U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the Biden-Harris Administration is making investments that will strengthen American food supply chains, increase independent meat and poultry processing capacity, create more, new and better markets for producers, and lower food costs.
Thanks to funding from President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, USDA is investing nearly $110 million through the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP) and the Local Meat Capacity (Local MCap) Grant Program.
For example:
$603,582 – The Minnesota Farmers Union Foundation, a nonprofit established to advance the educational and cooperative mission of its family farmer members, will invest MPPEP – Phase 2 funding to develop a modular red meat processing facility in north-central Minnesota. The new facility is expected to
employ 15 full-time staff while also providing training to and apprenticeships in collaboration with Central Lakes College’s meat cutting program. The new facility will join an ecosystem of other businesses owned by Farmers Union Industries, including rendering plants in southern Minnesota and a restaurant in Minneapolis.
$5,697,500 – Midwestern Meat Locker is a full service butcher shop that harvests, processes, and further processes cattle, hogs, sheep and bison for local producers in Newell, South Dakota. Currently operating in a facility built in 1911, Midwestern Meat Locker will use MPPEP – Phase 2 funds to purchase land, construct, and equip a new facility that will allow them to begin operating under USDA inspection while increasing their capacity by 300%. As a result of this project, Midwestern Meat Locker will double the number of producers they serve while creating five new full-time jobs.
Details on all of the awards are available online.
USDA’s Rural Development has provided 59 awards totaling over $291.4 million through MPPEP to expand processing capacity and strengthen the food supply chain.
USDA news release
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