By Blake Jackson
U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) has called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to reinstate payments promised to recipients of the Wisconsin Dairy Business Innovation (DBI) Initiative.
This request comes after the Trump Administration halted federal funding, approved by Congress and signed into law, leaving 88 dairy businesses in Wisconsin waiting for a total of $6.5 million in reimbursements.
“The uncertainty surrounding DBI funding is incredibly alarming because it threatens the future of many dairy businesses that were promised this support to grow and remain competitive,” wrote Senator Baldwin in a letter to Secretary Rollins.
“Many of the farmers and processors operate with limited resources and cannot afford disruptions in funding. Therefore, this unnecessary and ill-advised disruption could have widespread economic consequences, particularly, for small dairy operations in Wisconsin that drive our rural economies”
In addition to the $6.5 million in reimbursements for 2023, the Wisconsin Initiative has been informed that it may not receive the funding it was promised for Fiscal Year 2024, despite already spending nearly $500,000.
“Given the importance of this program to dairy businesses across the country, I urge you to provide immediate clarification on the status of DBI Initiatives funding to the program’s stakeholders, as well as ensure that funds are reimbursed expeditiously,” Baldwin wrote.
The DBI program, created by Baldwin in the 2018 Farm Bill, has supported over 250 dairy farmers and processors in the Midwest, including 109 in Wisconsin.
Baldwin, along with Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), recently introduced the Dairy Business Innovation Act of 2025, bipartisan legislation aimed at expanding support for regional dairy research and innovation centers, increasing the program’s annual funding from $20 million to $36 million.
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Categories: Wisconsin, Business, Government & Policy