The Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center (NE-DBIC) announces the availability of funds through the On-Farm Milk Storage & Handling Grant program, which will provide grants for dairy farmers to access funds that support the purchase of equipment and other related costs that will improve milk storage, handling, and energy efficiencies.
Donor Name: Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center (NE-DBIC)
State: Selected States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant | In-kind
Deadline: 01/18/2024
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: 1 Year
Details:
The focus of this grant is on the purchase of specialized equipment. Applicants will be able to select from a pre-approved list of eligible equipment which includes milk storage tanks, milk pipeline, glycol chillers, milk loading systems, reclaim systems for water, cooling equipment, plate coolers/heat exchangers, and equipment installation costs.
Projects funded by this grant will streamline milk pick up, create efficiencies around milk storage, and improve handling for both farmers and their processors. Successful applications will show reduced costs to the farmer and will improve efficiencies around the movement of milk, reduce frequency of milk pick up, and/or otherwise meet processors’ needs for improved storage and handling.
Grants are available to applicants in all 11 Northeast states: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
Funding Priorities
Project approaches should address at least two (2) of the following funding priority areas:
- Project allows a farm to move from daily milk pickup to every-other-day milk pickup
- Project decreases time and labor it takes to move milk onto the truck, making milk pickup easier
- Project will reduce costs related to fuel, hauling charges, and energy use to farmer and processor
- Project will increase energy efficiencies on the farm
- Project improves food safety measures and milk quality, reducing the risk of farmer or processor needing to dump milk
- For farmers who process their own milk, project increases farm storage to allow for larger batch sizes
- Project increases milk transfer efficiencies by reducing milk handing.
Eligible Projects
Project activities under this grant will assist dairy farms in the purchase of new, energy efficient bulk tanks, milk cooling equipment, and direct load systems to ensure that they are ready and able to meet processor hauling and quality demands. For projects to be eligible, they must address inefficiencies around labor, energy, and product waste as it relates to the movement of milk to processing.
For applications to be effective, they will:
- Show why it is necessary for the farm’s long-term business viability to purchase the proposed equipment and associated costs.
- Show that the project will have significant impacts on their business including, but not limited to, cost savings, energy savings, climate/ecological resiliency, and efficiencies in moving milk.
- If the applicant ships milk, their application demonstrates that the project aligns with their processor’s needs, with a letter of support from the processor that addresses the required information.
- If the applicant processes all their own milk, their application demonstrates the viability impacts this project will have on their business.
- Include direct involvement of a service provider, business planner, farm succession planner, or technical assistance provider to identify long-term business viability goals.
Funding Information
- Grants will range from $15,000- $50,000 with a 25% match commitment. Match waivers are also available. FSA low-interest loans and other grants are encouraged to supplement the project. Total funds available: $800,000.
- Match: A 25% (cash and/or in-kind) match commitment is encouraged. Match waivers are available for those needing them.
Project Length
Grant periods will range from 6 to 12 months, depending on the project.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants eligible for these funds are dairy farmers (producers) that:
- are headquartered or based in the Northeast; and
- produce milk within the Northeast; and
- are licensed dairy operations in compliance with all required state and/federal standards.
For more information, visit NDBIC.
