(El Dorado, Kan., November 2, 2026) - U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke L. Rollins today announced that USDA is moving forward with nearly $4 million in investments to help ten Kansas meat processors expand capacity, strengthen competition, and create new market opportunities for American ranchers.

This follows the recent announcement by Vice President JD Vance and Secretary Rollins outlining $57 million in investments through the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP) across 40 states. With the congressional notification period now complete, USDA is beginning to obligate these funds to strengthen America's domestic meat processing capacity and supply chain.

"Under President Trump, this administration is delivering for the men and women who feed our nation. Now that these funds are moving, ranchers will have more options close to home, more competition will return to the market, and more of the value of American-raided beef will stay in rural communities," said Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins. "A strong, independent processing sector is essential to our food security, and these Kansas processors build the resilient supply chain this country needs."

"Today's announcement providing investments in Kansas meat processors builds on President Trump's Executive Order "Promoting Fair Competition in Livestock Markets and Expanding Market Access for American Meat Producers," said Rural Business-Cooperative Service Administrator Gimmie Jo Jansonius. "USDA is working to give farmers and ranchers a better chance to compete in the marketplace, increasing local food options and lowering costs for Kansas families."

The following Kansas processors have received MPPEP grants:

• Diamond A Processing LLC of Junction City will receive a $182,094 grant to help purchase a Trief automatic slicer, mixer grinder, automated vacuum packaging machine, and freezer to expand processing capacity. The equipment will enable more cattle processing, increased production of sliced and ground meat products, improved packaging quality, and expanded cold storage capacity. These upgrades will support sales to local processors, wholesalers, restaurants, private-label customers, and retailers while creating additional market opportunities for local livestock producers.
• Hat Creek Butchery of Plains will receive a $249,367 grant to help purchase and install a commercial HVAC refrigeration system, a Pro Smoker 320T-HVE Smokehouse, and VC999 thermoformer tooling sets. The project will streamline production, increase harvest capacity by 200 percent per day, add smoked beef, jerky, and snack stick production capabilities, improve packaging efficiency, and support expanded wholesale, institutional, retail, and food-service markets while increasing opportunities for regional cattle producers.
• Meade Locker & Processing LLC of Meade will receive a $249,711 grant to help purchase refrigerated cold storage units, a blast chiller, smokehouse, dehydrator, strip slicer, and band sealer. The project will streamline processing, increase capacity, enhance ready-to-eat and jerky production, and support additional toll-processing customers and producers. These investments will allow the facility to accept more work, hold more finished products, expand retail and shipping sales channels, and strengthen producers' access to federally inspected processing services.
• Meatworks of Kansas LLC of Riley will receive a $228,750 grant to help purchase a commercial smokehouse, thermoformer packaging system, and hide puller for. The project will increase production of smoked meats, jerky, snack sticks, sausages, and other premium beef products while improving packaging quality, shelf life, workplace safety, and operational efficiency. These upgrades will help Meatworks serve more independent livestock producers and toll-processing customers, expand market opportunities, and support continued business growth and processing capacity.
• Mitchell Bolling of Moran will receive a $197,338 grant to help purchase new processing, packaging, and cold-storage equipment. The project will improve efficiency, increase processing capacity, enhance employee safety, and expand production of fresh retail meats, take-and-bake items, and specialty meat products. These improvements will help reduce customer wait times, serve more livestock producers and hunters, strengthen the regional food supply chain, and support long-term business growth.
• Plainview Beef Company LLC of Peabody will receive a $2,000,000 grant to help renovate and equip a newly acquired processing facility. Grant funds will support the purchase and installation of processing equipment, refrigeration and cold storage infrastructure, packaging and labeling equipment, smokehouse and beef stick production lines, organ and collagen processing systems, tallow rendering equipment, wastewater treatment, and supporting utility infrastructure. The project will expand regional processing capacity, increase toll-processing opportunities for independent cattle producers, and strengthen rural economic development.
• Randel Inc. of Grinnell will receive a $249,845 grant to help purchase and install an auto-feed mixer/grinder, vacuum packaging equipment, cooling system, and facility improvements. These investments will production, improve food safety and product quality, and increase annual processing capacity by approximately 67 percent, enabling the business to better serve livestock producers and meet growing market demand.
• Stroot's Meat Company, Inc. of Goddard and Mulvane will receive a $250,000 grant to help purchase a thermoformer, smokehouse, mixer/tumbler, and injector. These equipment upgrades will support expanded production of beef jerky, snack sticks, smoked meats, bacon, hams, sausages, and other specialty products, while creating additional processing and marketing opportunities for Kansas livestock producers and strengthening retail, wholesale, and private-label sales channels.
• T & W Meat Co. LLC of Kingman will receive a $250,000 grant to help purchase a blast chilling system, cold drive-in storage and freezer unit, carcass rail extension, vacuum packaging machine, fabrication equipment, grinder/mixer, and upgraded harvest-floor tooling for. These improvements will increase annual processing capacity by approximately 25 percent, reduce equipment downtime and off-site storage needs, improve operational efficiency, and expand market access and processing opportunities for regional cattle producers.
• Walnut Valley Packing LLC of El Dorado will receive $116,280 grant to help purchase a column loader with stainless steel carts, a pneumatic loading system, an automated labeling system, and refrigerated display cases. The project will increase processing capacity approximately 140 percent, better serve livestock producers, meet growing customer demand, and strengthen the regional beef supply chain.

MPPEP is managed by USDA Rural Development's Rural Business-Cooperative Services and provides grants to help eligible independent processors expand their capacity. USDA Rural Development designed the program to encourage competition and sustainable growth in the United States meat processing sector and improve supply chain resiliency.

USDA has awarded more than $200 million to independent businesses under the MPPEP program. These projects have created thousands of jobs across the country. Learn more about USDA's investments to strengthen the meat and poultry supply chain at usda.gov/meat .

For more information on USDA Rural Development investments in rural America, visit the Rural Data Gateway . The Rural Data Gateway is an online tool that strengthens USDA Rural Development partnerships with rural people, entrepreneurs, government officials and Congress by making Rural Development's investment data accessible to the public. For more information about USDA Rural Development programs, visit http://www.rd.usda.gov .

To subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit the GovDelivery subscriber page .

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