Dairy Decisions Consultant Grants

Grants are now open! Grants are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Click here to apply today.

About the Program:

Are you wondering how to address multiple concerns for your dairy operation, but aren’t ready to work in a “team” setting quite yet? If this is your situation, the Dairy Decisions Consultants (DDC) Grant program may be a good fit for your farm. This program provides dairy farm families with one-on-one professional consulting resources to help make decisions that will shape the future of your farm. A DDC will typically work with you to do a “whole farm” review of your dairy operation and provide recommendations for moving forward in one of several key areas of business, including: dairy farm viability, business strategy, transition planning, marketing & labeling, value-added, employee management, and animal welfare. Many farms begin with a DDC and then move into working with several trusted advisors in a more formal “team” setting.

Once accepted into the DDC program, farms can receive up to $5,000 in funds to work with a Dairy Decisions Consultant. Program support is made possible through Ag Excellence funding provided by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the PA Dairymen’s Association. Farms that have 35 or more lactating cows or dairy heifer raising operations with more than 100 dairy heifers are eligible to apply.

The Center for Dairy Excellence offers a list of 16 Dairy Decisions Consultants who can work with farms in one of seven key areas:

  • Employee Management & Communication – Employee management is more than just ensuring that your employees are doing their job. It consists of procedures and strategies that can help you measure, monitor, and interact with the workforce that plays a huge role in your business.
  • Business Planning & Structure – Business planning is a necessity to help manage volatility and create a roadmap for decision-making in all aspects of the business.
  • Product Marketing & Labeling – Effective marketing and labeling of your branded dairy products can create a more positive impact on your customers and their purchasing decisions.
  • Direct Marketing – Directly marketing products made from your milk to consumers can help a farm capture more revenues, but the processing and branded business can be complex.
  • Animal Welfare – Veterinarian consultants will help farms establish animal welfare protocols related to the FARM Program as well as help train employees in FARM compliance.
  • Financial Management – Financial management and planning can provide dairy farm families with professional consulting resources to help make decisions that will shape the future of their farm.
  • Pre-Farm Transition – Business and financial feasibility is an important part of transitioning the farm and/or family issue projects to set the farm up for a future transition team.

To view a list of the DDC consultants, click here. If a farm already has a consultant in mind they would like to work with, that person can be named within the application for approval by the Center. Farms are eligible to receive the DDC Grant once every three years. Click here to see how other farms have used the DDC program.

How to Apply:

The DDC grant really transcended us to where we are now. By working with a consultant who has established businesses before, it changed our trajectory. And because of the Center, we’re still working with that same consultant today. It gave us the opportunity to [figure out our next steps making yogurt] through the funds. It was a great connection.

Stephanie Painter, The Painterland Sisters

Frequently Asked Questions:

For more information, please contact Melissa Anderson at 717-788-0296 or manderson@centerfordairyexcellence.org.