USDA Offers Grants To Ag Producers Who Want To Expand Businesses

The US Department of Agriculture is accepting application for producers who want to develop value-added activities for their businesses.

Derrel Carruth directs the Wyoming USDA Rural Development Office. He says activities where producers see their product through the next steps of production cut out the middle man and can be good for the bottom line.

“If an agricultural producer was in the dairy business, they might want to convert some of that milk to ice cream or to cheese. So, it’s an additional source of income that comes from their operation.”

Carruth says producers in the state have developed value-added operations by spinning wool to yarn and grinding wheat to flour. Carruth says he’d like to see more such operations in the state, because the producers increase their earning potential… and that’s good for the economy.

“Every time that you have one producer that improves their income, it increases that opportunity to spend within the community and within the state. So just, really, it benefits everybody.”

Selected applicants for Value-Added Producer Grants can receive matching-funds of up to 100-thousand-dollars for economic planning, or 300-thousand-dollars for working capital.

Interested producers should contact the Wyoming USDA Rural Development Office.

Applications are due October 15.