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Grants available to improve supply chain efficiency

Missouri Agriculture Director Chris Chinn says new USDA-funded grants are available to help improve the efficiency of the middle of the ag supply chain.

“This funding came about because of COVID. USDA saw some bottlenecks in the food processing system and this money is to address some of those challenges.”

She says Missouri farmers who want to direct market to the consumer could qualify for funding.

“If they were needing to purchase equipment to further process the product they’ve grown to sell directly to the consumer and food hubs are another example that could use another example of the money.”

There are two grant applications available for the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program. An equipment-only grant can only be used for equipment purchases and must be submitted by March 8.

“The minimum award amount will be $10,000 and the maximum award is $100,000. You must have the project completed by June 30, 2025 and no matching grant is required.”

Infrastructure grant applications, for improving existing buildings or new construction, must be submitted by March 15.

“The minimum award amount is $100,000 and the maximum is up to $3 million. You need to have the project completed by December 31, 2026 and this grant program has a 50% match required.”

Applications are available on the Missouri Agriculture Department’s website here. She says the funds are expected to be awarded on July 1.