Value Added Milk Processing Facility Incentive Program

The Value Added Milk Processing Facility Incentive Program provides grant funding to support the development and expansion of value-added milk processing infrastructure in North Dakota to enhance dairy production and economic growth. It is a specific application track under the Agriculture Diversification and Development Fund (ADD), administered by the North Dakota Department of Agriculture.

Value-added agriculture businesses registered with the North Dakota Secretary of State that satisfy all requirements outlined in Section B of the application. Projects aligned with the Agriculture Diversification and Development Fund Committee's mission receive priority consideration.

Award. Grant funding is limited to the lesser of $5,000,000 or 5% of the total construction cost for an eligible value-added milk processing facility capable of processing at least three million pounds of milk annually.

Payment. Funding is provided as reimbursement for infrastructure, site acquisition, or other capital expenditures. Reimbursement is issued only after the facility achieves 100% of its processing capacity, all project-related expenditures are validated, and a final project report is approved by the NDDA.

Deadlines. Applications may be submitted at any time and are reviewed on the ADD Fund quarterly schedule: October 1, January 1, April 1, and July 1. Applications received after a deadline are presented at the following scheduled meeting. The Agriculture Commissioner reserves 60 days to respond.

Reporting. Awardees must submit periodic interim reports on timeline and budget compliance and a final written report describing the work performed. All records must be retained for seven years.

Application and guideline documents are available on the NDDA website. Contact Daniel Ratajczak, Ag Development Specialist, at 701-955-0578 or dratajczak@nd.gov (600 East Boulevard Ave. Dept. 602, Bismarck, ND 58505).