By Anson Tebbetts, Vermont Secretary of Agriculture
Montpelier, VT - Dairy farmers across Vermont and the Northeast received some encouraging news this month. The Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center has been awarded $7,053,333 by the USDA to continue their support of regional dairy resiliency.
The center located at the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets is one of four national Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives established in the 2018 Farm Bill. There are other centers in California, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. This program offers grants to dairy farmers, processors, and technical service providers across 11 Northeast states including: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
Recently, I had the honor to attend a special forum at the World Dairy Expo in Madison Wisconsin. All four centers presented their programs to those attending this annual event that brings thousands from around the world to celebrate dairy. We learned from USDA Under Secretary Jennifer Lester Moffitt we would be receiving more funding to support our farmers and processors. This was great news for our farmers and dairy industry.
To date, our center has awarded more than 210 grants totaling over $11.18 million directly to dairy businesses. This new $7 million will allow the center to continue its direct support of dairy farmers and processors across the region, with a focus on dairy farm modernization, marketing and branding, processor and packaging innovation, and investment in supply chain resources, along with research on dairy’s economic impact in New England.
In the coming weeks, the center will be making some critical decisions about projects that are focused on infrastructure. We know to keep up with the world we need to make investments in processing so our award-winning milk can be made into value added products. Innovation was a theme at the World Dairy Expo. Many of the presenters highlighted the importance of developing and supporting value added dairy. We know from our research consumers love cheese, butter, yogurt, cottage cheese and ice cream. This funding keeps us moving forward.
This $7 million represents the final round of funding from the 2018 Farm Bill. The upcoming 2023 Farm Bill will determine how and if the innovation centers move forward in our work to increase dairy resiliency across the region. We are advocating for these centers to continue their work in Vermont and across the United States. To learn more about NE-DBIC visit nedairyinnovation.com/impact
caption: USDA Under Secretary Jenny Moffitt
Anson Tebbetts - Secretary