By Kim Burns, VT Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets
The Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center (NE-DBIC) Dairy Marketing & Branding Grant recently awarded a total of $408,630 to 10 dairy farms and processors to work with professional marketing and branding services. Grant recipients spanned the Northeast region, with Vermont represented by Vonn Trapp Farmstead.
With an award of $40,500, Von Trapp Farmstead will contract marketing consultants, photographers, and specialists to create a brand that conveys the quality of their cheese, the value of their organic farming practices, and the story of their third-generation family farm. They'll also use their marketing efforts to elevate Vermont's reputation as a center of artisan dairy production.
The nine other recipients of the Dairy Marketing & Branding Grant include farms in New York, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maine, and Pennsylvania. Grant projects include website development and redesign, ecommerce development, marketing strategy, and the creation of marketing materials to help these farms reach new customers and expand their markets.
For more information about this grant, contact Brockton Corbett at Brockton.Corbett@vermont.gov or (802) 498-5111. The Dairy Marketing and Branding Services Grant will be available again in the spring of 2023.
NE-DBIC Funding Opportunities Roundup
December’s a buzzing time for funding opportunities through the Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center. Hosted by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets, The NE-DBIC has exciting opportunities for dairy farmers, processors, and producer associations. Check our website for more information about upcoming grants: https://agriculture.vermont.gov/dbic/grants.
Open for Applications:
- The Dairy Food Safety & Certification Grant offers support to dairy farmers, processors, and/or producer associations to improve the safety of dairy products. Awards will range from $10,000 - $40,000 with a 25% required match commitment. Applications are due by January 19th, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. EST.
- The Dairy Farm Innovation Grant will fund dairy farms to undertake projects across farm production and business operations that support community- and climate-forward production. This grant will range from $10,000 to $75,000 with a 25% match commitment required. Applications are due February 2nd, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. EST.
Upcoming Opportunities for Dairy Processors:
- The Existing Dairy Processor Expansion Grant will fund projects focused on acquiring specialized equipment needed to increase the processing capacity of regionally produced milk and other activities, supporting expansion to meet demand. Applications will be available in January 2023.
- The Dairy Processor Innovation Grant program offers $1 million in funding to provide dairy processors the opportunity to better position their businesses long-term to meet consumer purchasing preferences for local dairy products that are high quality, natural/organic, and more environmentally sustainable. Grants will range from $75,000 to $250,000 with a 25% (cash or in-kind) match commitment required. Applications will open in January 2023.