WASHINGTON — Sen. Chuck Grassley today said that the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Rural Development, has awarded grants totaling $1,412,686 to nine Iowa companies through the Value-Added Agricultural Product Market Development Grant program.
Grassley created the Value-Added Grant program to support the development of new programs and markets for agricultural products. The grants will benefit businesses in Cresco, Emmetsburg, Goldfield, Hubbard, Oskaloosa, Sioux Center, State Center, Thornton and Woodward.
"The Value-Added Grant program is about finding and fostering new value-added business opportunities for family farmers," Grassley said. "These grants will create jobs and provide an alternative, value-added use for crops that will improve the profit margin for farmers."
Grassley created the Value-Added Grant program to support the development of new programs and markets for agricultural products. The program originated through an amendment Grassley sponsored to the crop insurance legislation that passed in 2000 and then he worked to expand the program in the 2002 farm bill.
According to the USDA, the specific grants have been awarded as follows.
The Golden Ridge Cheese Cooperative in Cresco will receive a $500,000 grant for marketing blue cheese.
The MaxYield Cooperative in Emmetsburg will receive a $50,000 grant to conduct a feasibility study to determine the viability of developing a community-based advanced bio-waste recycling and energy generation system. The system would be capable of recycling 100,000 to 250,000 gallons per day of hog manure from up to 100,000 sows.
Central Iowa Renewable Energy, LLC, in Goldfield will receive a $139,986 grant for planning activities associated with starting at 50 million gallon per year ethanol plant.
The Prairie Land Cooperative in Hubbard will receive a $107,000 grant to develop a marketing plan for soybeans processed into oil using continuous super-critical carbon dioxide oil-extraction technology.
The Moon Valley Vineyard in Oskaloosa will receive a $25,000 grant for marketing carbonated grape juice.
The Siouxland Energy & Livestock Cooperative in Sioux Center will receive a $150,000 grant for marketing E-85 fuel.
Eden Farms in State Center will receive a $147,000 grant for marketing pork produced under the brand name Eden Natural.
The Niman Ranch Pork Cooperative in Thornton will receive a $250,000 grant for marketing Nitrate-Free and Ready-to-East pork products to expanded markets.
Picket Fence Company in Woodward will receive a $43,700 grant for marketing farm-fresh milk, cream, butter, ice cream, and cheese curds.
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