Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig will unveil 15 Choose Iowa Dairy Innovation Grants recipients at 9 a.m. Wednesday at the Iowa State University Creamery. 

Robert Horst, a dairy farmer from Bristow and president of the Iowa State Dairy Association, will be joining Naig in presenting the grants and speaking about the importance of Choose Iowa and the impact of these grants. 

The ISU Creamery is among the awardees and plans to use the grant to purchase new processing equipment to increase cheese production. The remaining 14 recipients, located mainly in Northwest and Northeast Iowa, will receive support for various projects to advance Iowa’s dairy sector.

Choose Iowa, founded in 2022 by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, is a state initiative to promote Iowa-grown and produced food, beverages and agricultural products. Choose Iowa also provides grants to farmers, businesses and nonprofits. 

The Dairy Innovation Grant, which the ISU Creamery will be receiving, allows producers to invest in technology and infrastructure to expand their operations. Choose Iowa awards $750,000 in grants for dairy innovation, with a maximum of $100,000 per awardee.

An announcement detailing all 15 grant recipients will be available following the event Wednesday.