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**The below USDA Rural Development Maine announcement is particularly important because meat and poultry processors are ineligible for the USDA?s Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) grant program, which DACF will be rolling out in 2024.**
Courtesy News Distribution
For Immediate Release?
USDA Makes More Grants Available for Maine Meat and Poultry Processors
Bangor, Maine,?Aug. 24, 2023?? U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Maine State Director Rhiannon Hampson announced that USDA is making more funding available for meat and poultry processors. This new phase of the USDA?Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program?(MPPEP) provides grants to expand operations, transform the food supply chain, and create new and better markets for producers.
This funding advances the Biden-Harris Administration?s President Biden?s commitment to grow the economy from the bottom up. It will create new markets for small and mid-sized farming and ranching operations while protecting opportunity in rural communities for generations to come.
?As we look to farmers to be leaders in land preservation and climate forward practices, we must support their efforts by improving the systems they use to access markets,? Rhiannon Hampson said. ?This investment by the Biden-Harris Administration is part of the hard work being done to create resiliency in our domestic food supply chain. Right here in Maine, small and mid-sized farmers will benefit from this opportunity.?
USDA is partnering with the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund to make available $123 million in grants nationwide. The program is part of a series of actions the Biden-Harris Administration has taken to promote a fairer, more competitive, and more resilient meat and poultry supply chain.
Grant recipients may use the funds to modernize their facilities, adopt new technologies, and train workers, among other activities. Eligible projects may receive grants from?$250,000 up to $10 million. Successful applicants must be able to cover 70% of their total project cost.
Applications must be submitted through?Grants.gov?by 11:59 p.m. ET on Nov. 22, 2023. Details on eligibility and requirements are available on Grants.gov. Specific questions may be directed to?[email protected].
Contact: Leigh Hallett, (207) 990-9175
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