On October 5th, the Arkansas Department of Agriculture announced the recipients of the $5 million in funding provided by the Arkansas CARES Act Steering Committee and the Arkansas Legislative Council for the Arkansas Meat Processing Grant Program. The purpose of this grant is to help address the lack of local meat processing capacity in Arkansas by expanding processing infrastructure to meet consumer demand, which was a weakness discovered in the midst of the beginning days of the pandemic. "Expanded processing capacity provided by these grant funds is intended tol build resilience within the industry and provide benefit to producers, consumers, and our rural communities,” said Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward.
According to the Arkansas Department of Agriculture, it received 45 applications requesting a total of more than $30 million in grant funding. Selected recipients will receive 79.7 percent of the amount requested up to a cap of $500,000 per application. The Coronavirus Task Force also recently recommended an additional $5.4 million for the program.
More below:
https://www.agriculture.arkansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/CARES-Meat-Processing-Awardees.pdf
https://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article/133193/recipients-of-5m-in-meat-processing-grants-named