Meat processors across forty states, including Michigan, are being granted $57 million by the United States Agriculture Department (USDA) to help processing companies improve their production capacity. One company in mid-Michigan will receive funding.
The Cut Custom Processing LLC, a beef and pork processing company in Isabella County, will receive a $250,000 grant as a part of the funding. They plan to use the grant dollars to purchase new harvest-line equipment.
Once new equipment is implemented, the company will be able to increase their annual production, avoid unnecessary stalls in workflow, and create more jobs, according to USDA.
Dom Restuccia is the state director for USDA Rural Development in Michigan. He says the funding will keep local processing companies running and rural areas growing.
“These guys are the backbones of our economy,” he said. “We want to revitalize these communities. We want to have the opportunities for the next generation of rural residents to stay there, to raise families, to create jobs.”
Due to lower cattle herd numbers in the United States, beef prices have risen year after year for consumers. By improving production capacity, officials hope that beef prices will eventually be lowered for Michiganders and Americans.
Restuccia said the new funding will drive that goal and help both workers and everyday people.
“That’s an actual expansion of a real plant,” he said regarding the grant for
Cut Custom Processing.
“That’s going to help not just a dozen ranches in the area, but it is going to make a dent in grocery prices.”
The funds are a part of USDA’s Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP), which was designed to encourage competition and improve resiliency in the meat processing industry.
Since MPPEP was created, the program has created thousands of jobs across the country. The funding opportunities have granted over $200 million to independent businesses and meat processors.
