Wisconsin Ag Connection - Recipients of Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin Grants Named

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Recipients of Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin Grants Named
Wisconsin Ag Connection - 05/23/2017

The state's agriculture department has announced eight recipients of the latest round of Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin grants. Designed to help farmers and food processors reach new local markets, the grants will provide consumers access to even more Wisconsin-grown food products, ranging from fresh fruits and vegetables to Wisconsin barley and organic maple syrup.

"I'm pleased DATCP was able to provide support for these innovative local food projects," said State Foods Program Manager Kietra Olson. "The grants are intended to support the diverse sectors of Wisconsin agriculture, and outcomes generated by the grant recipients will provide benefits to local communities and serve as models for others in the local food industry."

This year, 33 funding requests of over $1.1 million was requested. Ultimately, eight projects totaling $200,000 were selected to receive grants.

This year's recipients include:

** Bayfield Regional Food Producers Cooperative. Create a local version of the increasingly popular hybrid CSA/mail-order programs by offering Bayfield Foods products in mixed boxes direct to consumers in Wisconsin and Minnesota via direct shipment.

** Branches Winery. Create the Sip & Savor Driftless Wisconsin Wine and Cheese Trail, an innovative agritourism project comprised of seven estate wineries and seven creameries located in southwest Wisconsin.

** Brix Cider. Develop a coordinated, replicable system for harvesting, purchasing, storing, and collecting apples from multiple small- and medium-sized Wisconsin farms.

** Hill Valley Dairy. A collaboration of cheesemakers and a dairy farm will design, assemble and operate an affordable, modular cheese aging facility that is suitable to meet the needs of new and small cheese businesses throughout Wisconsin.

** Lonesome Stone Milling. Marketing grain products from the Driftless region of Wisconsin.

** Sheep Dairy Association. Grow Wisconsin's sheep dairy industry by creating customer awareness and demand for Wisconsin sheep milk products, creating a stronger retail and wholesale market for sheep milk products and increasing desire to use sheep milk by cheesemakers.

** Shiitake Growers Association. Reduce implementation barriers for beginning and growing mushroom producers by providing access to resources and increasing product awareness to potential customers and market access to growers.

** Tosa Farmers' Market. Create a new market opportunity for farmers in the Milwaukee area by establishing a new farmers' market in west Milwaukee

Since its inception in 2008, the program has funded 52 projects, totaling $1.4 million.

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