Deadline: September 23, 2026

Funding Amount: up to $30,000, no match required

Eligible Uses: The Southeast Dairy Business Innovation Initiative’s Dairy Business Planning Grant supports planning, consulting, training, and educational activities that help dairy businesses strengthen and grow. Funding can be used for projects such as:

• Developing a business or transition plan

• Conducting feasibility studies for new enterprises

• Working with business, legal, or industry consultants

• Developing or updating food safety plans

• Attending conferences, courses, or other educational opportunities

• Obtaining certifications or training to improve business competitiveness

Eligibility: Licensed dairy businesses located in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, or Puerto Rico

Dairy Business Planning Grant - Open | Southeast Dairy Business Innovation Initiative

Deadline: September 23, 2026

Funding Amount: up to $150,000 with 25% match

Eligible Uses: The Specialty Processing Equipment Grant helps eligible Southeast dairy businesses purchase equipment and make improvements that increase processing capacity, improve efficiency, or support new dairy products.

Eligible costs may include:

• Specialty processing equipment

• Equipment installation and supplies

• Related consultant services, such as marketing support

Examples include equipment for producing flavored milk, cream products, or increasing cheese production capacity.

Projects must focus primarily on processing and have the potential to diversify dairy markets, reduce risk, or create higher-value uses for milk. Farm-level production expenses, such as milking equipment, parlor upgrades, herd health, and feed, are not eligible. Raw milk storage is only eligible when it is part of a larger processing expansion or new product project.

Eligibility: Existing, licensed dairy businesses in: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, or Puerto Rico. Must operate or plan to operate a value-added dairy enterprise. 

Specialty Processing Equipment Grant - Open | Southeast Dairy Business Innovation Initiative

Deadline: October 1, December 1

Funding Amount: Up to $5,000 per application with a lifetime maximum of $10,000 per farm business

Eligible Uses: There are five priority categories:

• Value-Added Enterprise

• Certified Organic Agriculture

• Agroforestry/Specialty Crops

• Food Systems Resiliency

• Emerging Agricultural Technologies

Eligibility:

• A Kentucky-based farm with gross annual agricultural sales greater than $1,000 and below $250,000 in the previous two years.

• Kentucky-based, formal, non-governmental organizations and cooperatives that serve multiple Kentucky farms or producers

  KSU Small-Scale Farm Grant