JULY 3, 2023:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is making investments to increase independent meat and poultry processing capacity, expand market opportunities for farmers and support a growing workforce in rural areas.
USDA is providing 15 awards totaling $115 million in 17 states.
- USDA is providing five awards totaling $38 million through the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP) to help independent processors in five states.
- USDA is also providing 10 awards totaling $77 million under the Meat and Poultry Intermediary Lending Program (MPILP) in 12 states.
USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture is also providing seven awards totaling $4.5 million to community and technical colleges in seven states through the Meat and Poultry Processing–Agricultural Workforce Training (AWT) program. These investments will build a pipeline of well-trained meat processing workers and support safe workplaces with fair wages for workers.
Some examples of projects in this announcement include:
- In Montana, Mountain West Economic Development will use a $15 million MPILP investment to support meat and poultry processing and slaughterhouse operations in Flathead Valley.
- In Michigan, three independent businesses will use a $2 million MPPEP award to help construct and equip a meat and poultry processing and retail facility: Mighty Fine Poultry Processing, LLC will slaughter and process poultry; Retro Meats Company, LLC will process red meat; and Swift Run Market, LLC will also process and sell meat products. Together, these activities are expected to increase demand for animals, increase opportunities for producers, and improve processing operations.
- Farmers Union Foundation, a charitable organization that provides resources for rural economic development, will use an $800,000 MPILP award to lend funds to independent small and medium sized meat processors in Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
The funds will support projects in Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin.
Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP)
The Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP), made possible by American Rescue Plan Act funding, provides grants to help eligible independent processors expand their capacity. USDA Rural Development designed the MPPEP to encourage competition and sustainable growth in the U.S. meat processing sector, and to help improve supply chain resiliency. To date in fiscal year 2023, USDA has awarded $171 million to 31 MPPEP projects that have created nearly 3,000 jobs in rural communities.
Meat and Poultry Intermediary Lending Program (MPILP)
The Meat and Poultry Intermediary Lending Program (MPILP) provides grant funding to intermediary lenders who finance the start-up, expansion, or operation of independent meat and poultry processing facilities. The objective of the MPILP is to strengthen the financing capacity for independent meat processors, and to create a more resilient, diverse, and secure U.S. food supply chain. To date in fiscal year 2023, USDA has awarded $186 million to 24 MPILP projects that supported economic growth in 14 states and Puerto Rico.
Meat and Poultry Processing–Agricultural Workforce Training (AWT) Program
Leaders across the beef, pork and poultry industries consistently share that an expanded, well-trained workforce is one of their most persistent needs. Safe and resilient meat and poultry supply chains require a skilled, credentialed and diverse workforce. The Meat and Poultry Processing–Agricultural Workforce Training (AWT) program, offered in Fiscal Year 2022 through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) and made possible by American Rescue Plan Act funding, supports projects that develop, expand and standardize meat and poultry processing training programs at community and technical colleges, providing a well-trained future workforce.
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