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Wisconsin’s Governor delegates ARPA funds to meat processor grants

Wisconsin’s meat processors will get another chance to receive grants to expand their processing capacity.  After quickly going through the state budgeted 200-thousand dollars in meat processing grants, Governor Tony Evers announced Monday he is adding another 10 million dollars from the federal American Rescue Plan (ARPA) money for another round of grants because the need was much greater. “We received 100 applications requesting over 4.4 million dollars in funding, so it’s clear that processors want to increase their throughput capacity.”

Evers says hundreds of meat processors work every day to support local communities, serve area farmers, connect with consumers and contribute to the economy, and they need the state’s support to ensure the agricultural industry can keep thriving in the face of continued supply chain issues and other challenges. “We’ll be announcing additional details on the program in the future, but I wanted to make sure that the processors across the state understand that we see the need, we recognize their commitment to the future of Wisconsin’s meat processing industry, and we’re proud to support them.”

Tony Evers says in the recent round of meat processor grants, the number of applications overwhelmed the available funding. “Despite having 200-thousand dollars for this year’s round of meat processor grants, we received 100 applications.

The Governor’s 10 million dollar commitment Monday and the earlier 5 million dollar commitment to the Meat Talent Development assistance program are being paid for from the American Rescue Plan, the federal coronavirus funding allocated to state Governors.

Ag Secretary Randy Romanski says the details are being worked out, but the application window is open now. The application deadline will be August 19^th. Department officials confirm the grants will require a dollar-for-dollar match.