USDA Announces Investments to Strengthen American Food Supply Chains

On July 11th, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced a series of investments aimed at bolstering American food supply chains and enhancing meat and poultry processing capacity across the nation. These initiatives, funded under the American Rescue Plan, are designed to create new economic opportunities for producers while reducing food costs for consumers.

Under the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP), USDA is partnering with the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund to allocate over $83 million in grants to 24 independent processors across 15 states. This funding will support the construction of new processing facilities, generate hundreds of jobs, and facilitate better market access for local producers. Additionally, USDA’s Rural Development is distributing 59 awards totaling more than $291.4 million through MPPEP, underscoring the program’s commitment to enhancing food supply chain resilience.

USDA also announced $26.9 million in grants across 33 projects in 23 states through the Local Meat Capacity (Local MCap) grant program. This funding will support both equipment upgrades and processing expansions within the meat and poultry industry. Projects range from converting existing facilities for dual use to acquiring new processing equipment, aimed at increasing local processing capacity and benefiting small family farms. For more details and a full list of awarded projects, visit the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Local MCap webpage.