The Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center is pleased to announce the Dairy Food Safety & Certification Grant Awards.
Projects from this grant will allow dairy farmers and processors to increase the marketability of dairy products by making improvements to existing food safety and biosecurity systems. These projects include installing specialized equipment to reduce barriers to food safety, developing enhanced food safety plans, and expanding staff food safety training.
Thirteen dairy businesses from across six states were selected for awards. Individual award amounts will range from $11,028 to $75,000 with a total of $528,306 in overall funding.
The following businesses have been selected for awards:
Spring Day Creamery, Maine – $11,028 to make improvements to their creamery facility to reduce barriers to food safety, increase efficiency, and creating capacity for increased cheese production with the purchase and installation of an epoxy floor, a new floor sink, a commercial refrigerator and freezer, and double exterior doors.
Mapleline Farm, Massachusetts – $18,147 to purchase an ATP monitor, and to send staff and owners to food safety trainings, and update food safety plans, allowing them to pursue their Interstate Milk Sales certification.
Maryland and Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association, Maryland – $43,052 to enhance on-farm biosecurity through the distribution of standardized entrance signage, a hands-on outbreak simulation, and the development of a biosecurity training video for farms in the Maola Local Dairies cooperative.
Crosswinds Farm & Creamery, New York – $46,039 to install a pipeline from their parlor to their milkhouse, and an automatic bottle filler/capper, reducing barriers to food safety in their processing
Hawthorne Valley Association, New York – $47,207 to install a modern air ventilation system, update their cooler, and acquire real-time milk quality testing equipment, reducing barriers to sanitation and temperature control.
Trinity Valley, New York – $27,987 to work with a technical assistance provider to create food safety training resources for their staff in English and Spanish.
Birchrun Hills Farm, Pennsylvania – $13,333 to hire a food safety consultant to review and update their current food safety plan, to purchase a new CHARM antibiotic testing system, and to send two employees to a Penn State University preventative controls course.
Weaver Family Farm, Pennsylvania – $60,000 to replace their bulk storage tank and Automatic Take-Offs, improving the quality of their milk.
Boston Post Dairy, Vermont – $33,771 to work with a technical assistance provider to implement a plan to become HAACP certified, which includes the purchase and installation of new hot water heaters and boilers, a vertical wash sink, and a new vacuum packer.
South Kirby Creamery, Vermont – $45,000 to purchase and install a new pasteurizer and boiler, allowing them to achieve their interstate sales license.
Woodlawn Holsteins, Vermont – $60,000 to upgrade their milk storage infrastructure with the purchase of a new bulk storage tank and integrated control system, and to install the tank in a location in their barn that reduces barriers to maintaining a sanitary environment.
Stony Pond Farm, Vermont – $47,742 to make improvements to their facility to reduce barriers to sanitation, and to update their operating practices and food safety plan, supporting an expansion of production.
Vermont Creamery, Vermont – $75,000 to purchase and install an x-ray machine for their fresh goat cheese line. This will allow them to meet requirements for expanded sales to wholesale distributors.
The Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center was established in the 2018 Farm Bill and is funded through the USDA-AMS. The first extension of the 2018 Farm Bill ensured NE-DBIC funding for specific grants through 2027. Until a new Farm Bill is authorized, and depending on funding levels, this particular grant will not be offered again.
