Two Kentucky projects receive funding through program to boost meat processing
Two Kentucky projects have received funding through a federal program aimed at increasing meat-processing capacity in the country, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
One of the projects is a plan by Lorenz & Hammond LLC, which received a loan guarantee of more than $2 million. The company plans to build a meat-processing facility in Anderson County.
Stacey Westfall, the owner of the proposed facility, estimated it would provide 10 to 20 jobs.
The facility would process beef, pork, lamb and deer and would offer custom slaughter and processing as well as custom cuts to customers, as well as a retail space space for local beef, according to information submitted to the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund.
The loan announced this week was the final piece of the financing needed, Westfall said.
“This is pretty important,” she said. “It’s a much needed service for our farmers and I’m proud to be a part of it.”
Westfall said the company hopes to break ground for construction by the end of the year.
The other funding was a grant of $779,080 for an expansion at Marksbury Farm Foods, LLC in Garrard County.
The project will more than double the processing capacity at the business over the next three to five years, allowing it to offer more farms and small businesses choices in processing options, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a news release.
The expansion will provide 25 jobs, the agency said.
The Kentucky projects were among more than 30 nationwide that were awarded grants or loans through an initiative aimed at increasing capacity to produce and process beef, poultry and other meat.
The funding was focused on local and regional processors.
“By jumpstarting independent processing projects and increasing processing capacity, these investments create more opportunities for farmers and ranchers to get a fair price, while strengthening supply chains, delivering more food produced closer to home for families, expanding economic opportunity, and creating jobs in rural America,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a release.
This story was originally published November 2, 2022 at 8:54 AM.
