The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced they’re opening up $123 million dollars in grants to help meat and poultry processors across the country — including in New Hampshire — in partnership with the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund.
The grants are part of the meat and poultry processing expansion program, which is meant to encourage sustainable growth and competition in the meat processing industry and help strengthen the supply chain.
The USDA says they’re hoping the grants increase efficiency and ease bottlenecks.
Farmers and meat processors around New Hampshire have said the COVID-19 pandemic revealed strains on the industry, and funding from the federal government has been helping facilities build back their capacity.
Steve Saltzman, CEO of the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund, says processing is one of the biggest challenges for family farms in the state.
The Community Loan Fund is administering the program nationally, distributing the grants and monitoring and reporting on the projects.
“Helping independent farmers and ranchers grow sustainable operations has been a longtime focus of the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund’s Farm Food program,” he said in a statement. “Through our administration of these nationwide grants, we will learn best practices that we can promote and share with farmers here in the Granite State.”
Grant applications are due Nov. 22. Applicants must cover 70% of the total cost of the projects, and eligible projects could receive up to 10 million dollars.
