The Dairy Excellence Grants Were Awarded to 43 Dairy Producers From 27 PA Counties
The Center for Dairy Excellence recently awarded a collective total of $202,500 to 43 Pennsylvania dairy producers through the third round of the Dairy Excellence Grant program. Leveraging funds provided through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, this investment from Ag Excellence supported a collective reinvestment of more than $1,100,000 into Pennsylvania dairy farms across all of the funded projects. The grants were designed to support dairy farm improvement projects that enhance efficiency and cow comfort.
“Pennsylvania dairy producers are committed to efficiency on their operations, and this grant program has allowed us to see just how forward-thinking these dairy farm families are,” said Melissa Anderson, Dairy Programs and Operations Manager. “These funds continue to help dairy producers achieve their goals, commit to excellence, and drive performance.”
Grant recipients are planning to use the funds to install new feed bunks, replace stall mats, install sprinkler systems to keep cows cool, and extend feed conveyer systems. Several producers also plan to improve efficiency and cow comfort by installing new directional fans and curtains, investing in feed management software, and upgrading to programable variable speed pulsation to improve udder health and milk production.
During the third round of funding, a total of 9,866 Pennsylvania dairy cows will be impacted by the improvement projects. Grant recipients’ herd sizes range from approximately 50 cows to 770 cows.
The dairy producers who received the grants represent a total of 27 counties, including:
- Beaver
- Bedford
- Berks
- Bradford
- Bucks
- Butler
- Centre
- Cumberland
- Chester
- Erie
- Fayette
- Franklin
- Fulton
- Huntingdon
- Juniata
- Lancaster
- Lebanon
- Mercer
- Mifflin
- Northampton
- Perry
- Schuylkill
- Somerset
- Sullivan
- Tioga
- Wayne
- Westmoreland
Grant recipients were selected by a committee of industry professionals and will receive a 50 percent match, up to a maximum matching level of $5,000. The Dairy Excellence Grant is a competitive program, with hopes of offering another round of grants to dairy producers in the fall of 2022.
For more information, visit www.centerfordairyexcellence.org/dairy-excellence-grants or contact Melissa Anderson at 717-346-0849. To see how previous grant recipients have used the funds, visit www.centerfordairyexcellence.org/testimonials.