DBI Performance Measures

Outcome 1: Encourage The Use Of Regional Milk Production

indicator 1.1

Total number of partnerships and/or 

collaborations established between 

dairy producers/processors and

 local/regional supply networks___

i

• 1.1a: Of those established, the number 

formalized with written agreements (i.e. MOU’s, 

signed contracts, etc.)

• 1.1b: Of those established, the number of 

partnerships with underserved organizations

• 1.1c: Of those established, the number of 

partnerships with dairy cooperatives

Data Collection Tip

Data on partnerships or collaborations can be 

collected by establishing counts of partnerships 

formed, whether informally (noting in-person 

handshake agreements and partnerships formed 

via phone, email, etc.) or formally (noting

 number of MOU’s or contracts signed). 

Stakeholders should refer to the definition of 

underserved organizations to accurately report 

counts of agreements made with this population.

All applicants much identify at least one 

outcome and indicator from the list

 below that will be addressed through 

their grant projects. Applicants will need 

to establish baseline numbers and/or 

estimate realistic target numbers for the 

outcome(s) and indicator(s) they select. 

Below are outcomes and indicators and 

some guidelines on how to collect data 

on the outcomes and indicators.

Page 1
indicator 1.2

Of the total number of partnerships 

and collaborations identified in 1.1, 

the number that reported

• 1.2a: Expanded/improved local/regional dairy 

infrastructure

• 1.2b: Higher profits

• 1.2c: More efficient transportation

• 1.2d: Improved marketing channels

• 1.2e: Increased volume of local/regional milk 

used

• 1.2f: And/or other mid-tier value chain 

enhancements

Data Collection Tip

Data on 1.2a-1.2f can be collected from 

relevant partnerships formed after receiving 

services supported by the grant. Stakeholders 

should establish baselines of the required 

metrics prior to implementing the partnership 

and/or collaboration and noting whether an 

increase or decrease of that metric occurred. 1.2b 

can be reported on a per-constituent level (i.e., if 

two partners in one partnership both experience 

higher profits, they can both be counted under 

this sub-indicator). Reporting on 1.2a and 1.2c-1.2f 

should be reported on a partnership-level (i.e., 

the resulting improved metric is reported on a 

per-partnership basis, rather than each 

constituent within a partnership reporting 

separately). Improvement can be measured by 

increased volume and/or capacity to move 

volume, increased speed, waste reduction, 

decreased distance between point of production 

and point of sale, decreased time spent, higher 

quality technology/ infrastructure, etc. Efficiency 

can be measured by evaluating the ratio of inputs 

(labor, time, resources, etc.) to outputs (product). 

Page 2
indicator 2.1

Number of dairy businesses that 

implemented new marketing 

procedures 

Data Collection Tip

Data on number of dairy businesses who 

implemented new marketing procedures can be 

collected by establishing counts of businesses 

that implemented new or innovative marketing 

strategies after receiving services supported by 

the grant. 

Data Collection Tip

Data on expanded dairy product offerings can be 

collected by establishing baselines of dairy 

product line offerings at the beginning of the 

grant period and tracking product line expansion 

within the organization, in collaboration with 

other organizations, and/or on behalf of other 

partner organizations after receiving services 

supported by the grant.

indicator 2.2

Total number of existing market 

access points that established and/or 

expanded dairy product offerings___. 

Of those, the number that were 

i

• 2.2a: Farmers markets 

• 2.2b: Roadside stands

• 2.2c: Agritourism

• 2.2d: Grocery stores

• 2.2e: Wholesale markets/buyers

• 2.2f: Restaurants

• 2.2g: Agricultural cooperatives

• 2.2h: Retailers

• 2.2i: Distributors

• 2.2j: Food hubs

• 2.2k: Shared-use kitchens 

• 2.2l: School food programs

• 2.2m: Community-supported agriculture (CSAs)

• 2.2n: Other

Outcome 2: Diversify And Expand Dairy Product Market 

Opportunities 

Page 3
indicator 2.3

Total number of new market access 

points that established dairy product 

offerings___. Of those, the number 

that were 

i

• 2.3a: Farmers markets 

• 2.3b: Roadside stands

• 2.3c: Agritourism

• 2.3d: Grocery stores

• 2.3e: Wholesale markets/buyers

• 2.3f: Restaurants

• 2.3g: Agricultural cooperatives

• 2.3h: Retailers

• 2.3i: Distributors

• 2.3j: Food hubs

• 2.3k: Shared-use kitchens 

• 2.3l: School food programs

• 2.3m: Community-supported agriculture (CSAs)

• 2.3n: Other

Page 4

Data Collection Tip

Data on new market access points that 

established dairy product offerings can be 

collected from relevant market access points that 

began offering dairy products after receiving 

services supported by the grant. Recipients 

should note at the beginning of the grant period 

which access points did not offer dairy products 

and were targeted to expand their product 

offerings to include dairy products.

Data Collection Tip

Data on increased sales can be collected by 

establishing baselines of sales data at the 

beginning of the grant period and noting if there 

was an increase after selling to new/additional 

market access points. Sales data can be tracked 

by noting change in dollar amount, percent 

change, or a combination of volume and average 

price. Stakeholders are not required to report a 

numeric value, so reluctance to share financial 

data should not impact this reporting 

requirement

indicator 2.4

Number of dairy businesses that 

increased dairy product sales by 

selling to new/additional market 

access points to meet increased 

demand

Data Collection Tip

Data on increased sales can be collected by 

establishing baselines of sales data at the 

beginning of the grant period and noting if there 

was an increase after receiving services supported 

by the grant. Sales data can be tracked by 

noting change in dollar amount, percent change, 

or a combination of volume and average price. 

Stakeholders are not required to report a numeric 

value, so reluctance to share financial data should 

not impact this reporting requirement.

indicator 2.5

Number of market access points 

reporting increased sales of dairy 

products
indicator 3.1

Number of dairy businesses that 

gained knowledge about dairy product 

development or dairy business 

improvement methods 

indicator 3.2

Number of dairy businesses that 

implemented new or modified dairy 

processes or production methods 

Data Collection Tip

Measuring the number of dairy businesses who 

gained knowledge about dairy product 

development or dairy business improvement 

methods will vary depending on recipient 

activities and types of stakeholders engaged. The 

“Data Collection Considerations” section 

within the Program Evaluation Framework 

outlines methods for measuring knowledge gain 

through surveys, separate studies, measuring 

digital traffic, and tracking transactions and/or 

returning customers. Recipients who are 

required to collect this data will identify an 

appropriate method for establishing baseline and 

updated knowledge-related data to report on this 

indicator.

Data Collection Tip

Data on the number of producers or processors 

that implemented new or modified dairy 

processes or production methods can be 

collected by establishing counts within an 

organization, in collaboration with other 

organizations, and/or on behalf of other partner 

organizations after receiving services supported 

by the grant.

Page 5

Outcome 3: Promote Business Development that Diversifies 

Farmer Income Through Processing and Production Innovations
Page 6

indicator 3.3

Number of dairy businesses that 

expanded their existing dairy product 

line 

Data Collection Tip

Data on expanded product lines can be collected 

by establishing baselines of product offerings at 

the beginning of the grant period and tracking 

product line expansion within the organization, in 

collaboration with other organizations, and/or on 

behalf of other partner organizations after 

receiving services supported by the grant.

indicator 3.4

Number of dairy businesses that began 

producing dairy products

Data Collection Tip

Data on number of stakeholders who began 

producing new dairy products can be collected 

by establishing counts within an organization, in 

collaboration with other organizations, and/or on 

behalf of other partner organizations after 

receiving services supported by the grant.

Data Collection Tip

Data on number of dairy products created or 

modified can be collected by establishing counts 

of created/modified dairy products within an 

organization, in collaboration with other 

organizations, and/or on behalf of other partner 

organizations after receiving services supported 

by the grant.

indicator 3.5

Number of dairy products created or 

enhanced
Page 7

indicator 3.6

Number of dairy businesses that 

increased dairy product sales 

measured in 

• 3.6a: Dollars,

• 3.6b: Percentage change, or

• 3.6c: Combination of volume and average price

Data Collection Tip

Data on increased sales can be collected from 

relevant producers or other stakeholders engaged 

by the grant recipient as part of the established 

project. Recipients should compare baseline sales 

to sales data after their marketing campaign is 

concluded. Recipients can encourage producers 

or other stakeholders to share sales data in the 

following ways:

Education: Educate producers on how their data 

is being used, the purpose of the data collection, 

importance of data collection, etc.

Transparency: Increase transparency through 

the use of clear, easy to understand contracts, 

data-use agreements, etc. Ensure producers/

stakeholders fully understand the contract prior to 

signing. 

Trust: Build trust with producers/stakeholders by 

highlighting shared core values, interests, 

commitments to common causes and the 

mutual benefits of sharing information (show 

direct, tangible benefits to producers, such as 

financial sustainability, training, etc.). 

Other Best Practices: If possible, recipients can 

develop privacy policies to keep producer/

stakeholder identities anonymous. AMS should 

work with recipients to facilitate trust building and 

educate recipients on how sales data is used by 

AMS. 

indicator 3.7

Number of dairy-related jobs

• 3.7a: Created

• 3.7b: Maintained

Data Collection Tip

Data on dairy-related jobs created or maintained 

can be collected by establishing baselines of the 

number of dairy-related jobs at the beginning of 

the grant period. Growth (or maintenance) can 

be discerned by monitoring dairy-related job 

numbers after receiving services supported by 

the grant. Dairy-related jobs should be monitored 

through the organizations’ payroll. Stakeholders 

should refer to the definition of jobs, which 

discerns between “created” and “maintained,” to 

accurately report this data. Recipients can 

determine jobs according to the number of 

full-time employees (FTEs) within an organization, 

in collaboration with other organizations, and/or 

on behalf of other partner organizations. FTEs can 

be calculated based on the average number of 

hours worked by an FTE per year or per month, 

depending on what’s most appropriate for a 

recipients’ project (e.g., if a recipient employs 

mostly seasonal workers or has subrecipients that 

only participate in the project or report on project 

involvement for a certain number of months, they 

may choose to calculate FTEs per month). See 

below for suggested calculation options.

Calculating FTEs per year: Generally, 2,080 hours 

per year is standard; however, recipients can refer 

to state/local policy codes to approximate 

standard FTE hours. 

Step 1: Determine number of labor hours 

resulting from project activities for the year. 

Step 2: Divide result of step 1 by the total standard 

FTE count of hours per year.

Calculating FTEs per month: 

Step 1: Determine the number of FTEs who work 

30+ hours per week per month during the 

measurement period. 

Step 2: Determine the total part-time and 

seasonal hours worked per week per month 

during the previous year and divide by 120 

Step 3: Add up the subtotal in steps 1 and 2, then 

divide by 12 to determine the number of FTEs.