PIERRE S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem announced $5 million for small South Dakota meat processors. The funding is made available through the state’s Coronavirus Relief Meat Processing Grant program.
The governor made the announcement while visiting Dakota Butcher in Rapid City Thursday.
The Meat Processing Grant program provides eligible processors with funds to make an immediate impact on the state’s ability to process or store South Dakota raised protein. The South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources (DANR) is managing the grant program.
Noem says it’s critical to have a resilient and diversified food supply chain, especially with consolidation and anticompetitive practices in the meatpacking industry making things difficult for the state’s meat producers.
The Meat Processing Grant program received more than 100 applications. Ninety-nine applications, including 16 new facilities and 83 existing facilities, were approved for funding with awards ranging from $9,000 to $108,207.
Final award letters will be mailed on June 4, 2021.
