USDA Awards $797,059 to Expand Meat Processing in Kentucky: Four Processors Funded
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Kentucky State Director Travis T. Burton and Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell announced in Lexington on November 2 that four Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP) grants totaling $797,059 - nearly $800,000, according to USDA - will go to four Kentucky meat processors to expand capacity and improve the food supply chain.
"Today's announcement providing investments in Kentucky meat processors builds on President Trump's Executive Order 'Promoting Fair Competition in Livestock Markets and Expanding Market Access for American Meat Producers'," said Burton. "Thanks to the leadership of President Trump and Secretary Rollins, USDA is working tirelessly to increase local food options and lower costs for Kentucky families while helping farmers and agricultural producers have a better chance to compete." Shell said Kentucky farmers raise some of the finest livestock in America, and expanding local processing capacity means more competition, more options for producers, and a stronger food supply chain.
The four recipients are: Central KY Custom Meats, Inc., which will use $59,537 to purchase a new automatic feed mixer/grinder with Unger system, a patty-forming machine, and a commercial utensil and parts washer, increasing its USDA-inspected beef-processing capacity from approximately 18 cattle per week to 23 per week in Year 1 and 26 per week by Year 3; Marksbury Farm Foods, LLC, which will use $250,000 to acquire and install a FOSS MeatMaster Flex in-line X-ray process analyzer to improve quality control and food safety verification, with annual further-processing volume expected to increase by approximately 19.7 percent; Riverview Meat Company LLC, which will use $237,953 to purchase equipment including a vacuum stuffer, double clipper, food processing oven, mixer/grinder, band saw, splitting saw, digital scale, vacuum tumbler, and tenderizer/cuber, enabling production of bratwursts, linked sausage, hot dogs, bacon, hams, and marinated products; and Kentucky Meatsmith LLC, which will use $249,569 to purchase processing, packaging, sanitation, material-handling, and production management equipment to reduce bottlenecks and expand value-added processing.
USDA noted that expanding access to meat processing is important to Kentucky's cattle producers: Kentucky has the largest beef cow herd east of the Mississippi River. Congressman Andy Barr (KY-06) said the investments will help local businesses grow, expand markets for Kentucky livestock producers, and strengthen rural communities.
MPPEP is managed by USDA Rural Development's Rural Business-Cooperative Services and provides grants to help eligible independent processors expand capacity, encouraging competition and sustainable growth in the U.S. meat processing sector and improving supply chain resiliency. USDA has awarded more than $200 million to independent businesses under MPPEP. The Kentucky grants are part of MPPEP Phase 4 rolling out state by state: Vice President J.D. Vance and Agriculture Secretary Brooke L. Rollins previously announced that processors in 40 states are expected to receive a combined $57,424,130 across 147 awards through the program.
(Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture)
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：肯塔基州草地上的肉牛群（资料图）。美国农业部摄，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Beef cattle on pasture in Kentucky (file photo). U.S. Department of Agriculture photo, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
