Investments in innovative projects and business grants planned for 2022
By Ollie Cultrara, VT Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets - - January 2022
The Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center (NE-DBIC), hosted by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets, announces the center's third round of funding through the USDA Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives (DBII) program. The $6,133,333 award allows the NE-DBIC, established in 2019, to continue investing in projects that advance the regional dairy industry through at least 2024.
The NE-DBIC takes a targeted and intentional approach to supporting community- and climate-forward dairy production across the ten-state region served by this center. Farmers and processors will continue to directly benefit from opportunities through a combination of direct technical and business assistance, education, access to resources, and grants. Over half of total grant funds in this round are allocated for innovation – bringing emerging ideas and strategies into the mainstream and making them accessible to farmers and processors at all scales across the region. Grants to dairy businesses in 2022 will focus on marketing and branding, food safety, grazing and alternative management systems, agritourism, on-farm and processor innovation, and sustainable packaging innovation.
These grant opportunities will build on research and development currently underway through the NE-DBIC. Using this additional funding, NE-DBIC will advance its strategic and cohesive approach to positioning the Northeast as the leading producer of dairy products that support rural communities, climate resilience, and long-term industry success.
“At the NE-DBIC we prioritize projects that have clear impacts on dairy resilience, adaptability, and continuous improvement by making catalytic investments in projects that develop stronger systems and relationships,” said Laura Ginsburg, NE-DBIC Center Lead. The NE-DBIC serves all New England states, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.
For more information, visit www.agriculture.vermont.gov/dbic