U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that USDA is awarding more than $35 million in grants to 15 independent meat processors in 12 states to increase processing capacity, spur competition to expand market opportunities for U.S. farmers and create jobs in rural areas. This marks the final investment in the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP), funded by President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, which was first launched in 2022.
The investments announced today also advance the President’s Investing in America agenda and support the Administration’s Action Plan for a Fairer, More Competitive, and More Resilient Meat and Poultry Supply Chain, which dedicates resources to expand independent processing capacity.
“For the past four years, the Biden-Harris Administration has advanced a sustainable vision of agriculture that prioritizes the needs of the hardworking producers and small business owners who keep rural communities strong,” Secretary Vilsack said. “Through investments like these, USDA is working to give farmers and ranchers a fair chance to compete in the marketplace, which will increase local food options and lower grocery costs for American families.”
Since the beginning of the program, USDA has provided 74 awards totaling more than $325 million through MPPEP to expand processing capacity and strengthen the food supply chain.
Many projects are still in development and have already increased the processing capacity at these facilities by more than 800,000 cattle, 14,000 hogs, 23 million chickens and 5 million turkeys annually. Additionally these projects are serving almost 900 additional meat and poultry producers and have created more than 1,200 new jobs.
As part of today’s announcement, the funding will help build new processing plants, create hundreds of jobs, give local producers and entrepreneurs better business opportunities, and give consumers more options at the grocery store. For example:
- Lakes Community Cooperative, based in west central Minnesota (with offices in Perham, Lake Park and Mahnomen) has a processing facility that provides its member/owners with multi-species livestock processing services. Funding from USDA – $533,471 – will be used to help the cooperative double their processing capacity through an addition to their current facility and new equipment purchases, resulting in the creation of 6 new full-time jobs and an estimated 100 new producers served.
- Old Salt Meat Company in Helena, Montana, is a cooperatively owned livestock processor focused on driving value and return to producers while helping consumers access locally raised beef. In addition to their processing facility, they operate a retail market and restaurant. With a nearly 1.4 million dollar grant from MPPEP – Phase 2, they will establish a USDA-inspected slaughter facility, scale up their fabrication space under USDA inspection, and expand their cold storage capacity. As a result, Old Salt Meat Company anticipates serving 6 new producers and creating 29 new full-time jobs.
The awards will benefit people living in Arkansas, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New York and Pennsylvania.
Details on all of the awards announced is available online.
USDA news release
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