Edgewood Locker Inc. of Edgewood, Iowa, will receive $200,000 to invest in a new refrigeration system to allow for products to be at 35 degrees within 18 hours - six hours faster than their current system. This is just one of the 111 grant projects that will receive funding through USDA’s Meat and Poultry Inspection Readiness Grant Program (MPIRG).
“Upgrading our refrigeration system will enable us to serve additional custom processing customers while shortening lead times for harvest appointments and improving product quality,” says Luke Kerns, co-owner of Edgewood Locker.
On Aug. 31, USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced an additional $21.9 million of funding that will support projects in 37 states to help strengthen and develop new market opportunities for U.S. meat and poultry processors. This brings the total funding of this program to $54.6 million.
“The Meat and Poultry Inspection Readiness Grants will help meat and poultry processors make necessary facility improvements, expand their businesses, and strengthen the nation’s food supply chain,” Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said in a release. “These grants are one part of USDA’s Meat and Poultry Supply Chain initiatives and will contribute to our efforts to transform our food system.”
AMS also encourages MPIRG awardees and eligible participants in USDA’s Meat and Poultry Supply Chain initiatives to request assistance through the Meat and Poultry Processing Capacity Technical Assistance Program (MPPTA). Launched in March 2022, MPPTA connects participants to a nationwide network of resources and expertise.
“USDA continues to build capacity and increase economic opportunity for small and midsized meat and poultry producers across the country,” Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt said in a release.
More examples of projects funded this round include:
• Waseca Morgan’s Meat Market LLC in Waseca, Minn.
Funding will help this beef and pork processing plant modernize by adding a high-capacity smokehouse to maintain regular and even temperature during cooking and increase value-added production. They also proposed a series of facility improvements to comply with FSIS product separation requirements and utility improvements to handle increases in production and ensure the proper, safe functioning of the smokehouse.
• Fair Play Fine Meats LLC in Fair Play, Mo.
Funding will allow this small beef and pork slaughter and processing plant modernize with equipment to help achieve the CIS status needed to expand any further and comply with FSIS protocols.
• Love Family Enterprises Inc., Mattoon, Ill.
Funding will help this family-owned small beef and pork processing business, originally started in 1979, modernize with equipment to achieve the USDA status needed to expand any further and comply with FSIS protocols. The owners estimate that this project will help them create four jobs and source meat from 284 unique farmers within a 60-mile radius of the facility. They estimate these improvements can increase production capacity to 1,848,600 lb. per year.
“Facility improvements and expansions funded through MPIRG 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,” ARS said in the release.
To view the list of this year’s MPIRG awardees, visit the MPRIG award page. Additional information on MPIRG can be found on AMS’ MPIRG webpage.
