U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announces the Biden-Harris Administration is investing $59 million across the country to increase independent meat and poultry processing capacity, expand market opportunities for farmers and create jobs in rural areas.

He announced the new investments while touring a processing facility in Harrisonburg that will be expanded with the funding. Secretary Vilsack and Deputy Secretary Jewel Bronaugh visited with local producers and members of the community to discuss the importance of these investments to the region’s economy.

USDA is providing the $59 million in grants to five independent processors under the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP). The funding will help build new processing plants, create hundreds of jobs, give local producers and entrepreneurs more options and business opportunities, and give consumers more options at the grocery store.

In Virginia, Shenandoah Valley Organic LLC is receiving a $3.6 million grant to expand its organic chicken processing facility in Harrisonburg. The company will use the funding to buy new de-boning equipment, increase its wastewater treatment capacity and create more space for both employees and equipment. The expansion will create more than 300 jobs and allow the company to better serve local farmers and consumers by nearly doubling its processing capacity to 630,000 birds per week. (USDA photo by Tom Witham)