A regional dairy cooperative, led by Cedar Grove farmer Brody Stapel, is getting a big boost from the USDA. Green Bay-based Edge Dairy Cooperative, which is led by Brody Stapel from Double Dutch Dairy of Cedar Grove, is the lead partner of a project called the Farmer-Led Climate-Smart Commodities Initiative: Building Success from the Ground Up. The project will be funded with an infusion of up to $50 million from the USDA to expand climate-smart markets and establish dairy and sugar as climate-smart commodities.
Stapel said that Edge now has “a tremendous opportunity…to further empower members as they adapt to an evolving marketplace, one that increasingly demands sustainably produced foods.” He said that Edge will now be able to greatly expand implementation of climate-smart production practices, improve business practices for climate-smart commodities, and make use of data and information collected to inform future standards. Stapel said that as a result of funding from the initial $2.8 billion “Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities” funding pool, Edge’s farmers will be better positioned for long-term success.
70 projects were selected by the USDA for awards nationwide.
