STEVENS POINT — United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development State Director for Wisconsin Julie Lassa announced Feb. 28 the Department is investing $5.7 million to help rural Wisconsin through job creation, business expansion and technical assistance.
“The projects I’m announcing today are great examples of how the diverse needs of Wisconsin’s rural economies are being met by Rural Development,” Lassa said. “USDA wants to ensure that we are doing our part to help bring economic opportunities to even more rural areas across the state.”
Lassa highlighted 10 investments that will help rural businesses hire more workers and reach new customers. They will open the door to new economic opportunities for communities and people who historically have lacked access to critical resources and financing. The investments will help entrepreneurs, business cooperatives and farmers create or save jobs, grow businesses, and find new and better markets for the items they produce.
Among those recipients is herb farmer Katharine Kramer of Green County, who will use a $30,550 Value-Added Producer Grant to conduct a feasibility study and create a marketing and business plan to produce concentrated herb infusions. This investment will help to create one new position.
Background
The investments are part of a larger statewide announcement of 19 investments totaling $37.4 million recently made by Lassa, and a nationwide announcement made by U.S. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack who highlighted 751 investments totaling $1.4 billion. USDA is funding these investments through eight programs specifically designed to create economic opportunities for people and businesses in rural areas. These programs include Business and Industry (B&I) Loan Guarantees, which provided record-breaking investments in fiscal year 2021, and the B&I CARES Act Program, which has helped create thousands of jobs with funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
Programs also include Rural Innovation Stronger Economy (RISE) Grants, Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant Program, Rural Cooperative Development Grant Program, Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program, Intermediary Relending Program and Value-Added Producer Grants.
These programs are part of a suite of business and cooperative services that are projected to help create or save more than 50,000 jobs in rural America through investments made in fiscal year 2021.
In recognition of National Entrepreneurship Week earlier this month, USDA unveiled a resource guide that features information on how rural entrepreneurs can use USDA and other Federal programs to access financing and other assistance to help start and expand their businesses. It includes tools to help them:
● expand their access to capital to create small business incubators.
● create value-added agricultural products.
● access high-speed internet to connect their businesses to national and global markets.
● cut energy costs.
● access health care resources to enhance the quality of life for their employees.
● access workforce development and training opportunities to improve their skills, products and services, and more.
Additionally, USDA recently announced that it is making up to $150 million available in grants to fund startup and expansion activities in the meat and poultry processing sector. Funding is being made available through the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program.
For additional information, applicants and other interested parties are encouraged to visit the MPPEP website: www.rd.usda.gov/mppep. Questions may be submitted through the website or sent to MPPEP@usda.gov.
All application materials can be found at www.rd.usda.gov/mppep or at www.grants.gov. Applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on April 11, 2022, through www.grants.gov.
USDA will host an informational webinar on MPPEP on March 7 at 2 p.m. Eastern Time that will cover application requirements.
Registration information for the webinars is available on the MPPEP website.
Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural, Tribal and high-poverty areas.
For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov/wi. USDA Rural Development is prioritizing projects that will support key priorities under the Biden-Harris Administration to help rural America build back better and stronger. Key priorities include combatting the COVID-19 pandemic; addressing the impacts of climate change; and advancing equity in rural America. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov/priority-points. To subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit the GovDelivery subscriber page.