$59M Investment to Strengthen Food Supply Chain, Rural Economies
The Biden-Harris Administration is investing $59 million across the country to increase independent meat and poultry processing capacity, expand market opportunities for farmers and create jobs in rural areas.
The investments support the Biden-Harris Administration’s Action Plan for a Fairer, More Competitive, and More Resilient Meat and Poultry Supply Chain, which dedicates resources to expand independent processing capacity. As President Biden has highlighted, creating fairer markets and more opportunities for family farmers helps bring down prices at the grocery store.
“For too long, American farmers and ranchers have been asked to produce more to meet increasing demand across the country and around the world, while they and the rural communities they come from have struggled to see their fair share of the benefits,” U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said.
“The Biden-Harris Administration and USDA are taking action to advance a sustainable vision of agriculture that prioritizes the needs of our resilient producers and small businesses, strengthens our food supply chain and brings value back to rural people and places. Through investments like those I’m announcing today, USDA will continue to work tirelessly to give farmers and ranchers a fair chance to compete in the marketplace, which in turn helps lower food costs for the American people.”
Vilsack announced the new investments while touring a processing facility in Harrisonburg, Va., that will be expanded with the funding. Vilsack and Deputy Secretary Jewel Bronaugh visited with local producers and members of the community to discuss the importance of these investments to the region’s economy.
USDA is providing the $59 million in grants to five independent processors under the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program. The funding will help build new processing plants, create hundreds of jobs, give local producers and entrepreneurs more options and business opportunities, and give consumers more options at the grocery store.
In Virginia, Shenandoah Valley Organic LLC is receiving a $3.6 million grant to expand its organic chicken processing facility in Harrisonburg to meet increasing demand. The grant will be used for equipment purchases, new conveyor lines, building and site modifications, and a new wastewater treatment system. The improvements will help the facility alleviate processing bottlenecks and nearly double its processing capacity to 630,000 birds per week. These investments will create 300 jobs and enable Shenandoah Valley to provide more processing options and choices for customers.
In Idaho, Riverbend Meats LLC is receiving a $25 million grant to help build an environmentally friendly beef processing plant in Idaho Falls. The funding also will be used for custom equipment and installation of nine miles of mainline gas pipe. The project is expected to double the plant’s capacity from 300 head per day to 600, increasing the price ranchers receive for their cattle and lowering costs for consumers.
In South Dakota, CNF Enterprises LLC is receiving a $3.3 million grant to help build a 30,000-square-foot processing facility in New Underwood. The facility will have the capacity to process 4,000 head per year, including beef, pork, lamb and buffalo. CNF Enterprises is a new company that was formed to help meet the increasing demand for high-quality, locally sourced meat products.
Through the American Rescue Plan, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and the Inflation Reduction Act, the Biden-Harris Administration has made once-in-a-generation investments in rural America. These investments have provided USDA with an unprecedented amount of resources to invest in rural communities and transform our food system.
In November, USDA awarded $75 million to 22 projects under MPPEP. In January, USDA awarded an additional $12 million to three more MPPEP projects. The program is one of many actions that USDA is taking to expand processing capacity, create more revenue streams and market opportunities for producers, and transform the nation’s food system.
Additional information on all these programs is available at www.usda.gov/meat.
Under the Biden-Harris Administration, Rural Development provides loans, grants and loan guarantees to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural, Tribal and high-poverty areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.
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Singapore Grocery Selling GOOD Meat Cultivated Chicken
Huber’s Butchery, one of Singapore’s premier producers and suppliers of high-quality meat products, will become the first butchery in the world to sell and serve cultivated chicken. With the introduction of the latest version of GOOD Meat’s cultivated chicken, the family-owned and operated business is thrilled to add a new, locally produced offering to its display case and bistro menu.
Through Saturday, Dec. 10, invited guests will get an early taste of the cultivated chicken dishes that will be available weekly starting in January for in-restaurant dining by reservation, while supplies last. The special preview coincides with the second anniversary of GOOD Meat’s historic launch in Singapore and follows last month’s United Nations Climate Change Conference in Egypt where the company’s chicken was enjoyed by global climate leaders, media and members of civil society for the first time outside of Singapore.
“Offering this new approach to making meat at a butchery is another historic moment in the long road to making our food system more delicious and sustainable. I’m very proud to partner with the Huber’s team to give people a whole new way to experience our cultivated chicken in the new year,” said Josh Tetrick, co-founder and CEO of Eat Just.
“When we founded our butcher shop, we made it our mission to provide top quality and exceptional tasting meat products with the highest food safety standards at an affordable price. Partnering with GOOD Meat is in keeping with that vision and the realities of our ever-changing food system,” said Huber’s Butchery Managing Director Ryan Huber. “Cultivated meat could be one of the solutions to over-farming due to increased population size and density and an increase in animal protein consumption in many parts of the world,” added Executive Director Andre Huber.
GOOD Meat won regulatory approvals for its chicken in Singapore in November 2020 and December 2021. It remains the only cultivated meat producer in the world with the ability to sell to consumers. Since launch, the company’s chicken has been featured on menus at local fine dining establishments, roadside hawker stalls and via foodpanda, Asia’s leading food and grocery delivery platform.
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Niman Ranch Farmer Advocate Honored by Forbes
Elle Gadient, 27, farmer advocate for premium meat brand Niman Ranch, has been recognized on the prestigious 2023 Forbes 30 Under 30 Food and Drink list. The annual list features young leaders and entrepreneurs “redefining the way we eat, drink and think about consumption.” This acknowledgement honors Gadient’s dedication and passion for supporting independent U.S. family farmers and ranchers and sustainable agriculture.
“I am incredibly humbled and honored to be included on this list along with such impressive leaders,” Gadient said. “Growing up on a farm, supporting fellow small family farmers and sustainable agriculture has always been core to who I am. I am so thankful I am able to spend my days helping farming and ranching families, like mine, in the Niman Ranch network and beyond.”
Gadient grew up on her family’s diversified farm in eastern Iowa raising livestock, including Niman Ranch pigs, and will be the fifth generation in her family to farm in the Midwest. Gadient serves as farmer advocate at Niman Ranch, charged with providing support, education and community building among the brand’s network of hundreds of small to mid-size, independent family farms and ranches across the country. All Niman Ranch farms are Certified Humane and committed to raising livestock without antibiotics, hormones or crates.
“Since its establishment with the company’s founding farmers, Niman Ranch has built a model that ensures small, sustainable farmers have a market in a rapidly changing food system,” said Chris Oliviero, general manager of Niman Ranch. “Elle has taken the baton, providing a central hub and company voice for our farmer and rancher network, understanding firsthand the challenges farmers and rural communities face in today’s agriculture climate.”
While the average age of farmers in the United States is nearly 60, Niman Ranch’s average farmer age is 43 years old. This is credited to the opportunities and support the company, many led by Gadient, provide for beginning farmers. Since joining the Niman Ranch team in 2018, Gadient has been a key leader in several impactful farmer support programs including a farmer mentor program that matches beginning farmers with more seasoned producers as well as a new grant program to help young farmers improve their operations and adopt regenerative practices.
Gadient graduated from Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa, with majors in environmental science and business administration. Throughout college, Gadient was a Niman Ranch Next Generation Foundation scholarship recipient, including being awarded the first Phyllis Willis Pioneer Award in 2017, recognizing her passion for sustainability. In addition to her role as farmer advocate, Gadient serves as secretary for the Niman Ranch Next Generation Foundation and regularly travels back home to Iowa to help on the family farm.
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