NDA AWARDS GRANTS TO 64 NEBRASKA MEAT PROCESSORS

The Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) has selected 64 meat processing facilities to receive grants designed to support the growth of meat processing in Nebraska. NDA awarded a total of $4,914,247.08 of grants in the first round of funding through the Independent Processor Assistance Program.

The Independent Processor Assistance Program was created in Senator Tom Brandt’s LB324 that was passed in 2021 by the Legislature. This year’s LB755 asked for $10 million to fund the program and the funds were ultimately included in LB1014, which allocated Nebraska’s share of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) federal funds. In the end, NDA will award approximately $9.8 million in grants to support projects designed to improve and/or expand Nebraska’s meat processing capabilities.

The meat processors who received the grant money had to meet certain criteria which included: existing meat processors to facilitate improvements, enhancements, or expansions to increase harvest capacity and/or product throughput; operating as either a USDA-FSIS facility or a federally regulated custom-exempt slaughter and processing facility; being domiciled in the State of Nebraska and registered in good standing with the Secretary of State to conduct business in Nebraska; existing sales revenue of less than $2.5 million; and employing fewer than 25 people.

Additional Independent Processor Assistance Program grants will be allocated again in the first half of 2023 until funding is gone. Previous recipients of grant funding will be eligible to apply in subsequent rounds, but preference will be given to applications not previously awarded funding. For questions, contact Breanna Wirth, NDA Legislative Coordinator, at 402-890-1509 or breanna.wirth@nebraska.gov.

Here are the list of award recipients:

1. 4 His Glory
2. Ace & Ida Inc.
3. AK Meats LLC
4. Albion Locker
5. ASC Lockers
6. B and J Main Street Market
7. B&B Locker
8. B.I.G. Meats
9. Belschner Meats
10. Borchard Custom Cuts
11. Busy Bones Butcher
12. C.R. Packing
13. Cedar Rapids Locker
14. C&G Wild Game Processing, LLC
15. Chuckwagon Meats
16. Cornelius Butchery
17. Cornhusker Beef Company
18. Country Butcher
19. Den’s Country Meats
20. Diller Locker
21. Elmwood Meat Plant
22. Faltin Meat Market
23. Flat Water Meats LLC
24. Franklin Locker
25. Fremont Meat Locker
26. Gentert Packing
27. Grant Packing
28. HD Processing dba Blue River Meats
29. Hearty Rancher
30. Homeland Processing
31. Husker Meats
32. Jansen’s Custom Cut
33. KB Quality Meats
34. Kelley’s Custom Pack
35. McLean Beef
36. Melcher’s Locker
37. M-K Meats
38. NE Family
39. Nelson’s Butcher Shop
40. North Bend Locker
41. Oakland Meat Processing
42. Oxford Locker
43. Patriot Beef
44. Pelicans Meat
45. Pickrell Locker
46. Polk Locker

47. Prairie Processing
48. R&M Meats
49. Ravenna Locker
50. Rodriguez Brothers Processing
51. Shelton Locker
52. Steve’s Butcher Shop
53. Table Top Meats
54. The Fairfield Butcher Shop
55. The Rusty Butcher
56. Twin Cities Pack
57. Twin Loups Quality Meats
58. Valentine Locker
59. Wahoo Locker
60. Wausa Locker
61. Whiskey Creek Critters
62. Wildcat Locker Inc
63. Willow Creek Meats
64. Winfield Foods