[fullwidth background_color=”” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”0″ padding_right=”0″ hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][title size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”underline solid” sep_color=”#000000″ margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Small farms and processors awarded USDA grants[/title][fusion_text]Tuesday, November 10th 2015
Small farms and processors across the country as well as some major agricultural cooperatives have been awarded Agriculture Department grants to expand or start new businesses. Some 258 businesses in 47 states, Puerto Rico and the western Pacific will benefit from the 2015 round of awards from the Value-Added Producer Grants (VAPG) program. The grantees included Mauna Kea Tea, which is getting $193,335 to develop new green tea products; Dierks Farms Grass-Fed Beef and Produce in Illinois, which was awarded $213,707 to expand sales of grass-finished beef; and Virginia’s Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery, which is receiving the maximum $250,000 grant to expand its product line and pay for labor, marketing and packing expenses. More than one-third of the 2015 awards are going to farmers and ranchers for marketing to the local foods sector. Among large co-ops, California’s Blue Diamond Growers is getting $250,000 to pay for international marketing and promotional work. Sunsweet Growers was awarded $250,000 to market its new, natural prune-based nutritional supplements.
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