Nearly Quarter-Million Dollars in Choose Iowa Grants for North Iowa Dairy Operations
Eight northeast Iowa dairy-related operations will share in almost a quarter of a million dollars in Choose Iowa Dairy Innovation grants.
Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig announced a total of 20 Iowa dairies have been awarded grants to increase on-farm dairy processing, incorporate labor saving technology, and expand the availability of Iowa dairy products. The cost-share funding will also help dairies invest in pasteurization equipment, processing space, packaging and bottling products, robots, health monitoring, automated feeding systems, cleaning assistance and more.
Grant awards include almost $20,000 to Hightail of Plainfield, over $17,000 to A & J Farms of Fort Atkinson, almost $25,000 to Whitford Dairy in Volga, $42,000 to Prairie Star Farm of Waukon, and $100,000 to Nedved Family Farms in Garner.
The program had the legislative intent of assisting smaller dairies and farmers, grant awardees must be located in Iowa, have fewer than 50 employees, and be in good standing with pertinent regulatory agencies.
A complete list of grant recipients is available below.
On-Farm Processing
Country View Dairy | Hawkeye | $6,750
Introduce conveyor belt and rotary packoff turntable to more efficiently package products.
Total Project Budget: $13,500
Hightail | Plainfield | $19,485.78
Build on-site space for processing milk for bottling and cheese curds.
Total Project Budget: $41,312.12
WW Homestead Dairy | Waukon | $11,250
Purchase new cheese curd mill to expand their frozen breaded cheese curd line.
Total Project Budget: $22,500
Labor Reducing Technology
A&J Farms | Fort Atkinson | $17,180.63
OptiDuo Feed Pusher
Total Project Budget: $34,361.26
Enyart Dairy | Postville | $13,337.50
Juno Flex Feed Pusher
Total Project Budget: $26,675
Nedved Family Farms | Garner | $100,000
Lely A5 Milking Robots
Total Project Budget: $342,939.52
Piggott Hills Farm | Waukon | $10,490
SCR Cow Health Monitoring System
Total Project Budget: $20,980
Prairie Star Farm | Waukon | $42,000
Lely Discovery Collectors
Total Project Budget: $42,579
Whitford Dairy | Volga | $24,667.50
SCR Health Monitoring System and Lely Juno Flex Robotic Feed Pusher
Total Project Budget: $49,335
