USDA Awards $45 Million in Grants to Agriculture-Based Small Businesses

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded $45 million in grants to help agriculture-based small businesses as well as farmers and ranchers. The grants are designed to help agricultural producers and small rural businesses develop new products for the agricultural industry.

The Value-Added Producer Grants

The Value-Added Producer Grants from the USDA are believed to be one of the reasons why rural America has improved. So the grants are again being awarded to veterans, socially-disadvantaged groups, beginning farmers and ranchers, operators of small- and medium-sized family farms and ranches, and farmer and rancher cooperatives. The USDA wants the positive trend to continue by investing in 325 projects through the Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program.

Since the Value-Added Producer Grant program began in 2009, the USDA has awarded 1,441 VAPG awards that total $183 million. Funding for the grant program comes from Congress who increased funding for the program in the 2014 Farm Bill.

Grant support important for America

The agriculture industry supports 1 in 11 jobs in America. Agriculture puts 80 percent of the food on our tables. Agriculture is also behind the production of many of the materials used for renewable energy. Support from the USDA is an investment in the present and future of the agriculture industry as well as rural residents and businesses.

Read more at www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentid=2016/10/0232.xml