MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers, together with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP), announced 19 Wisconsin dairy companies will receive a DATCP Dairy Processor Grant in 2022. These grants aim to foster innovation, improve profitability, and sustain the long-term viability of Wisconsin’s dairy processing facilities.
“Wisconsin’s dairy industry is not only a vital part of our economy, but it’s core to our Wisconsin heritage and who we are as a state,” said Gov. Evers. “I was proud to increase funding for these grants in our last budget, and I am glad to be awarding these funds today to ensure our dairy processors can continue to grow their businesses and consumers across the globe can continue to enjoy high-quality dairy products from America’s Dairyland.”
As part of the 2021-23 biennial budget, Gov. Evers increased the annual funding for dairy processor grants from $200,000 to $400,000 to provide additional support to Wisconsin’s dairy industry. DATCP received 43 grant requests totaling more than $1.7 million.
“Wisconsin’s dairy processors are a critical element of our state’s thriving dairy industry,” said DATCP Secretary Randy Romanski. “As a national leader in the production of cheese, our processors are constantly seeking new technologies, modernizing, and finding new ways to meet the needs of consumers. These grants help processors accomplish those goals.”
Over the last several months, Gov. Evers has signed multiple bills to support Wisconsin’s dairy industry, including Assembly Bill 314, which set export benchmarks for DATCP and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation to increase the value of Wisconsin’s milk, dairy, and other product exports by 25 percent by June 30, 2026, and Senate Bill 827, which will supplement these efforts by investing more than $880,000 to support the promotion of dairy exports.
The dairy processor grant recipients and their planned projects are:
Alpine Slicing and Cheese, Monroe | $15,000
Plant relocation and expansion to meet quality demands and the needs of customers and employees.
Brunkow Cheese, Darlington | $18,500
Facility and process improvements to offer products to larger distributors and wholesalers.
Cedar Valley Cheese, Belgium | $25,000
Development of a new retail cheese shredding process.
Decatur Swiss Co-op, Brodhead | $24,000
Facility expansion to accommodate packaging, storage, cooler space, and an area for technological advancement.
Door Artisan Cheese, Egg Harbor | $25,000
Development of an expanded marketing plan to reach new markets.
Henning Cheese, Kiel | $18,500
Website development to bring the company’s website up-to-date for customers and corporate buyers to assist in increased sales.
Hill Valley Dairy, East Troy | $20,000
Expansion planning to prepare dairy plant for a new facility.
Holland’s Family Cheese, Thorp | $22,000
Expansion engineering and planning, including building and equipment designs, site development, financing, and marketing planning.
Landmark Creamery, Belleville | $22,000
Cheese plant expansion to inform the public about agriculture, dairy farming, and cheese making.
Lynn Dairy, Granton | $25,000
Purchase of a cheese belt to increase output and create a less labor-intensive process.
Milk Specialties Global, Fond du Lac | $28,000
Partner with more small- to medium-sized cheese plants to provide a consistent and reliable return for whey.
Muscoda Protein Products, Muscoda | $28,000
Pre-treatment study for anaerobic wastewater treatment plant to assist others in the design of future anaerobic digestion of dairy solids.
Renard’s Cheese, Algoma | $24,000
Development of a new Factory Equipment Engineer Grant to ease the physical demands of artisan cheese making and increase production capabilities.
Specialty Cheese Company, Reeseville | $20,000
Development of a reverse osmosis system for low protein whey.
Two Guernsey Girls Creamery, Freedom | $5,000
Development of new products and expansion into block cheese production.
University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Platteville | $10,000
Expansion of retail opportunities and technical knowledge for student managers and workers employed by Pioneer Sweets.
Westby Co-op Creamery, Westby | $25,000
Plant modernization and expansion to utilize more milk and create new products.
Wisconsin Pride, Mauston | $25,000
Facility expansion and installation of a brine system.
Wiskerchen Cheese, Auburndale | $20,000
Hiring of a bilingual human resources and administrative assistant to streamline communications process with employees and department managers.
Since its inception in 2014, DATCP has received 161 dairy processor grant proposals requesting more than $6.3 million. DATCP has funded 85 of those proposals totaling $1.7 million. For more information on dairy processor grants, visit the DATCP website here.
