Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced the availability of Choose Iowa Dairy Innovation Grants, and welcomed grant applications for projects that will increase on-farm dairy processing, reduce farm labor costs, and expand the availability of Iowa dairy products for consumers. The grant is administered by the Choose Iowa Program within the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. Now in its second year of funding, the program has $750,000 allocated for matching awards up to $100,000 per project. Choose Iowa awarded 20 grants, which leveraged an overall total investment of more than $2.2 million. The legislative intent of the grant is to assist smaller dairies and farmers. Successful applicants must be located in Iowa, have fewer than 50 employees, and be in good standing with pertinent regulatory agencies. Only dairies permitted and inspected by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship are eligible. Full details about the cost-share grant program, including financial matching requirements as well as the application, eligibility and scoring criteria are available on the Choose Iowa website. Applications should be submitted through the online portal on the Choose Iowa website and are due by 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 27. Grant recipients will be announced in March 2025.