USDA Invests Over $500,000 in North Dakota Meat Processing: Three Processors Receive $509,912 Combined
Tom Campbell, U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development state director for North Dakota, announced on November 3 that USDA is moving forward with over $500,000 in investments through the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP) to help three North Dakota meat processors expand capacity, strengthen competition, and create new market opportunities for ranchers. The three grants total $509,912.
Butcher's Edge in Edgeley, North Dakota, will receive $169,087 to increase processing capacity, improve efficiency, and expand value-added meat production through the purchase of a Variovac rollstock packaging machine and a Vemag vacuum stuffer. USDA said the upgrades will allow the facility to produce more fully cooked and resale-ready products, improve packaging quality and shelf life, and increase productivity without adding staff.
Spruce Hill Meats LLC in Bowman will receive $156,587 to modernize and expand processing capacity at its USDA-inspected facility by replacing outdated, unreliable, labor-intensive, and unsafe equipment. The funds will buy a meat grinder, patty former, skinning cradle, humane livestock knock box and sweep system, vacuum tumbler, meat saw, portioning and linking system, hydraulic sausage stuffer, meat mixer, strip slicer, and tenderizer, improving humane slaughter, sanitation, employee safety, product consistency, and operational efficiency.
Maple Valley Locker Inc. in Enderlin will receive $184,238 to purchase a Scandivac roll stock packaging machine, a Tipper Tie stapler, a Jeros utensil washer with water softener, and CMS Custom Meat Solutions software and hardware, increasing throughput and automating packaging and business operations.
"Agriculture remains the backbone of North Dakota's economy, and our local meat processors play a critical role in supporting ranchers and feeding communities across the region," Campbell said. "These investments will help processors increase capacity, improve operations, and create new market opportunities."
MPPEP is managed by USDA Rural Development's Rural Business-Cooperative Service. USDA said it has awarded more than $200 million to independent businesses under the program. (Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture)
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：北达科他州大草原（资料图）。照片：John Fowler，CC BY 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The Dakota Grasslands in North Dakota (file photo). Photo by John Fowler, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
