Choose Iowa Dairy Innovation Grant
Eligible Applicants
Applicants must:
- Be an individual, business, agricultural cooperative, non-profit organization or local government.
- Be in good standing with the State of Iowa.
- The business must not currently be in bankruptcy.
- Currently reside or conduct business in Iowa.
- The business must not have been subject to any regulatory enforcement action related to federal, state, or local environmental, worker safety, food processing, or food safety laws, rules, or regulations within the last five years.
- Business must be permitted by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship or in the process of obtaining a permit.
- Project must be permitted activity.
- Not be an IDALS employee or immediate family member of an IDALS employee.
- Applicant must be able to provide a one-to-one (1:1) financial match for the grant. In-kind contributions not accepted.
- Membership in Choose Iowa brand program NOT required but encouraged.
- Business must employ less than 50 individuals.
Eligible Projects
Projects must address at least one goal or more to:
- Create new jobs.
- Create or expand opportunities for local small-scale milk producers to market pasteurized milk and milk products under private labels.
- Provide greater flexibility or convenience for local small-scale farmers to have milk processed.
- Reduce labor associated with the on-farm production and storage of milk.
Examples include but are not limited to:
- On-farm processing equipment or infrastructure such as:
- Pasteurization equipment
- Processing vats
- Packaging and labeling equipment
- Labor reducing equipment or technology such as:
- Milking robots
- Health monitoring technology or activity systems
- Automatic feed systems
- Cleaning assistance tools
Ineligible expenses:
- Expenses incurred prior to grant award.
- Any costs incurred by any firm for work performed prior to the formal execution of a contract.
- Administrative or overhead costs not directly related to the grant project.
- Start-up costs such as inventory, license fees, working capital, etc.
- Costs associated with advertising, public relations, entertainment.
- Employee wages and benefits.
- Paying off existing debt, related collection costs, mortgage, loans or legal fees.
- Paying off existing fines, penalties or settlements for failure to comply with laws or regulations.
- Real estate purchases.
- Rent or contract payments for time periods extending beyond the term of the grant contract.
- Lobbying fundraising or other political activity.
Key Dates
October 7, 2024
- Choose Iowa Dairy Innovation Grant application period opens
December 2, 2024, at noon CST
- Choose Iowa Dairy Innovation Grant application submission deadline
March 2025
- Choose Iowa Dairy Innovation Grant recipients announced
Dairy Innovation Grant terms
- FY25: March 2025 through February 2026
Reimbursement
- After projects are completed
Program Guidelines
Contact
Grant Amount and Terms
Grant funding can be for a maximum of $100,000.
- Applicants must provide a minimum of one-to-one (1:1) financial match from private sources such as cash, financing or other non-government grant funds for total project costs. In-kind contributions are not accepted.
- Additional points will be awarded to applicants that provide more than the required match amount.
- All grants will be paid out on a reimbursement basis. Preference will be given to small and medium sized businesses.
- Consult your legal or financial advisor regarding financial or tax considerations for any funds received.
Grant Examples
- Farmer A is purchasing a $120,000 rotary cup filling machine to fill his yogurt packages. Farmer A is requesting $50,000 in grant funding for his project. Farmer A must have $50,000 of his own funding with either personal cash or financing to receive the $50,000 for grant funding.
- Farmer B is purchasing a health monitoring system for $65,000. Farmer B is requesting $32,500 for her project. Farmer B must have at least $32,500 in funding with personal cash or financing to receive the $32,500 for grant funding.
- Farmer C is purchasing two milking robots for a total of $380,000 to increase his efficiency on the farm. Farmer C can only apply for a maximum grant funding of $100,000. Farmer C must provide the remaining $280,000 from his own funding with cash or financing to receive $100,000 in grant funding.
Application Materials
Applicants must apply for the Choose Iowa Dairy Innovation Grant through the online application portal found on our website. You must make an account to access the grant portal--select log in at the top of the page to start that process. Applicants may submit supporting documents including quotes and estimates to supplement budget details as well as letters of support with their applications.
IDALS may require additional information and/or a site visit to review the proposed project.
Scoring Criteria
Projects will be scored on a 100-point scale with a variety of factors.
- A scoring committee will be established by the department to evaluate applications with a score of 0-100. Projects receiving a score below 60 will not be considered.
- Labor reducing equipment and on-farm processing projects will be scored separately. The department will use the following criteria to evaluate each application:
| Criteria | Maximum Score |
| Project addresses the goals of the program to create or add new jobs, expand opportunities and provide greater flexibility or convenience for local small-scale farmers, and/or reduce labor associated with the on-farm production and storage of milk. - Expand or refurbish existing milk plants or establish a new milk plant. - Expand or refurbish existing mobile dairy processing units or establish new mobile dairy processing units. - Rent buildings, refrigeration facilities, freezer facilities or equipment necessary to expand dairy processing capacity, including mobile dairy or refrigeration units used exclusively for dairy processing. - Incorporate methods and technologies that reduce farm labor associated with milk production and storage, including but not limited to the use of robotics and processes or systems that operate using computerized equipment or machinery. | 25 points |
| Detailed budget and match - Budget clearly details all project costs. - Budget clearly explains source and amount of applicant’s funds for private match. - Budget is cost effective and planned purchases are backed by quotes or other sources. - Total project budget is more than double the amount of grant funding requested. | 20 points |
| Work plan and timeline - Work plan is thorough and realistic. - A detailed description of each step of the project is provided with estimated dates. | 20 points |
| Business readiness, financial sustainability and experience - Applicant demonstrates sound business management, financial aptitude and stability. - Applicant describes the financial benefit of doing the grant project. - Applicant demonstrates a need for grant funding. | 15 points |
| Impact on Iowa agriculture (The extent to which measurable objectives can be determined that demonstrates the proposed project’s benefit to the agriculture community) - Impact is appropriate for the size of the grant request. - Project has both short-term and long-term impact, including jobs and investments in Iowa. | 10 points |
| Application completeness and detail - The completeness of the application information and sufficiency of detail used to describe the project in the application. - May include (but not required): quotes, estimates, letter(s) of support or affirmations of financial solvency, photos or other supporting documentation. | 10 points |
| Total | 100 Points |
Grant Award Timeline
| Grant program announced, and application period opens. | October 7, 2024 |
| Grant application deadline | Noon CST on December 2, 2024 |
| Committee scores applications | December 2024 – January 2025 |
| Awardees notified, and agreements issued (once agreements are signed by both parties, purchasing can begin) | February 2025 |
| Awardees announced | March 2025 |
| Funds dispersed to awardees | By reimbursement during grant term (March 2025 – February 2026) |