Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana were among states awarded funding from the U.S. Agriculture Department to enhance the independent meat and poultry industry.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced on June 29, 2023, that the agency is providing funding to expand the independent meat and poultry industry through increasing market opportunities for farmers, upping processing capacity and supporting a growing workforce in rural areas.
Besides Minnesota, Montana, South Dakota and Minnesota, the funding supports projects in Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin.
American farmers and ranchers have responded to the demand to produce more, but their communities have struggled to see their share of the wealth, Vilsack said.
The funding announcement highlighted the producers and reflected the goals of President Joe Biden’s Investing in American agenda, USDA said in a news release. The agenda’s goals include advancing a sustainable view of agriculture, prioritizing the needs of farmers and small businesses, and promoting competition.
USDA funding includes 15 awards totaling $115 million in 17 states. The agency also is providing five awards totaling $28 million through the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program in five states and 10 awards totaling $77 million under the Meat and Poultry Intermediary Lending Program in 12 states. Meanwhile, USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture is providing seven awards totaling $4.5 million to community and technical colleges in seven states through the Meat and Poultry Processing Agricultural Workforce Training program. The funding is aimed at building a pipeline of well-trained meat processing workers and support safe workplaces with fair wages for workers, USDA said.
Source: agweek.com
Photo Credit: USDA
Categories: New York, Livestock