What is the Dairy Impact Program?
The purpose of the Dairy Impact Program (DIP) is to provide competitive reimbursement cost share funds for projects that support and improve dairy operations and the dairy industry in Kentucky. Eligibility is open to permitted Kentucky dairy producers.
The DIP is divided into 2 pathways: Sustained Impact projects and Accelerated Impact projects.
Sustained Impact projects support management practices that create a solid base for dairy operations and generally reflect aspects of past KDDC programming, including the MILK 4.0 program, the Beef on Dairy Initiative, and Management Plus. Accelerated Impact projects improve operations in innovative, efficient, and/or sustainable ways. See DIP Guidelines below for more information.
Both Sustained and Accelerated Impact project proposals should offer an innovative solution that improves the economic status of an operation. Preferred projects will demonstrate the ability to impact more than one entity or the community broadly, add value to dairy products, stimulate the market, diversify an operation, or benefit the economic status of the farm now and in the future.
Find application details here.
The purpose of the Dairy Impact Program (DIP) is to provide competitive reimbursement cost share funds for projects that support and improve dairy operations and the dairy industry in Kentucky. Eligibility is open to permitted Kentucky dairy producers.
The DIP is divided into 2 pathways: Sustained Impact projects and Accelerated Impact projects.
Sustained Impact projects support management practices that create a solid base for dairy operations and generally reflect aspects of past KDDC programming, including the MILK 4.0 program, the Beef on Dairy Initiative, and Management Plus. Accelerated Impact projects improve operations in innovative, efficient, and/or sustainable ways. See DIP Guidelines below for more information.
Both Sustained and Accelerated Impact project proposals should offer an innovative solution that improves the economic status of an operation. Preferred projects will demonstrate the ability to impact more than one entity or the community broadly, add value to dairy products, stimulate the market, diversify an operation, or benefit the economic status of the farm now and in the future.
Find application details here.
The Dairy Impact Program 2025 application window has closed. See below for an update on the 2025 program.
June 18, 2025 - The 2025 Dairy Impact Program (DIP) awarded 11 dairy operations in Kentucky with funds to support and improve their operation, and grow the Kentucky dairy industry. Thanks to the generous support of the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund, more than $100,000 will be awarded through this program, stimulating over $230,000 of investments in dairy operations across the state. Approved projects include upgrades to milk tanks, improvements to housing, and support for vital management systems. These projects demonstrate an impactful investment, not just in the individual dairy operation, but within rural communities. While dairy farms already provide so much support to their local communities through regular business, the majority of these $230,000 worth of investments from the DIP will be spent locally and support Kentucky agriculture businesses.
Though this was the inaugural year for the DIP, it proved to be a highly competitive program. We received a total of 25 applications, with the capability of funding at least 10 projects based on program guidelines. The Sustained pathway- which focused on support for advanced management practices like records management systems, breeding technologies, and data analysis- received 5 applications, and 4 were selected for funding resulting in an 80% acceptance rate. Additional available funds were transferred to the Accelerated pathway. The Accelerated pathway projects improve operations in innovative, efficient, and/or sustainable ways. We received 20 Accelerated applications and were able to fund 7 projects (35% acceptance rate). Our panel of 3 reviewers who utilized the DIP rubric to score applications worked diligently to identify the projects that best addressed the goals of this program, and there were many worthy projects that we were not able to provide funds for. We encourage those who were not approved for funding in 2025 to consider applying again in 2026.
KDDC looks forward to working closely with producers as they progress through their projects and the impact of this program really begins to take shape on farm. We appreciate the positive feedback we have received on the DIP since its introduction this spring and we're excited for the improvements that will come as it matures in 2026. It's never too early to begin planning for program opportunities like this- talk with your regional KDDC consultant about 2026 options for operation today and sign up for updates here.
Though this was the inaugural year for the DIP, it proved to be a highly competitive program. We received a total of 25 applications, with the capability of funding at least 10 projects based on program guidelines. The Sustained pathway- which focused on support for advanced management practices like records management systems, breeding technologies, and data analysis- received 5 applications, and 4 were selected for funding resulting in an 80% acceptance rate. Additional available funds were transferred to the Accelerated pathway. The Accelerated pathway projects improve operations in innovative, efficient, and/or sustainable ways. We received 20 Accelerated applications and were able to fund 7 projects (35% acceptance rate). Our panel of 3 reviewers who utilized the DIP rubric to score applications worked diligently to identify the projects that best addressed the goals of this program, and there were many worthy projects that we were not able to provide funds for. We encourage those who were not approved for funding in 2025 to consider applying again in 2026.
KDDC looks forward to working closely with producers as they progress through their projects and the impact of this program really begins to take shape on farm. We appreciate the positive feedback we have received on the DIP since its introduction this spring and we're excited for the improvements that will come as it matures in 2026. It's never too early to begin planning for program opportunities like this- talk with your regional KDDC consultant about 2026 options for operation today and sign up for updates here.
