The Southeast Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives (SDBII) program is based at The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture’s Animal Science Department. Key program collaborators such as the Center for Profitable Agriculture (CPA), NC State, the University of Kentucky, Kentucky Dairy Development Council (KDDC), and others, offer guidance and support to the program. SDBII’s mission is to spur growth for dairy producers and processors in the Southeast by helping them modernize and diversify through the production of value-added dairy products.
SDBII provides dairy businesses in the Southeast with a variety of free and low-cost instructional resources. These include an annual value-added dairy conference, a variety of workshops on key industry topics, and decision-making tools that help dairy professionals make informed decisions as they plan for growth.
The program is funded by the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) division of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). In addition to the technical assistance and educational resources provided through SDBII, 50% of the program’s funding is awarded in grants made directly to dairy businesses to assist them in developing new and more profitable products and processes.
