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Two Maine Farms Receive Over $340K in Grants for Value-Added Activities

Release Date

Funding Will Impact Local Agricultural Production, Create Jobs, Support Local Food Production, and Benefit Rural Maine Communities


BANGOR, Maine, Feb 21, 2023 – USDA Rural Development State Director Rhiannon C. Hampson announces that two Maine agricultural producers are receiving grants totaling $347,495 through the Value-Added Producer Grant Program.

USDA Rural Development State Director Rhiannon C. Hampson said, “These Value-Added Producer Grants are more than one off investments in rural Maine farms. They are resonant; the dollars that we use to support Circle B Farms and Singing Pastures will circulate in rural Maine and uplift many small businesses. Feed and fertilizer suppliers, haulers, and harvesters – Rural Development is growing food system economies with these grants and making good on the promises of the Biden-Harris Administration with every dollar we spend – and putting Maine food on Maine tables.”


In Maine, a total of $347,495 is being invested in agriculture and local food production through the Value-Added Producer Grant Program:

Circle B Farms, LLC, in Caribou, has received two grants:

A grant in the amount of $117,505 will be used to help Circle B Farms LLC expand processing, marketing, and sales of its broccoli, blueberries, apples, and other fruits and vegetables. This project will allow for an increase in customer base and revenue and will add 17 employees.

A grant in the amount of $132,495 will be used to help Circle B Farms LLC expand processing, marketing, and sales of its broccoli, blueberries, apples, and other fruits and vegetables. This project will allow for an increase in customer base and revenue and will add 17 employees.

  • Singing Prairie Farms, LLC, in Newcastle, has received a grant in the amount of $215,000. This Rural Development investment will be used to assist agricultural producers seeking to establish or expand markets for their value-added agricultural products. Singing Prairie Farms LLC, dba Singing Pastures, will use the working capital grant funds to expand processing, marketing, and sales of their pre-cut salami. This project will allow for an increase in customer base and revenue and will add three part-time employees.


​​​​​The Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program helps agricultural producers enter into value-added activities related to the processing and marketing of new products. The goals of this program are to generate new products, create and expand marketing opportunities and increase producer income. For more information about the program or to apply, please contact Ivana Hernandez Clukey at 207-990-9127 ivana.hernandezclukey@usda.gov

Under the Biden-Harris Administration, 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. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov. If you’d like to subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit our GovDelivery subscriber page.

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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