[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6360098,"mediaKeyId","2175355-b30e605966ecdb382ea893d5172fff21","parentId",2175355,"title","Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center awarded regionwide grants; Vermont received more than $11.6 million, presenter says","audioSeconds",452,"startMs",2176000,"endMs",2628000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2175355-b30e605966ecdb382ea893d5172fff21&start=2176&end=2628","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2175355-b30e605966ecdb382ea893d5172fff21/thumbnail_2176000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6360098/Vermont/Northeast-Dairy-Business-Innovation-Center-awarded-regionwide-grants-Vermont-received-more-than-116-million-presenter-says","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6360098-363e1342004a864bba2f971ec75046eb/orig.mp4?Expires=1776506239&Signature=CMgq55PN2LuV5l~ws1khg48xAu5pYLRbKowkZHNSIIYlPoCNp9krF3ZBVTWDEhx6U50dpeGDCDSXcuZyBFmiZ4sm7-9BtndGWyJU73bqXRO9uwi6c6D8jPTQziSkeWUzH2eGMhWE8DfoeSzVJCZvFX8zfkDU~T~GaO97RW30iKnlMfAA8eALC-vzDn4tQxTT-KA8U-TBG-TE6kV4hsjYNCX7KqlC5H3gT7ksdyaJNafnE~iYssMZ7v~svqtq-nW4x2pNzDPum89AuFYwQqYD2opKjTAsD9wr~-tCOEq~yi3pmST5HxycT2slnWszFqvj6nf355YJIbbHYil2qYtjjA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-01-31T03:41:22Z","article","Laura Ginsburg, dairy strategy and innovation manager at the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, briefed the Agriculture, Food Resiliency & Forestry committee on the work of the USDA‑funded Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center and its investments in processors and farms across 11 states.

Ginsburg said the Center was competitively selected in 2019 under the 2018 Farm Bill and has been awarded about $53,000,000 from USDA to support projects through 2027. “To date, we have been awarded $53,000,000 from USDA,” she said. The Center has awarded 367 projects totaling just under $34,000,000 and has received more than 1,000 applications, she said, giving an approximate award rate of 36 percent.

Vermont‑specific funding and examples: Ginsburg said Vermont entities received about $11,600,000 across 125 awards, with an average award near $92,000 and grant sizes ranging from $10,000 to $1,000,000. She described examples of processor and farm investments, including a $1,000,000 award to Cabot/Agri‑Mark to modernize a cracker‑cut line, a yogurt‑filling machine installed at Larson Farm that Laura said a farmer told her “it has saved our lives,” and equipment at Maplebrook Farm that increased production and reduced energy use.

Program priorities and use of funds: The Center runs several grant tracks — for on‑farm storage and handling, processor expansion, marketing and branding, workforce development and technical assistance — and Ginsburg said the program prioritizes energy and labor efficiency, employee safety, and building consumer connections to regional dairy brands. She said one special USDA grant of $19,000,000 supported larger processor expansion grants after the exit of a major organic buyer from the market.

Outcomes and technical assistance: The Center funds cohort‑based technical assistance and has engaged more than 200 farmers in over 20 cohorts; Ginsburg cited an example where a cohort saved a farm $34,000 in feed costs in one year and led to follow‑on investments totaling more than $700,000 for participating farms. She said the Center is also investing roughly $1,000,000 in workforce and apprenticeship program development.

Funding uncertainty and next steps: Ginsburg said the Center currently operates on funds from the last Farm Bill and annual appropriations, and she described some uncertainty about future reauthorization and funding in the next Farm Bill cycle. “I would say that I have a high level of confidence that the money that we have been appropriated through the USDA is safe,” she told the committee, while noting that new funding would depend on Congress and the next Farm Bill. Ginsburg said the Center will continue to share data and results with the committee and stakeholders.

The presentation prompted questions about grant types, geographic distribution of awards and whether federal funding is secure; Ginsburg said she would provide follow‑up materials and datasets to the committee.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Agriculture – 2025-01-30 – 9:30AM","oneSentenceSummary","Laura Ginsburg summarized the USDA‑funded Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center’s grants and technical assistance: the center has secured roughly $53 million in USDA funding to 2027, awarded hundreds of projects across 11 states, and provided more than $11.6 million to Vermont businesses and farms.","taxTitle","Agriculture, Food Resiliency, & Forestry, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative , Vermont","taxId",36721,"location","Vermont","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6360103,"Vermont dairy sector showing fewer farms but steady milk volumes and rising prices, agency official says",1704,88000,1792000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2175355-b30e605966ecdb382ea893d5172fff21&start=88&end=1792","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2175355-b30e605966ecdb382ea893d5172fff21/thumbnail_88000.jpg","/articles/6360103/Vermont/Vermont-dairy-sector-showing-fewer-farms-but-steady-milk-volumes-and-rising-prices-agency-official-says","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6360103-7471878bcc731d90d07ebe5ab23a8801/orig.mp4?Expires=1776506239&Signature=Mb-kL-VAgDSOc3X2oWUq5sqFp2yiZj20PFufHeRidb927xhgeIiRpVhOoDvp0OAaRHWQuXbgPAjEZ9rGhrQqu9nFZq~aESqqTMy7LbLaqaVStMcvc7nar7TTLl7zFAqvxgXsTD01vwS-Pmz2OAaBJw~2D4ZXNt-7q0bfFbfP-T8oT45~nPAwRwYr6OF5fAHh-KR2gL~Kiu9znuvPIjKpeiRQunva9BtiX7OtZoghfnqee5NphjJ6iZglmVgnDyqXAgzqbr9pUPNJiBsEFmMOURZzvPPBh2OHdt2ahvvPTEI5XT3R0~6UnEYhubvPUcfEnUHW8ap0cbpGsJ9RC41cLQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Laura Ginsburg, dairy strategy and innovation manager at the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, told the Agriculture, Food Resiliency & Forestry committee that Vermont has seen a decline in the number of dairy farms but that total milk volume and processor numbers have remained relatively steady.

Ginsburg said data cleanups removed farms that had already ceased shipping milk and that the apparent November drop overstated actual losses. “Actually, I would say it pretty closely mirrors what happens across the nation, and actually in many cases in other countries across the world where we are seeing a decline in the total number of farms,” she said. She added that the number of processors continues to grow, calling that “unusual and something pretty special to the State of Vermont.”

Why it matters: Dairy remains the largest agricultural sector in Vermont by sales. Ginsburg said roughly two-thirds of the state’s agricultural receipts come from cow milk, and dairy-processed products account for a large share of Vermont’s manufactured food output.

Most important facts: Ginsburg walked committee members through multi-year trends showing fewer farms but rising average herd sizes, particularly among remaining operations. She said the number of cows per farm has slowly increased and observed a shift away from small mid-tier operations that neither benefit from very small‑farm exemptions nor from large‑scale cost advantages. On production volume, Ginsburg said the state’s milk output has been “relatively stable,” with organic milk making up a small share of total pounds despite representing a larger share of farms.

On milk pricing, Ginsburg noted recent federal changes to the milk marketing order system that affect how class prices are calculated. She told the committee that prices now reflect the “higher of” calculation in some areas, which should raise processor payments for this region and therefore increase revenues for producers. Chairman Sandoval described how the change could increase the producer pay differential (PPD), saying it could “be higher, reading in the milkweed by a dollar 68 perhaps” under stable conditions. Ginsburg cautioned that milk prices must be near $20 per 100 pounds for many Vermont producers to cover costs; she said recent forecasts put the 100‑pound price around $22 for the coming year.

Licensing and processors: In response to Representative John O’Brien’s question about small processors, Ginsburg said any operation that processes product off‑farm for sale must be licensed with the state regulatory division; she said that licensing enables inspection and sale but does not include raw‑milk retail sales, which are not captured in these datasets.

Other points of local interest: Ginsburg said Vermont has only a handful of goat and sheep dairy farms and that local processors currently rely on imports from nearby states and Canada to meet goat and sheep milk demand. She also noted supply‑chain constraints such as driver shortages and seasonal road conditions that complicate milk hauling.

Data and transparency: Ginsburg told the committee the agency posts slides and underlying datasets on its website and offered to share additional data showing how milk is processed and where final products are sold.

The presentation concluded with members pressing for more granular data on processing destinations and consumer flows; Ginsburg said she would provide the available datasets.","Laura Ginsburg of the Vermont Agency of Agriculture said the state has lost dairy farms in recent years but total milk production has stayed relatively stable, processors have increased, and milk prices have risen above the level many farms need to cover costs.","actionData","errors"]

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Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center awarded regionwide grants; Vermont received more than $11.6 million, presenter says

Vermont dairy sector showing fewer farms but steady milk volumes and rising prices, agency official says