MADISON, WIS. – The Center for Dairy Research (CDR) and Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA), operating partners for the Dairy Business Innovation Alliance (DBIA), announced the recipients of DBIA’s latest round of grants, which will allocate $3.2 million in funds to dairy businesses.

The Dairy Business Builder grant program was developed to benefit small- to medium-sized dairy farms, entrepreneurs and processors. In this round, DBIA said 37 such businesses received grant funds.

The grants help dairy businesses in the Midwest with innovative projects. DBIA shared that such endeavors include dairy farm diversification, on-farm processing, value-added product creation and marketing dairy products for export.

CDR director John Lacey said the latest round was one of DBIA’s largest to date.

“Around 50% were first time recipients, and small farmstead operations were close to 40% of the awardees,” Lacey said. “These funds are critical to help drive further growth in these small dairy businesses.”

The grant program awards as much as $100,000 to a dairy business, following a competitive review process.

WCMA executive director John Umhoefer said the organization is proud to support the industry as businesses work to “fortify the future” of dairy.

"DBIA backs projects aimed at fostering new growth and enhancing profitability, benefiting not only individual businesses but the broader dairy industry as a whole,” Umhoefer said.

The following companies and cooperatives received Dairy Business Builder grant funds:  

• Alpinage Cheese LLC (Oak Creek, Wis.)

• Amazing Ice Cream LLC (Port Washington, Wis.)

• Baker’s Golden Dairy LLC (New Waterford, Ohio)

• Bekkum Family Farms LLC/Nordic Creamery (Westby, Wis.)

• Birch Point Distillery (Westby, Wis.)

• Black Radish Creamery (Alexandria, Ohio)

• Burnett Dairy Cooperative (Grantsburg, Wis.)

• Dari LLC (Rising City, Neb.)

• Farm Life Creamery (Ethan, SD)

• Florence Creamery (Little Hocking, Ohio)

• GoodSport Nutrition (Evanston, Ill.)

• Hidden Springs Creamery LLC (Westby, Wis.)

• Highfield Farm Creamery (Walworth, Wis.)

• JBS Farms LLC/Kokoborrego Cheese Company (Mount Gilead, Ohio)

• Klemish Creamery (New Auburn, Wis.)

• Knueven Creamery (Leipsic, Ohio)

• Landmark Creamery (Belleville, Wis.)

• Love Creamery (Duluth, Minn.)

• MDF Foods LLC (Newton, Iowa)

• Michigan Cream & Sugar Ice Cream Company (Bay City, Mich.)

• Mills Farm (Oelwein, Iowa)

• Moore Family Farm Creamery (Maquoketa, Iowa)

• Mossy Creek Farm (Kalkaska, Mich.)

• Murphy's Grove (Aitkin, Minn.)

• Picket Fence Creamery, LLC (Woodward, Iowa)

• Prairie Homestead Creamery (Cottonwood, Minn.)

• Redhead Creamery, LLC (Brooten, Minn.)

• Rosewood Dairy, Inc./Renard's Cheese (Algoma, Wis.)

• Sartori Cheese (Plymouth, Wis.)

• Tranquil Oaks Ranch LLC (Strafford, Mo.)

• Tulip Tree Creamery (Indianapolis)

• Two Cows Creamery (Hot Springs, SD)

• Udderly Divine Creamery (Everton, Mo.)

• Uplands Cheese (Dodgeville, Wis.)

• Urban Stead Cheese Co. (Cincinnati)

• Wapsie Valley Creamery Inc. (Independence, Iowa)

• Watershed Foods LLC (Gridley, Ill.)

DBIA shared that through the years its grants have provided more than $16.5 million to dairy businesses via 213 grants. Supported by the US Department of Agriculture, the DBIA works with companies that operate within its 11-state region of Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.