The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) said in a March 2 release that it would boost its Dairy Business Innovation (DBI) Initiatives investment by $80 million.
The DBI program, which was launched through an FY21 Request for Applications, granted $20.2 million to four initiatives in November 2021.
Each of these initiatives is now eligible to submit additional applications for up to $20 million for American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds.
“The pandemic has demonstrated that dairy producers and regional dairy processors, particularly those engaged in value-added production, faced systemic shocks over the past several years,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack stated in the release, “We have heard directly from producers and processors – particularly organic producers and processors in the Northeast – on how we can work with the industry to build long-term resilience of regional dairy supply chains."
DBI initiatives have provided critical technical assistance and subgrants to dairy farmers and businesses since its 2019 launch, the department said. DBI supports these farmers and enterprises in a variety of ways, including creating business strategies, marketing and branding and increasing access to emerging manufacturing and processing technology.
Each of these factors contributes to the fast expansion of value-added goods.
In addition to these extra ARP funds, the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) intends to issue a supplementary DBI Request for Applications later in FY22, pending funds.
AMS promotes market prospects for food and agricultural goods in the United States while boosting customer access to fresh, healthful meals by conducting applied research, providing technical assistance, and administering congressionally supported grants.
