Minn. Dept. of Agriculture awards more than $200,000 in grants to livestock producers

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Department of Agriculture awarded $200,000 in grants to boost livestock processing capacity after supply chain disruptions injured Minnesota’s producers.

In total, the MDA has awarded $208,213 to 46 Minnesota livestock processing plants and producers to help them increase capacity.

MDA’s Agricultural Growth, Research and Innovation Program’s Rapid Response Mini-Grant for Livestock Processing offered producers up to $5,000 to offset the costs of adding coolers, refrigeration units, slaughter and processing equipment.

 “Nowhere did you see stronger evidence of COVID-19’s impact on Minnesota agriculture than in the meat packing industry, where slow-downs and closures caused producers to have to make difficult decisions about what to do with their animals,” MDA Commissioner Thom Petersen said.

Here is a full list of grant recipients: (Organization - City - County)

3Hmong Sausage - Saint Paul - Ramsey

Al's Butcher Shop - Belgrade - Stearns

Backroad Meats - Milaca - Mille Lacs

Blank Cattle & Equipment LLC - Foley - Benton

Brady Gramm - Hancock - Stevens

Bruders' Butcher - Melrose - Stearns

Buckridge Meats - Millville - Wabasha

Burt's Meat & Poultry - Eyota - Olmsted

Clay Hill Processing - Lengby - Mahnomen

Concord Fresh Meat Inc - Saint Paul - Dakota

Conger Meat Market - Conger - Freeborn

Cornerstone Farms - Henning - Ottertail

Dick's Locker - Good Thunder - Blue Earth

Doerr Meat Processing - Rushford - Filmore

Dover Processing Inc - Dover - Olmsted

Egans Market - Adrian - Nobles

Foley Locker - Foley - Benton

Four Hill Farms - Barnesville - Clay

French Lake Butcher Shop - South Haven - Wright

Headwaters Meat Processing - Bagley - Clearwater

Heart O' Lakes Quality Meats Inc - Pelican Rapids - Ottertail

Helget Butcher Shop - Darfur - Watonwan

Hilltop Meat Market - Mankato - Blue Earth

Iron Shoe Farm - Princeton - Sherburne

Lakes Area Cooperative - Perham - Ottertail

Lakes Processing Inc - Detroit Lakes - Becker

LaSalle Food Processing Association - La Salle - Watonwan

Lonsdale Country Market - Lonsdale - Rice

Lucken Meats Custom Processing - Blackduck - Beltrami

Mackenthuns Meats and Deli - Bonifacius - Hennipen

Mahtowa Market Inc - Mahtowa - Carlton

Mills Locker Plant - New York Mills - Ottertail

Morgans Meat Market - Richland - Waseca

Orty's Custom Meat - Deer River - Itasca

Pastures A Plenty Co - Kerkhoven - Chippewa

Redhead Creamery LLC - Brooten - Stearns

Riverside Meats and Processing - Swanville - Todd

Schroeder Meats LLC - New Germany - Carver

Schwarzrock Meat Market Inc - Hutchinson - Mcleod

Stark Partners - Vesta - Yellow Medicine

Stinson's Country Style Meat LLC - Houston - Houston

The Brat Barn - Hermantown - St Louis

The Butcher Block Meat Market - Marshall - Lyon

Tikes Enterprises - Cohasset - Itasca

Town and Country Meats - Thief River Falls - Pennington

Wright Meats LLC - St. Charles - Winona