The Oregon Department of Agriculture on Wednesday announced $8.6 million in grants to expand meat processing in Oregon.
The funding, allocated by the Oregon Legislature, went to 14 businesses that will either fall under federal inspection or the .
The Oregon Department of Agriculture on Wednesday announced $8.6 million in grants to expand meat processing in Oregon.
The funding, allocated by the Oregon Legislature, went to 14 businesses that will either fall under federal inspection or the .
Lake County Meat Processors near Lakeview received $697,500 and will become a state inspected facility, able to sell meat to the public.
“This is a really big deal for our business. This will also help my community,†said Molly Johnson, owner and operator.
Her property is surrounded by ranches and hay fields, but cattle often are taken to large slaughterhouses far away.
The grant will fund upgrades and purchase new equipment to increase capacity and allow local food to stay in the community.
“The more production we can do, the more jobs we can have as well,†Johnson said.
Big Horn Meat/H&K Meats of Jefferson also received $697,500.
Owner Brian Dolby, said the business will upgrade facilities and bring on more help to come under state inspection.
“This is going to allow local farmers to have local processors,†he said.
He said about 10 nearby ranchers are hauling livestock 250 to 500 miles away to be processed, and many of those are fully scheduled a year out.
Central Oregon Custom Meats of Redmond received a grant for $619,522.
The grant program aims to enhance meat processing capacity, retain value, create jobs and improve the availability of services for ranchers and local communities, said Lisa Charpilloz Hanson, state agriculture department director.
“Our beef industry is a significant contributor to the national livestock supply chain, but much of the economic opportunity is lost because the processing is out of the state,†she said in a news release.
The department received 43 grant applications requesting $27 million from the Oregon Meat Processing Infrastructure and Capacity Building Grant.
Awardees will handle a variety of livestock species, and the agriculture department projects that it will lead to an additional 3.5 million pounds of locally sourced meat being accessible to communities throughout Oregon annually.
In 2020, a special section of the Oregon Legislature granted $926,000 and three full time employees to start the Oregon State Meat Inspection Program.
In 2021, the Oregon Legislature allocated $2 million in grants to improve the infrastructure and operating capacity of state meat processors. Six businesses were awarded grants.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sudoku, Crosswords, & Word Search
Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
Rate: | |
Begins: | |
Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.