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For Immediate Release-
October 24, 2002
Contact- Harold
Alford (785) 271-2702
Kansas USDA Rural Development
Announces $2.8 Million In Grants To
Fund Value-Added Products and Distance Learning & Telemedicine.
October 23, 2002 -
Topeka, KS. – Kansas Rural Development State Director Chuck Banks announced
$2,815,655 in grant funds that will bring new economic opportunities and
job creation to rural Kansas.
The funds are part
of the Rural Business-Cooperative Service Value-Added Agricultural Product
Market Developments grants and Rural Utilities Service Distance Learning
and Telemedicine grants announced by Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman
this week.
"These projects
will bring new opportunities for developing alternative energy sources
as well as create other value-added agricultural products that provide
real investment in our rural communities," said Veneman.
State Director Chuck
Banks stated that "These grants will provide important investments
in the areas of energy and value-added development where the agricultural
sector continues to be a leader in forging new solutions. Investing in
our schools and hospitals helps families and creates new jobs in these
rural areas."
State Director Banks
reported the following Kansas recipients, grant amounts, and purpose:
21st Century Grain
Processing, Manhattan, Kansas, $500,000 for working capital to expand
flour milling into hard white wheat and expand their market for flour
and food grade corn.
Padonia Grain Farmers,
Inc., Reserve, Kansas, $50,750 to conduct a feasibility study and develop
a business plan for segregating and marketing high protein corn in domestic
feed markets.
Cooperative Agricultural
Services, Inc., Grinnell, Kansas, $500,000 for working capital for operation
of soybean crushing facility.
Jewell County Sunflower
Processing, Randall, Kansas, $41,000 to conduct a feasibility study for
a sunflower processing plant, and to develop a business plan.
Western Plains Energy,
LLC, Quinter, Kansas, $290,615 to finance start-up cost for a 30-million
gallon ethanol plant near Oakley.
American White Wheat
Producers Association, Atchison, Kansas, $218,710 for a feasibility study
and business plan development for processing hard white wheat into heavy
bran for use in breakfast cereals and specialty breads.
East Kansas Agri-Energy,
LLC, Garnett, Kansas, $450,000 to finance start-up expenses of a 20-million
gallon ethanol plant near Garnett.
U.S. Premium Beef,
Ltd., Kansas City, Missouri, $500,000 to conduct a feasibility study and
business and development plan for acquisition of a majority ownership
interest in the Farmland National Beef Packing Company.
Barton County Community
College, Great Bend, Kansas, $69,550 to develop an interactive television
(ITV) system for distance teaching and learning designed to improve both
the quality of instruction and to increase the variety of courses offered
to high school and college students in rural central Kansas. A potential
40,350 residents 19 and older could benefit from services including adult
education, business and industry training, and lifetime learning. It is
expected that the project will also provide access to improved educational
opportunities to 5,427 children and youth (K-12) who are enrolled in the
school districts where the hub site and end-user sites are located.
Hays Medical Center,
Hays, Kansas, $195,000 to purchase teleradiology equipment for 11 rural
critical access hospitals in exceptionally rural areas of northwest Kansas
and one hospital in south central Nebraska. Over 16,000 patients will
be served by this project.
Funding of individual
recipients will be contingent upon meeting the conditions of the grant
agreement.
For additional economic
development information, you may log onto the Kansas Rural Development
website at: www.rurdev.usda.gov/ks, or e-mail the Agency at 2002farmbillRD@ks.usda.gov
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