USDA Invests $700,000 in Minnesota Meat and Poultry Processing Projects

U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Minnesota State Director Mick Ditlevson announced that USDA will invest more than $700,000 in five Minnesota meat processing projects through the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP) Phase 4.

"Under the leadership of President Trump and Secretary Rollins, USDA remains committed to investing in meat processors nationwide," said Ditlevson. "These Minnesota MPPEP investments will strengthen processing capacity, creating new opportunities for cattle producers in the state, while increasing access to locally processed products for consumers."

The following Minnesota processors have received MPPEP grants:

• Callahan Meats Inc in Barnesville will receive a $54,609 MPPEP grant to expand value-added processing by purchasing a commercial flash freezer, freeze dryer, and upgraded cooler refrigeration equipment. The project will enable the company to preserve and market beef and pork organs, including hearts, kidneys, and livers, that are currently discarded, creating new products for human-consumption and pet-food markets.
  
• Lorentz Etc.Inc. in Cannon Falls will receive a $250,000 MPPEP grant to strengthen processing capacity, improve efficiency, increase product yield, and enhance worker safety by purchasing and installing a large grinder, rotoclaw, conveyor sorting table, vacuum lifting system, and automatic box erector. The equipment will remove production bottlenecks, increase grinding throughput, and improve packaging and product flow.
  
• Bruders Abbatoir LLC in Brotten will receive a $11,673 MPPEP grant to increase cattle-processing capacity by purchasing a dedicated commercial walk-in freezer for storing packaged beef from customer-owned cattle. The project will address a frozen-storage bottleneck caused by existing freezer space being occupied by wholesale beef-stick inventory, allowing the facility to accept additional processing customers, improve scheduling flexibility, and make fuller use of its USDA-inspected slaughter capacity.
  
• South Forty Meat Market LLC in Lucan will receive a $165,063 MPPEP grant to expand beef-processing capacity and increase value-added production by purchasing and installing an additional walk-in cooler, walk-in freezer, smokehouse, slicer, vacuum packaging machine, and geothermal pump. The project will help address regional processing shortages caused by the loss of a nearby USDA beef processor, increase throughput, expand smoked and sliced product offerings, improve storage capacity and shipping capabilities, and reduce energy costs through improved geothermal efficiency.
  
• Neighbor's Meats LLC in New Richland will receive a $230,459 MPPEP award to improve processing efficiency, enhance food safety, and expand production capacity through the purchase of a vacuum packaging machine, mixer/tumbler, stuffer, and splitting saw. The new equipment will reduce processing bottlenecks, improve packaging speed and product quality, increase accuracy and reliability in sausage production, and speed carcass breakdown. These upgrades will support the production of beef, pork, lamb, value-added meat products, specialty sausages, and ready-to-cook meals while helping the business supply additional retail locations, introduce new products, and increase sales of locally produced meats.

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.

USDA Rural Development remains dedicated to empowering rural communities through targeted investments that strengthen local infrastructure, expand educational equity, and improve health care access. Learn more online at www.rd.usda.gov/mn, or subscribe to GovDelivery updates.