TUE AM News: Baldwin, groups warn new federal match requirements could kill dairy farm incubators

October 13, 2026

— U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin says new federal match requirements could kill a program meant to support dairy farmers and processors.

Baldwin, D-Madison, is asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture to reverse course on a new rule that would require the four federally funded Dairy Business Innovation Initiative Centers – including one in Wisconsin – provide a 25% match to their federal funding.

The centers disburse grants to help small- and medium-sized dairy businesses expand their product line and diversify their revenue streams; Baldwin introduced legislation creating the program that passed as part of the 2018 farm bill.

“The centers do not have the capital available to meet this new matching requirement, putting the future of the program at risk,” Baldwin wrote in the letter to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins. “Congress has consistently supported the Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives on a bipartisan basis and has provided funding for the program without requiring centers to provide a cash match.”

The program has awarded over $100 million in grants to over 900 businesses since its inception.

The Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association and the Wisconsin Dairy Products Association have also signed onto a separate letter with 26 other dairy providers opposing the cost-sharing requirement.

That letter notes that the four Dairy Business Innovation Initiative Centers are housed as part of state institutions, and in one case an industry-university partnership, and neither have the financial resources to match the federal funds nor directly benefit from the awarded funds.

The dairy providers say the grants are “particularly important” in today’s dairy economy.

“Farmers and processors are managing volatile markets, elevated production and energy costs, transportation expenses, workforce challenges, infrastructure and capital needs, and significant domestic and international competition,” the letter reads.

Read Baldwin’s letter and the letter cosigned by the Wisconsin dairy groups.

— The Medical College of Wisconsin formally dedicated its new cancer research center to the Michels family.

Medical college leadership and staff joined members of the Michels family for a dedication ceremony on the college’s Milwaukee campus yesterday.

MCW announced a $27 million gift from Wisconsin construction firm co-owner and 2022 GOP gubernatorial nominee Tim Michels and his wife, Barbara, back in June. It’s the largest personal gift ever given to the college’s cancer center.

“The Michels family shares our belief that a brighter future for cancer patients and their families is within reach,” MCW President and CEO Shekar Kurpad said in a statement. “Their generosity gives us the courage and the means to pursue that future with even greater ambition and with a focus on precision medicine.”

MCW opened a new building last summer to centralize its cancer labs and equipment and add space for an expansion.

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TOPICS

AGRIBUSINESS

– Wisconsin cheese makers say USDA funding match on dairy grants could kill small farms

BIOTECH

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CONSTRUCTION

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EDUCATION