The Minnesota Department of Agriculture has awarded more than $200,000 in grants to help processing plants increase slaughter capacity.
Ag Commissioner Thom Petersen says nowhere was there more evidence of COVID-19’s impact on Minnesota agriculture than in the meat packing industry.
He says 46 grants worth $5,000 each will be used to offset the costs of expenses like additional coolers, refrigeration units, as well as slaughter and processing equipment.
MDA awarded grants to 21 licensed, custom-exempt plants, 11 state equal-to processing plants, six USDA-inspected plants, and eight livestock producers with storage needs.
