Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is announcing more than nine-million dollars in grants and loans for projects to bolster independent meat processing, with direct impact on two ag projects in Iowa.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says these investments are a way to give more marketing opportunities to small and mid-size farming operations.
A meat locker being built in the northwest Iowa town Marcus is receiving an 800-thousand dollar loan for new construction, while a cattle operation in the southwest Iowa town of Tabor gets a 210-thousand-dollar grant to expand production. Vilsack says the loan to Jordan’s Meat Market in Marcus will fund new construction and bring new jobs.
The two Iowa projects are among 25 across 15 states.
