Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced the Dairy Business Innovation Act. It’s designed to strengthen the Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives and help more producers and processors add value to their businesses. Baldwin says dairy producers in Wisconsin and across the country are facing challenges.

“Throughout my time in Congress, I’ve worked hard to help them meet the challenges they face, and look, right now, they face some pretty steep challenges. I hear from folks about how increased input costs are stretching their thin budgets and how a lack of market access and workforce issues are impacting folks’ bottom line.”

Baldwin says the Dairy Business Initiatives have already helped hundreds of producers and processors improve their businesses.

“To date, more than 250 farmers and processors in the Midwest have benefited from the Dairy Business Innovation Initiative. One of my favorite parts of being a United States Senator is seeing how these small grants can help our dairy farmers take their businesses to new heights. I visited Royal Guernsey Creamery, where I saw how they used a grant to launch a new processing venture making butter with milk from their farm.”

She says the Dairy Business Innovation Act will ensure these opportunities continue in the future.

“This bipartisan legislation will make sure that this program is up and running in the years to come, and it gives a boost to its funding. In years past, getting this program into law and then getting the funding to support it was bipartisan, and I expect it to be the same this year, too, and our agricultural industry relies on it.”

A companion bill has been introduced in the House.