2024 Food Safety & Certification Grant Awards
By Katie Spring, Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center
The Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center is pleased to announce recipients of the Dairy Food Safety & Certification Grant.
Thirteen dairy businesses across five states were selected for awards. Individual award amounts rage from $11,056 to $50,000, with a total of $518,255 in overall funding. Projects from this grant will allow dairy farmers and processors to take actionable steps to increase their food safety protocols and improve marketability. These projects include installing specialized equipment to reduce barriers to food safety, developing enhanced food safety plans, and expanding staff food safety training.
In Vermont, Rolling Bale Farm was selected for an award of $44,022 to make upgrades to their farmstead butter-making infrastructure. This includes converting their bucket milking system to a closed pipeline system with a plate cooler and clean-in-place system, installing a new bulk tank for raw milk storage, upgrading their cream storage from plastic totes to a bulk tank, and replacing two pasteurizers with one new vat-pasteurizer. These improvements will reduce food safety risks and increase effectiveness and efficiency of sanitation, supporting an increase in production.
This grant is expected to open again in winter 2025. See the full list of awardees and learn more about the Dairy Food Safety & Certification Grant on our website: nedairyinnovation.com.
Current & Upcoming Dairy Grants
By Ali Boochever, Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center
At NE-DBIC, our goal is to help dairy farms and processors innovate to become more sustainable and resilient. Whether you’re looking for funding to purchase specialized equipment, to implement an innovative practice, or to receive technical assistance, consider applying for an NE-DBIC grant. Access full details and Requests for Applications online at nedairyinnovation.com/grants
Open Funding Opportunities:
Dairy Processor Modernization Grant
This grant program will provide funds to support dairy processors in modernizing their processing facilities for long term business viability. Projects funded through this grant will focus primarily on upgrading or adding specialized dairy processing or packaging equipment essential for business growth. Projects must address at least one of the following areas:
- Expanded processing capacity: Adding or replacing equipment to scale growth, increase production capacity, utilize more regionally sourced milk, and meet market demand.
- Increased facility efficiencies: Replacing outdated equipment to improve labor efficiency, reduce production costs, lower resource/energy usage, and enhance food safety.
- Implementation of packaging improvements: Adding or replacing equipment to reduce packaging waste, minimize use of virgin plastics, reduce supply chain waste, or extend/improve product shelf life.
Applicants will qualify into tiers based on milk utilized on an average production day, regardless of the number of days per week they process. Volume may differ based on the product made and processors should reference the volume measurement for their specific product. Volume is a measurement of inputs and not finished products.
- Tier 1: 10,000+ units of volume per average production day
- Tier 2: 1 – 9,999 units of volume per average production day
Awards will range from $75,000 to $350,000 for Tier 1 and $15,000 to $150,000 for Tier 2, with a 25% match commitment. Approximately $1,200,000 total funds are available for this round. The application deadline is August 8, 2024, at 2 PM ET.
New Dairy Processor Start-up Grant
Grant funds will support new dairy processing projects throughout the Northeast. The goal of this program is to help develop competitive dairy processing businesses with long-term viability, supporting operations of all sizes in successfully launching and sustaining their products in the marketplace. This program is for:
- dairy farmers ready to begin processing,
- value-added entrepreneurs with proven experience in dairy processing or value-added business startups, or
- dairy processors established after January 1, 2023, who are in the start-up phase of business development.
Applicants are required to allocate at least 15% of their funding towards obtaining technical assistance or training relevant to starting up value-added production. Funds can also cover the purchase of specialized dairy processing equipment and supplies, enhancement of food safety measures, professional marketing and branding efforts, market access strategies, and product development.
Evidence of prior or current technical assistance from a service provider or business planner supporting the development of the project will make applications more competitive.
Awards will range from $15,000 to $75,000, with a 25% match commitment. Approximately $500,000 in total funds are available this round. The application deadline is September 5, 2024, at 2 PM ET.
Innovation in Dairy Processor and Packaging Grant
This grant will provide funds for dairy processors, dairy producer associations, and educational research institutions to conduct research and development projects that support innovation for Northeast dairy processors of various scales. Projects funded through this program will help dairy processors gain knowledge that will allow them to make informed, long-term business investments with positive environmental and/or economic impacts.
Funded projects will focus on developing alternatives to current industry standards through initiatives that are applicable, scalable, and replicable to other Northeast dairy processors. Each project must include an educational or information-sharing component for other regional dairy processors. Projects should increase collaboration across the dairy sector to ensure the greatest number of businesses benefit.
All projects must:
- Demonstrate sustainability, scalability, and marketability at the forefront.
- Demonstrate accessibility of packaging innovation, particularly for the scale of processors in the Northeast.
- Include an educational/knowledge sharing component for the industry. This does not exclude the ability for the grantee to acquire patent protections for technologies developed within this grant project.
- Incorporate partnership across sectors (minimum of one dairy processor as a key partner, if applicant is not a dairy processor).
Priority will go to:
- projects that support modernized packaging initiatives prioritizing sustainability, scalability, and marketability for small and mid-sized processors
- projects that partner across the dairy and packaging manufacturing sectors and can demonstrate positive impact on multiple dairy businesses and supply chain partners.
The RFA for this grant is expected to be released in August. Awards will range from $75,000 to $350,000, with a 25% match commitment. Approximately $1,500,000 in total funds are available in this round.
Upcoming Funding Opportunities:
Dairy Co-packing Grant
This grant will provide funds for existing Northeast dairy processors to initiate new co-packing arrangements or expand existing co-packing capabilities. Processors who have not previously co-packed will be eligible for funds to add co-packing capabilities to their current business. Processors that currently co-pack will be eligible for funds to add new co-packing partnerships, scale up existing co-packing relationships, or add additional co-packed product lines.
Applicants will be required to utilize technical assistance or training as part of their projects. Applicants are strongly encouraged to engage in technical assistance such as business planning, market research, or other relevant pre-work ahead of applying for this grant. Funds may be used to purchase specialized dairy processing equipment and/or supplies, increase food safety, marketing and branding, market access, and/or product development.
The RFA is expected to be released in late 2024. Awards will range from $15,000 to $150,000 with a 25% match contribution.
Find out more about these current and upcoming funding opportunities on our full funding calendar on our website at: nedairyinnovation.com/grants