foods Inc., Ohio
Tulip Tree Creamery LLC, Indiana
TUNaWERTH LLC, Washington
Tup's Crossing Farm, Vermont
Two Cows Creamery, South Dakota
Two Guernsey Girls Creamery LLC, Wisconsin
Uplands Cheese, Wisconsin
Upstate Niagara Cooperative, Inc., New York
Venture Milk-Atlanta Dairies, Georgia
Vintage Cheese Company, California
von Trapp Farmstead , Vermont
W & R Farms, LLC, Georgia
Watauga Valley Farms, Tennessee
Westby Creamery Cooperative, Wisconsin
Widmer's Cheese Cellars, Inc., Wisconsin
Winter Hill Farm LLC, Maine
WonderCow, California
Yellow Birch Farm, Maine
Yummy Industries, LLC, California
Dairy industry partners attached to the letter:
International Dairy Foods Association
National Milk Producers Federation
California Dairy Innovation Center
Cooperative Network
Midwest Dairy Coalition
Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York
Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont
Oregon Dairy Farmers Association
Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin
Washington State University
Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation
