New meat processing plant is located in rural NYM

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) has awarded $709,235 in 2022 Meat, Poultry, Egg, and Milk Processing Grants to 15 recipients across Minnesota in its first year of operation.

  The grant program aims to facilitate the start-up, modernization, or expansion of meat, poultry, egg, and milk processing businesses. The intent of the program is to increase sales of Minnesota-raised livestock products by investing in equipment and physical improvements that support processing, capacity, market diversification, and market access.

“The past couple years has clearly shown us the need for Minnesota farmers to have expanded options for processing their livestock and related products,” Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen said. “This new grant helps butchers increase the resiliency of their processing and provides customers with increased access to fresh meat, poultry, egg, and milk products.”

Funding for this program is made available through the MDA’s Agricultural Growth, Research, and Innovation (AGRI) program, which administers grants to farmers, agribusinesses, schools, and more throughout the state of Minnesota. The AGRI Program exists to advance Minnesota’s agricultural and renewable energy sectors.

Among the local businesses who were awarded a grant was Midwest Meats, LLC who received $40,000. The money will be utilized to add a kill floor and purchase production equipment.