USDA Announces $27M in Grants Available to Support the Local Food Sector
The USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service has announced the availability of $27 million in grants to fund innovative projects designed to strengthen market opportunities for local and regional food producers and businesses.
VEDA Approves $15.2M in Economic Development Financing
The Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA) has approved $15.2 million in economic development financings, supporting manufacturing, agricultural, energy and small business projects throughout Vermont.
Grow a Farmer Loan Fund Launched in MN
The Grow a Farmer Fund is a revolving-loan fund managed by Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation that offers lower-interest loans up to $15,000 to individuals in SMIF's 20-county region for inventory, supplies, working capital or machinery/equipment.
Tenderloin on the Inaugural Table Will Come from NMTC
Ryan Ford, a businessmen from Virginia, used NMTC's, private investment, and public grants in order to purchase a meat processing plant so that local cattle could be processed locally. That investment has paid off and now his company, Seven Hills Food Company, provided tenderloins for the inaugural meal of the new presidency.
USDA Invests $13.6M in Citrus Greening Research
The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture announced four grants totaling more than $13.6 million to combat citrus greening disease, aka Huanglongbing. The funding is made possible through NIFA's Specialty Crop Research Initiative Citrus Disease Research and Extension Program.
$4M Food Bank Opens New Boynton Facility
Feeding South Florida's new Palm Beach County operations center opened in Boynton Beach, marking a new direction for the non-profit aimed at conquering hunger.
New P3 Ag. Board to Tackle Economic Development in PA
The 25-member panel arose from a partnership established last year between the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and Team Pennsylvania. The board will initially focus on identifying needs and opportunities to develop a trained workforce to fill vacancies in the food and fiber industries.
Dayton Announces $350M in Federal Funds for Water Quality
Minnesota has secured $350 million in federal funding for a voluntary program to pay farmers to protect and improve water quality in southern and western Minnesota, but the state needs to come up with about $95 million more to get the full amount.
NMTCs Are Successful at Financing Rural Manufacturing in SC and GA
Business growth requires ready access to capital, but access can be especially challenging for rural manufacturers. The federal New Markets Tax Credit Program has lent a helping hand to thousands of companies to build new plants, finance expansions and introduce new technologies, especially in rural communities across America.
The Wise Ag Update
The first quarter 2017 edition of The Wise Ag Update by Murray Wise Associates LLC.
States See Value in Backing 'Food Hubs' for Farmers, Consumers
The growth in locally sourced food, a market that totaled $12 billion in sales in 2014 and could reach $20 billion by 2019, coincides with rising consumer demand for healthier fresh food that is often grown organically and with environmentally friendly practices and food hubs are capitalizing on this market.
VA Vineyards Receive $811K AgriBusiness Grant for Expansion
The Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission awarded an $811,526 AgriBusiness grant to Pittsylvania County which will help aid in the development of Virginia vineyards.
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