News

USDA awards meat processing grants

As part of the Biden administration’s investment in local meat processing, USDA will distribute $73 million to processors across several states through the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program.

Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack tells Brownfield Missouri-based Zimmerman Meats is one of more than 20 grant recipients.

“We anticipate and expect this will increase their ability to package and further process meat products by ten-fold, to better access value-added opportunities for this particular project in rural, southern Missouri.”

Vilsack says additional grant recipients in this first phase of funding will be announced by early 2023. Applications are being accepted for a second round of grant funding.

USDA also has a Meat and Poultry Intermediary Lending Program and the Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program to fund expansions of meat and poultry programs.