Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced today that the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is accepting applications for the next round of Choose Iowa Value-Added Grants. The highly competitive cost-share grant expands access to Iowa-grown, Iowa-made, and Iowa-raised food, beverages, and other agricultural products. It offers matching awards of up to $25,000 per project to help farmers, small businesses, and non-profit organizations add value to the agricultural goods they produce.
“The demand for local Iowa products continues to grow rapidly, and Choose Iowa is helping farmers and small businesses capture that momentum. These value-added grants make it possible for innovative projects to move from dream to reality, whether that’s expanding processing capacity, upgrading equipment, or creating new customer ready products,” said Secretary Naig. “I encourage farmers, small-businesses, and entrepreneurs to learn more and apply. Every successful Choose Iowa project strengthens our rural communities and gives consumers more access to the fresh and local products they are looking for.”
Choose Iowa Value-Added Grants can support a wide range of projects that increase or diversify a business’s agricultural offerings, including investments in processing, packaging, sales, equipment, facilities, workflow improvements, and food safety or quality enhancements. Funding can also be used for workforce training and continuing education. Meat and dairy processing projects are not eligible for this program but may qualify for separate Choose Iowa Butchery Innovation or Choose Iowa Dairy Innovation grants.
Since the Choose Iowa Value-Added Grant Program launched in 2022, the Department has awarded nearly $1.64 million in state-funded cost-share to local farmers and agribusinesses to support 100 projects, generating a total investment of $5.6 million to expand local production and processing.
Source : iowaagriculture.gov