Dairy Business Association

What Dairy Business Association does

Dairy Business Association (DBA) is a Wisconsin-based nonprofit trade association founded in 2000 to advocate for the state's dairy community. It is the only integrated, dairy-focused advocacy organization in Wisconsin, with a membership of more than 400 dairy farmers, milk processors, and allied businesses representing over 253,000 cows. DBA's core offerings are advocacy and member services — including policy representation in Madison, on-farm sustainability modeling through the Farmers for Sustainable Food alliance, media and benchmarking support, and recognition programs — rather than software or technology products. Its go-to-market is membership- and event-driven: annual membership dues, conference sponsorships, and three flagship in-person events (Dairy Strong conference, Dairy Day at the Capitol, Dairy Golf Classic) constitute the primary revenue mechanics.

The organization is also a founding participant in the Voice of Milk umbrella brand, launched in September 2024 with Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative and Minnesota Milk Producers Association to coordinate federal and Midwest advocacy. Sustainability programming is operated via the Farmers for Sustainable Food alliance (formed 2016 with Edge and The Nature Conservancy), including the Climate-Smart Program supported by USDA Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities funding. Content distribution is handled through the Dairy Stream podcast (co-hosted with Edge), a news hub on dairyforward.com, email, and active Facebook and Instagram channels. DBA employs approximately 18 staff and is led by CEO Tim Trotter, with Chad Zuleger promoted to Executive Director in August 2025.

Name

Dairy Business Association

Legal name

Dairy Business Association

Website

https://dairyforward.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Dairy Business Association is a Wisconsin nonprofit trade association founded in 2000 that advocates for the state's dairy farmers, milk processors, and allied businesses through policy representation, sustainability programming, events, and member services. It represents over 400 members and 253,000 cows.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Dairy Industry Advocacy

NAICS

Support Activities for Animal Production (115210)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Milking Parlor & Dairy Farm Support Services (Non-veterinary) (AFAEALAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Dairy Farm Environmental Compliance & Sustainability Programs (AFAEACAM)

Keywords

• Dairy advocacy services
• Policy advocacy
• Membership association
• Agricultural events
• Sustainability programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Green Bay

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from dairy farmers, milk processors, vendors, and other business partners who join to access advocacy services, networking, and member benefits including sustainability modeling, community engagement, and media support.
2. Event Sponsorships: Sponsorship revenue from annual Dairy Strong conference, Dairy Golf Classic, and other events. Sponsors include Compeer, Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative, and other agricultural businesses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Dairy Business Association (DBA) is a nonprofit membership organization that advocates on behalf of Wisconsin's dairy community. It provides policy advocacy at the state capitol in Madison, hosts annual industry events, runs sustainability programs through Farmers for Sustainable Food, and convenes dairy farmers, milk processors, and allied businesses under an integrated membership model.

Product overview

The Dairy Business Association is Wisconsin's leading dairy advocacy organization, offering member services, events, and programs rather than a traditional software product. The core offerings include advocacy services for dairy policy in Wisconsin, annual events (Dairy Strong Conference, Dairy Day at the Capitol, Dairy Golf Classic), and the Dairy Stream podcast. The association also collaborates on sustainability programs through Farmers for Sustainable Food and the Climate-Smart Program. In September 2024, DBA joined with Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative and Minnesota Milk Producers Association under the Voice of Milk umbrella brand to amplify dairy farmer voices across the Midwest. Members have access to a portal with exclusive content and benchmarking resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Voice of Milk: An umbrella brand collaboration between Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative, Dairy Business Association, and Minnesota Milk Producers Association, working together to bring the voice of milk to communities, Congress and consumers

Products and services

• Dairy Strong Conference Annual flagship conference held in Green Bay, Wisconsin bringing together forward-thinking farmers, ag professionals, government and university representatives to tackle the dairy industry's most significant issues.
• Dairy Day at the Capitol Annual advocacy event where DBA members meet with state lawmakers at the Wisconsin State Capitol to share industry priorities and advocate for the dairy community.
• Dairy Golf Classic Annual golf event for members and sponsors to connect and support the dairy community.
• Dairy Stream Podcast Agricultural-focused podcast co-hosted with Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative covering policy, sustainability, market trends, new technology and farmer involvement.
• Farmers for Sustainable Food Alliance supporting and promoting farmer conservation efforts. Includes the Climate-Smart Program funded by USDA Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities that helps farmers determine effective conservation practices and document environmental impacts.
• Voice of Milk Multi-state collaboration umbrella brand bringing together Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative, Dairy Business Association and Minnesota Milk Producers Association to amplify dairy farmer voices throughout local communities, Congress and the dairy supply chain.
• Advocacy Services Policy advocacy bringing dairy farmer voice to Madison, Wisconsin to champion sound and reasonable policy for the dairy community.
• Member Portal Exclusive online portal for DBA members providing access to member-only blog, account management and resources.
• Benchmarking Resources Educational resources and guidance for farmers to track performance metrics against industry benchmarks, farm comparisons, and their own prior performance.
• DairyPAC The organization's political action committee supporting candidates who align with dairy industry priorities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 253,000 cows represented across Wisconsin dairy farms
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Edge Dairy Farmer CooperativecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Sister organization co-founding the Voice of Milk umbrella brand with DBA and Minnesota Milk Producers Association. Collaborates on federal policy advocacy, Dairy Stream podcast, and sustainability programs. Together represents over 1,400 dairy farmers across Midwest.
• Minnesota Milk Producers AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Third partner in Voice of Milk collaboration bringing together Edge, DBA, and Minnesota Milk under unified umbrella brand for stronger advocacy voice across Midwest states.
• The Nature Conservancy in WisconsinmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Co-founded Farmers for Sustainable Food alliance with DBA and Edge to support farmer conservation efforts and environmental stewardship.
• Clean WisconsinmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partner in Clean Water Initiative along with The Nature Conservancy and Wisconsin Land and Water Conservation Association, working to address water quality concerns.
• Wisconsin Land and Water Conservation AssociationmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partner in Clean Water Initiative addressing groundwater concerns and supporting farmer-led conservation groups.
• Farmers for Sustainable FoodcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Alliance created by DBA, Edge, and The Nature Conservancy in Wisconsin to support and promote farmers in their conservation efforts. Provides on-farm sustainability modeling and Climate-Smart Program helping farmers document environmental impacts. In first year, 53 farmers participated and reduced carbon equivalent to powering 6,602 homes.
• Compeer FinancialminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured sponsor at Dairy Strong conference events. Compeer team members present benchmarking sessions helping farmers understand financial performance metrics.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Farm Bureau Federation: National umbrella for state farm bureaus including Wisconsin Farm Bureau. Operates in the same broad agricultural advocacy space as DBA, but across all commodities and at a federal scale.
• National Milk Producers Federation: National dairy farmer trade association representing U.S. dairy cooperatives and farmers on federal policy. Comparable in mission (dairy advocacy) but operating at national scope rather than state-level.
• International Dairy Foods Association: Trade association representing U.S. dairy processors and manufacturers on federal regulatory, trade, and nutrition policy. Overlapping advocacy function with DBA, but processor- rather than farmer-centric and national in scope.

Others

• Dairy Farmers of America: Large national dairy marketing cooperative. While not a trade association, its cooperative structure and farmer membership overlap with DBA's farmer constituency and partner ecosystem.

Direct peers

• Minnesota Milk Producers Association: Third partner in the Voice of Milk umbrella. It is a state-level dairy farmer advocacy organization analogous to DBA, focused on Minnesota dairy policy and farmer engagement.
• Wisconsin Farmers Union: Wisconsin farmer advocacy organization that, like DBA, represents agricultural producers in state policy debates and grassroots campaigns, though typically with a different ideological orientation.
• Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation: Wisconsin's largest general-purpose farm advocacy organization. Operates in the same state, serves a partly overlapping member base, and competes for political influence and member dues.
• Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative: Sister dairy organization and co-founder of the Voice of Milk collaboration with DBA and Minnesota Milk. Both represent dairy farmers in the upper Midwest and share podcast, sustainability, and federal advocacy programs.
• American Dairy Products Institute: Trade association for dairy product manufacturers and ingredient suppliers. Closely aligned with the processor side of DBA's integrated farmer-plus-processor membership model.

Regional players

• Midwest Dairy: Regional dairy checkoff organization covering 10 Midwest states. Comparable in serving the Midwest dairy community, but funded by the dairy checkoff and focused on promotion/research rather than policy advocacy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DairyForward
• Facebookfacebook.com/DairyForward
• Instagraminstagram.com/dairystrong

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dairy Business Association