Funding the industry’s future

WASHINGTON — With a desire to continue driving dairy industry innovation across the country, Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin, along with Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, introduced the bipartisan effort known as the Dairy Business Innovation Act of 2025 Feb. 5 in a press conference.

“Wisconsin’s dairy businesses work hard, every single day to put our state on the map with world-class products,” Baldwin said. “They are key drivers of our economy. The Dairy Business Innovation Act has a real impact on Wisconsinites.”

The original Dairy Business Innovation Initiative was included in the 2018 farm bill, tasking the U.S. Department of Agriculture with providing technical assistance and grants to both dairy farmers and dairy businesses, not only in Wisconsin but across the country.

“Since we established this, the program’s footprint has grown significantly,” Baldwin said. “Millions of dollars are being invested in Wisconsin’s producers and processors, who are seeking to improve efficiency, grow their businesses and are exploring new markets.”

Led by a partnership of the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association and the Center for Dairy Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the program is administered by the Dairy Business Innovation Alliance, which serves 11 states throughout the Midwest. Other program hubs are in California, Tennessee and Vermont.

Rebekah Sweeney, senior director of programs and policy for the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association, said DBIA has provided over $19.5 million to 255 dairy producers and processors in the region to date.

“DBII grants are smart investments — every dollar, every dime is used to the fullest,” Sweeney said. “The grants are driving rural economic development, job creation, industry growth and advancement, and stabilization and strengthening of our food supply chain. It was a lifeline for many dairy businesses through the pandemic and continues to be a catalyst as we meet new challenges, evolve and invent.”

Baldwin said she has been inspired by the projects made possible through the grant funding.

“One of my favorite parts of being a U.S. Senator is seeing how these small grants can help our dairy farmers take their businesses to new heights,” Baldwin said. “I visited Royal Guernsey Creamery in Columbus, (Wisconsin), where I saw how they used a grant to launch a new processing venture making butter with milk from their farm. I was able to learn how Uplands Cheese in Dodgeville, (Wisconsin), used the funding to expand their cheesemaking facility and replace old and inefficient equipment.”

Scott Caliebe, chief financial officer of Pine River Pre-Pack in Newton, Wisconsin, spoke during the press conference about how his business has benefited from DBII grants. Pine River Pre-Pack is home to award-winning cheese spreads.

“When the pandemic hit, a quarter of our business just disappeared,” Caliebe said. “We were looking at how to best expand our market. Getting into new markets is expensive. This grant allowed us to more quickly adapt to market needs that were already out there. It allowed us to really grow, and an exciting aspect is that now we’re going to be moving beyond what we did with these grants.”

Pine River Pre-Pack has been awarded two DBII grants. The first was used to diversify their product offering beyond traditional port wine cheese spreads.

“The program allowed us to automate production to a more desired pacing and size,” Caliebe said. “As a result, our sales have doubled within this business segment in a mere two years.”

The second grant allowed the company to better meet the needs of a growing customer base.

“We are able to offer smaller, single-serve options, popular in places where the definition of a reasonable amount of cheese spread to consume differs from within Wisconsin,” Caliebe said. “This has enhanced our product’s attractiveness to the international markets and opened our brand to Southeast Asia. Without these grants, Pine River would not be where we are.”

Those success stories mirror statistics gleaned from a DBIA survey, Sweeney said, stating that 93% of grant recipients report being able to retain or expand their valued workforce and nearly 80% say the grants have contributed to their business resiliency. Sixty-five percent of respondents report the grant directly resulted in an increased sales volume for their businesses; 50% report they have increased the volume of milk they are processing. Another 30% say that an increase in milk usage is imminently ahead for their businesses.

“It’s energizing to hear positive feedback like that and see the results from across the state and Midwest,” Sweeney said.

Those results encourage Baldwin in her efforts to see the legislation attached to the pending farm bill, and she expects the bill to receive continued bipartisan support.

“This builds on the 2018 version and keeps the program running for years to come,” Baldwin said. “It increases resources available to Wisconsin dairy businesses, and those throughout the country. Our ag industry relies on it.”