MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) announces that nine projects have been selected to receive Export Expansion Grants. Through the Wisconsin Initiative for Agricultural Exports (WIAE), more than $1.2 million has been granted for projects to grow dairy, meat and crop product exports since the program started in 2021.
“DATCP is excited to continue creating export opportunities and resources for Wisconsin agribusinesses through the Export Expansion Grants,” said DATCP Secretary Randy Romanski. “Made possible by funding for the WIAE provided by Governor Evers and the legislature, these grant projects will help Wisconsin businesses engage in trade opportunities and facilitate valuable connections between buyers and sellers.”
Projects could request grant funds for up to two years in duration, with an option to request an additional year. Matching funds are required at 20% of the grant award and can be cash or in-kind. Project work for the first-round grants is under way, and second-round projects will begin early this year.
The round two grant recipients funding amounts, product group and projects are:
- Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin, $90,000: Develop targeted marketing materials, research ways to create customized sustainability messages for targeted markets, and develop marketing materials.
- Wisconsin Beef Council, $50,000: Continue education efforts and promotion of beef in Central America working with the U.S. Meat Export Federation.
- World Dairy Expo, $100,000: Conduct WDE international promotion to expand international buyer outreach, participation and engagement.
- Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, $100,000: Promote Wisconsin dairy in foreign markets, drive global awareness, elevate perception, and support sales of Wisconsin cheese and dairy products.
- Wisconsin Cheesemakers Association, $100,000: Continue and expand consultative services, technical and financial support for social media and marketing campaigns, shipping/logistics costs for buyer samples, in-store demo costs, retail sampling/merchandising.
- Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association, $49,950: Explore new markets and promote Wisconsin fresh, chipping and seed potatoes in Mexico and Canada.
- Center for Dairy Research, $43,980: Develop recipes to incorporate Wisconsin dairy products into typical applications found in target export markets.
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, $49,719: Provide export promotion and buyer training to grow New Zealand, Kenya and Tanzania markets for Wisconsin produced bovine semen and embryos.
- University of Wisconsin-River Falls, $100,000: Provide new, expanded opportunities for collaboration with industry-related business concerns, domestic and international governments, and regulatory agencies in the Netherlands, Tanzania, Thailand and UAE.
About the Wisconsin Initiative for Agricultural Exports (WIAE)
DATCP is working collaboratively with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) to promote Wisconsin agricultural products in the international marketplace through the WIAE. In addition to the Export Expansion Grants, an additional $110,000 in International Market Access Grants (IMAG) was provided to agricultural exporters (IMAG) in June 2022. For more information on the WIAE, IMAGs, and Export Expansion Grants, sign up for email updates and visit the DATCP website.
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