USDA Awards $408,410 to Two South Dakota Meat Processors: New Equipment to Raise Capacity by Up to 40%
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development agency announced in Huron, South Dakota, on November 5 that two meat processors in the state will receive a combined $408,410 to expand their capacity and create new and better markets. The funding comes through USDA's Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP), under which the department recently announced $57 million in new investments nationwide.
Very Good Meat Company LLC will receive $224,292 to expand beef processing and value-added product capacity by purchasing a patty machine, a beef stick stuffer, and a rollstock packaging machine. USDA said the investments are expected to increase production efficiency, improve packaging speed and product consistency, and allow more locally sourced beef to be processed into higher-value products.
Bluebird Locker, Inc. will receive $184,118 to purchase a rollstock packaging machine to automate packaging operations, increase processing efficiency, and reduce packaging bottlenecks. The new equipment is expected to expand processing capacity by up to 40%.
Lorraine Polak, USDA Rural Development's South Dakota state director, said the funding will help small and regional processors expand and become more efficient, ultimately giving producers more opportunity and more choices of where to take their beef, while providing good-quality products in local communities.
USDA said it has awarded more than $200 million to independent businesses under the MPPEP program, and that the projects have created thousands of jobs across the country.
Source: USDA Rural Development
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：牧场上放牧的赫里福德肉牛。照片：King of Hearts，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons 发布／Hereford beef cattle grazing on pasture. Photo by King of Hearts, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
