Bill Menner, USDA Rural Development State Director today visited Dan and Debbie’s Creamery Inc., in Ely to recognize the family-owned business for their recently announced $151,544 USDA Rural Development Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG).
“We are pleased to be assisting Dan and Debbie’s Creamery in their efforts to create new products, expand into new markets, and support a growing local and regional food system in eastern Iowa,” Menner said. “Continuing to process more farm-produced milk into products that are sold directly to customers will allow additional family members the opportunity to be involved in the business”
Dan and Debbie’s Creamery Inc. was one of six Iowa-based businesses awarded a total of $571,295 in VAPG funds in 2016. Their working capital grant will be used to assist the business with product expansion and marketing efforts to create new customer-interaction opportunities for its expanding line of cheese curds, ice cream and non-homogenized whole milk.
Two years ago Dan and Debbie’s Creamery also received a $5,870 VAPG planning grant to help develop a marketing and business plan to locally produce and process milk products.
Yesterday, USDA Rural Development awarded $45 million in VAPG grants to 325 rural businesses nationwide to help them grow, diversify and create jobs in rural America by turning raw commodities into value-added products, expanding marketing opportunities and developing new uses for existing products.
The grants can be used for a wide range of purposes to develop new agricultural products or additional markets for existing ones. They can support local and regional food systems, further the development of the growing bioeconomy, and finance the distribution of local and regional products. Veterans, socially-disadvantaged groups, beginning farmers and ranchers, operators of small- and medium-sized family farms and ranches, and farmer and rancher cooperatives are given special priority.
Also receiving VAPG funding in Iowa as part of yesterday’s announcement include:
• Batey, LTD. – Mount Pleasant, Iowa – $49,900 in grant funds will be used to help process woodchips into food-grade pellets.
• Great River Maple, LLC – Garnavillo, Iowa - $49,520 in grant funds will be used to help package and market new products such as organic maple syrup, bourbon maple syrup, maple cream and maple sugar.
• Siouxland Energy Cooperative – Sioux Center, Iowa - $250,000 in grant funds will be used to help install technology to produce cellulosic ethanol from corn grown by its producer members.
• Kirk and Jolene Pisel – Gilmore City, Iowa - $49,575 in grants funds will be used to help create a new product, brand and markets for Pisel Farm ground beef.
• North Iowa Fresh, LLC – Belmond, Iowa – $20,765 in grant funds will be used to develop a feasibility study to assess various ways of connecting local producers with consumers
Funding of each award announced is contingent upon the recipient meeting the terms of the grant agreement.
USDA Rural Development’s funding continues to have a dramatic impact on rural communities across Iowa. During the past eight years, USDA Rural Development has invested more than $4.5 billion on essential public facilities, small and emerging businesses, water and sewer systems, and housing opportunities for Iowa families.
This past year USDA Rural Development’s assistance in Iowa helped create or retain more than 1,000 jobs, aided 2,400 families in buying their own homes and assisted more than 60 communities as they made improvements to their facilities, services and infrastructure.
“We are proud to serve the needs of rural people and places to ensure that rural America continues to thrive and drive the economy,” Menner said. “We are very happy to be a partner with all the businesses and communities we serve as they work hard to make investments that have long-lasting impacts to help improve the quality of life for rural residents.”
Contact USDA Rural Development
For more information about finance programs available through USDA Rural Development, please call (515) 284-4663 or visit the agency’s web site at www.rd.usda.gov/ia.
USDA Rural Development has 11 offices across the state to serve the 1.7 million Iowans living in rural communities and areas. Office locations include a State Office in Des Moines, along with Area Offices in Albia, Atlantic, Humboldt, Indianola, Iowa Falls, Le Mars, Mount Pleasant, Storm Lake, Tipton and Waverly.
President Obama’s plan for rural America has produced historic investment in rural communities. Under the President’s leadership, these investments in housing, community facilities, businesses and infrastructure have strengthened America’s small towns and cities and helped improve the nation’s economy.