As part of the Grow Wisconsin Dairy 30-by-20 Program, 41 dairy farmers across the badger state will receive $200,000 grants to increase milk production. Through this grantmaking initiative, that state aims to increase milk production to 30 million gallons per year through 2020.

The Grow Wisconsin Dairy Program was announced by Governor Scott Walker in March, and he recently released the first round of grant recipients, according to the Wisconsin Ag Connection. Walker says that current output from dairy farmers is only meeting 90 percent of state dairy processing needs. Through the program, dairy farmers can seek advice to help make their farms more productive, the source notes.

Mike Powers, agriculture development administrator for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection said the grants are primarily being used to hire consultants, but farmers can use the funds for a variety of purposes.

"They'll all be on slightly different schedules. Some would be looking at business planning, some succession planning, [and others at] nutritional herd health. We have a few people that are looking at conversation to grazing or improving milk quality, [and] a number with facilities," Walker explained to Wisconsin Public Radio.

States and local departments that are launching similar grant programs might benefit from grant management software to streamline the application and allocation processes.