By Katie Spring, Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center
As we enter the new year, here at the Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center (NE-DBIC) we’re pausing to look back at the impact of dairy grants in Vermont and across the region. Established in the 2018 Farm Bill, NE-DBIC is one of four national Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives (DBII). All DBII funding is allocated in the Farm Bill and comes through the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service.
While we're based at the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets, NE-DBIC serves dairy businesses across 11 Northeast states. Our mission is to increase innovation and resiliency for regional dairy production. Here’s what that looks like by the numbers.
As of December 1, 2024, we've:
- Received $53 million for projects extending through 2027
- Granted out $33.8 million across 367 distinct projects across the Northeast region
In 2024 alone, we granted 25 Vermont dairy businesses a total of $1.4 million. Since 2020, the Vermont dairy sector has received 126 grants and a total of $11.6 million.
This funding has allowed dairy farmers and processors to invest in their businesses in meaningful ways. From installing new bulk tanks and milk pipelines to improving foraging to expanding processing capacity and improving marketing and branding, NE-DBIC grants support the dairy sector from farm to finished product.
With the extension of the 2018 Farm Bill, NE-DBIC has secure funding through September 2027. The next Farm Bill will determine the future funding of the Dairy Business Innovation Initiative. Until then, we look forward to serving dairy businesses with our allocated funds over the next two years.
Learn more about the NE-DBIC impact at nedairyinnovation.com/impact and view our funding calendar at www.nedairyinnovation.com/grants/#fundingcalendar