News Release
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News Release |
Contact: Jim Brownlee, (202) 720-2091
Tim McNeilly, (202) 690-0498
$10 MILLION IN RURAL DEVELOPMENT GRANTS SELECTED TO SPUR ECONOMIC GROWTH IN 21 STATES
Selected Proposals Focus on Agri-Business and Energy
WASHINGTON, September 17, 2001--The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced the approval of 32 value-added agricultural product market development grants in 21 states, totaling over $10 million. The grants will foster the development of new products and markets for agriculturally based products.
"The food and energy products derived from raw agricultural commodities will allow producers to realize greater economic benefit for what they produce," said USDA Secretary Ann M. Veneman. "Agriculture remains the cornerstone of America's rural economy, and it's important to develop new markets for agricultural products."
The following is a complete list of approved project dollars by state. A complete list of the selected grant recipients can be found at the USDA Rural Development web site at: www.rurdev.usda.gov/rd/newsroom/2001/vadgrecips2.html.
| Arkansas - $97,500 | California - $978,500 | Illinois - $100,000 |
| Indiana - $105,000 | Iowa - $2,448,578 | Kansas - $511,000 |
| Kentucky - $500,000 | Michigan - $500,000 | Minnesota - $144,950 |
| Montana - $303,022 | New Mexico - $35,000 | North Dakota - $1,723,558 |
| New York - $24,000 | Oklahoma - $500,000 | Pennsylvania -$90,000 |
| Oregon - $500,000 | South Dakota - $500,000 | Texas - $500,000 |
| Tennessee - $150,000 | Utah - $500,000 | Wisconsin - $8,000 |
Three proposals, totaling over $1 million dollars in grant funds, will focus on ethanol manufacturing plants in Kentucky, Illinois, and Iowa. Additionally, 24 of the selected proposals will provide funds for furthering the development of food related products, such as the $478,500 grant to the Blue Diamond Growers in California, who will use the funds to launch a new product line of produce/ salad toppings to be sold in the produce section of the marketplace.
Authorized as part of the Agricultural Risk Protection Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-224), the Value-Added Agricultural Product Market Development Grants program was established to encourage independent producers of agricultural commodities, and products of agricultural commodities, to further refine such products to increase their value to the end user of the product.
USDA Rural Development serves as the lead federal entity for rural development needs, and administers program assistance through three agencies: Rural Housing Service, Rural Business-Cooperative Service, and Rural Utilities Service. Further information on USDA Rural Development can be obtained by contacting any USDA Service Center or by visiting USDA's web site at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov.
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