Dairy farmers to receive grants to up milk production

Several dozen farmers will receive financial help from the state to help increase Wisconsin’s milk output by the end of the decade.

Grants totaling $200,000 will be distributed to 41 dairy farmers around the state. They’ll use the money to help the state produce 30 billion pounds of milk annually by 2020. Gov. Scott Walker launched the initiative in the spring.

Mike Powers is an agricultural development administrator with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection. He says most of the grants will be used to help pay for consultants: “They’ll all be on slightly different schedules. Some would be looking at business planning, some succession planning, nutritional herd health. We have a few people that are looking at conversation to grazing or improving milk quality, [and] a number with facilities. All of those projects will be done in the next year: Some this summer, early fall.”

Powers says along with dairy cattle, there’s a need for goat and sheep milk as well. Ag officials will be accepting a second round of applications later in the year.