USDA’s over $325 million total investment in 74 independent meat and poultry processing projects already strengthening food supply chain, creating new jobs and supporting American farmers
HILO, Hawaii, September 24, 2024 – USDA Rural Development State Director Chris Kanazawa announced today that Kamuela Meat Co. is awarded a $1,607,551 grant through USDA’s Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP). The Kamuela Meat Co. is a new processor on the Big Island and is planning to use this award to establish a single species cattle slaughtering and meat processing facility.
“This award for a new slaughtering and processing facility is in direct alignment with our state’s goal of food security and food self-sufficiency,” Kanazawa stated. “This new facility will enable Kamuela Meat Co. to reduce the need to ship USDA-inspected cattle to the continental U.S. Strengthening food system infrastructure will increase the production and access to locally grown food consumed by Hawaii’s residents.”
Kamuela Meat Co. has already received reservations from 13 producers totaling more than 6,500 head of cattle and expects to create 17 new jobs due to this project. Through the Biden-Harris Administration’s American Rescue Plan, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and the Inflation Reduction Act, USDA Rural Development in Hawaii has been able to invest in Hawaii’s rural communities to help farmers and ranchers with the chance to compete in the marketplace and lower food costs for Hawaii’s people.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that USDA is awarding more than $35 million in grants to 15 independent meat processors in 12 states to increase processing capacity, spur competition to expand market opportunities for U.S. farmers and create jobs in rural areas. In addition to Hawaii, the awards will benefit people living in Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New York and Pennsylvania.
This marks the final investment in the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP), funded by President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, which was first launched in 2022. Since the beginning of the program, USDA has provided 74 awards totaling more than $325 million through MPPEP to expand processing capacity and strengthen the food supply chain. Details on all of the awards announced is available online.
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural, tribal and high-poverty areas. Visit the Rural Data Gateway to learn how and where these investments are impacting rural America.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, promoting competition and fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate-smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.
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