WSDA Announces Local Meat Processing Grant Award Winners

Last week, the Washington State Department of Agriculture announced the winners of the Local Meat Processing Capacity Grants. The Department says the pandemic made it clear that there is a need for more meat processing services for small farms and ranches in Washington. In an effort to address those needs and strengthen food supply chains, the Department rolled out the grant program.

The WSDA said it received an overwhelming response, with 112 applications, with requesting funding totally more than $27 million. The Washington State Legislature allocated $3.6 million for this grant. 

Grants were awarded in two categories: Small Projects, which received 36 grants, and Large Projects, which netted four grants.

“We received many great project applications and truly wished for the ability to fund more of the clearly-demonstrated need within the small meat processing industry,” Alyssa Jumars, Local Meat Marketing and Capacity Specialist for the Regional Markets Program said. “We are grateful to all applicants for their time and for their commitment to serving small farms and ranches.”

The grants will help the selected small and midsize meat processors expand their capacity to serve Washington farmers and ranchers that sell their meat and poultry products directly to consumers, stores, food hubs, restaurants, schools, and other local buyers.  

According to the WSDA, a dozen expert reviewers from across the state reviewed anonymized applications. Reviewers scored applications based on consideration of a project’s ability to expand harvest or processing capacity, and provide direct benefit to small, direct-marketing farms. A project’s achievability was also a key consideration.

Grants were available in two categories: “Small Projects” and “Large Projects.” Given the amount of applications, reviewers agreed to fund a larger number of small projects, even at much smaller amounts – in order to spread resources as widely as possible across the state. Geographic areas with particularly limited access to meat processing services received additional consideration and funds for top-scoring projects. WSDA awarded 36 projects in the “small projects” category among 22 different counties in Washington. 

Visit the WSDA's Website for a list of winners across the state.

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