Pennsylvania Dairy Transition and Transformation Team Grants

Using a team approach to provide greater insight into your business’s decision-making process can lead to improved profitability, enhanced performance and future opportunities. It can also smooth the road for transition to the next generation or transformation into a new business model. The Center for Dairy Excellence leverages funds provided through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to provide grants to individual farms to establish either a Dairy Transition or Transformation Team.

• Dairy Transition Teams: Focused on transition in the business such as succession, change in business structure, or partnership. This grant is designed to help the farm establish a team to develop a transition or succession plan. Farms can apply to receive up to $4,000 in funding, which could cover the cost of paid team members, discovery-related costs, lawyer expenses, and attorney fees.

• Dairy Transformation Teams: Focused on modernizing facilities and pursuing a business transformation or additional enterprise within the dairy operation. The Transformation Team option allows producers considering a major business transformation to apply to receive up to $4,000 to establish a team to help plan and work through that transformation.

The Center partners with the Penn State Extension Dairy Team, University of Pennsylvania, and private industry to provide resources and expertise to farms involved in the On-Farm Team Program.

• Farms that have 35 or more lactating cows or dairy heifer raising operations with more than 100 dairy heifers are eligible to apply.

• May only receive transition funding for 2 consecutive years for same transition.

• May only receive transformation funding for 2 consecutive years for same project.

• Grant requests will only be approved for planning purposes, not compliance.

• Manure storage facility improvements do not qualify as eligible Transformation Team projects.

• Only one type of On-Farm Resource Team is available per fiscal year from the CDE.

Grant period is July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027

• Transition Team: covers up to $4,000, minimum requirements must be met to get reimbursement.

• Transformation Team: covers up to $4,000, minimum requirements must be met to get reimbursement.

What expenses are considered to be eligible team expenses for reimbursement?

• Team member time: The consultant’s time may be in-person, one to one meetings or consultation via email or phone.

• Feasibility studies, cash flow analysis, business planning to explore expansion or modernization

• Site survey, permit development and permitting fees, if all other questions have been answered.

• Attorney or accounting fees associated with farm transition

• Discovery related costs as recommended by team to identify solutions or address bottlenecks

Reimbursement requirements:

• Meeting notes must be submitted with expenses for the expenses to be reimbursed (See Team Meeting Agenda Template).

• Expenses will be reimbursed to producer only.

• Producer agrees to completing a survey at the end of the grant funding period.

A W9 must be provided to the Center before any expenses will be reimbursed—Any funding received through this grant will be considered taxable income by the IRS.

Grants are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Farms must complete an application and submit the required $100 application fee to participate in each program. Visit www.centerfordairyexcellence.org/grants to learn more and apply online.

You will be notified of acceptance in the program upon receipt of this application and application fee.

In exchange for the allocation of funding and support, farms accepted as a Transition or Transformation Team will be expected to do the following:

• Work with a team of consultants and advisors to address the stated goals and provide feedback on teams impact on the operation.

• Provide meeting notes, invoices of team members and related team expenses to the Center for reimbursement by June 15, 2027.

• Complete a brief survey at the end of the grant.

• Provide a copy of your most recent DHI-202 form.

• 2026-27 On-Farm Resource Team Guidelines

• Team Resources

• Team Success Stories