U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the Biden-Harris Administration is investing $9.6 million across the country and taking several other steps to help farmers, ranchers, processors, and rural businesses diversify the nation’s meat supply.
“USDA is putting the needs of farmers, ranchers, and consumers at the forefront of the Biden-Harris Administration’s work to strengthen the resiliency of America’s food supply chain while promoting competition,” Vilsack said. “USDA has undertaken a department-wide approach to coordinate ways to deliver more opportunities and fairer prices for producers, to give people access to healthier foods, eliminate bottlenecks in the food supply chain, and ultimately lower prices for consumers.”
Secretary Vilsack announced 25 new investments to increase independent meat processing capacity.
The department is awarding 23 Value-Added Producer Grant Program grants totaling $3.9 million to help producer-owned companies process and market new products. USDA is also providing guarantees for a total of $5.7 million in loans to two companies through the Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program using American Rescue Plan funding. This program supports new investments in infrastructure for food aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storage, transportation, wholesaling, and distribution.
Through these two programs, USDA is investing in 25 projects in California, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.
In Texas, Bottomland Prime LLC was provided a USDA loan in the amount of $4,950,000 to acquire a custom meat processing facility in Amarillo, Texas known as Edes Custom Meats. Bottomland Prime LLC expects to continue to include custom USDA-inspected slaughter for local producers, custom slaughter for specialty markets, and local retail sales of beef cuts, sausage, jerky, pork, and lamb. In addition, it will include wholesale markets through different convenience stores and cold storage services. This Rural Development investment includes funding for working capital/closing costs and will assist in the creation of 12 jobs and the retention of 30 jobs.
Secretary Vilsack also highlighted some of USDA’s accomplishments to date to support meat producers, promote competition and strengthen local and regional food supply chains. Last January, Secretary Vilsack joined President Biden at the White House to launch the Biden-Harris Action Plan for a Fairer, More Competitive, and More Resilient Meat and Poultry Supply Chain, part of USDA’s efforts to implement President Biden’s Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy.
Facility improvements and expansions will help processors obtain a Federal Grant of Inspection or qualify for a state’s Cooperative Interstate Shipment Program. Achieving a Federal Grant of Inspection or operating under a Cooperative Interstate Shipment program allows meat and poultry processors to ship products across state lines, develop new markets, increase capacity, and better meet consumer and producer demand along the supply chain. USDA also invested in efforts to strengthen its local and regional food supply chain with the Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP). LFPP grants support to local and regional food business enterprises that engage as intermediaries in indirect producer-to-consumer marketing. Projects that receive funding through LFPP focus on activities such as supporting the processing, aggregation, distribution, and storage of local and regional food products, developing value-added products, and aiding regional food chain coordination.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy, and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate-smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean-energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.
Under the Biden-Harris Administration, Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs, and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements, business development, housing, and community facilities such as schools, public safety, healthcare, and high-speed internet access in rural, tribal, and high-poverty areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.
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