USDA Invests $25 Million for Agricultural Entrepreneurs to Turn Commodities into Value-Added Products

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is investing $25 million to help 247 businesses nationwide expand their operations and bring new products to market. The funding is provided through USDA’s Rural Development’s Value-Added Producer Grant program that helps agricultural producers grow their businesses by turning raw commodities into value-added products, expanding marketing opportunities and developing new uses for existing products. Since 2009, USDA has awarded 863 Value-Added Producer Grants totaling $108 million. Twenty percent of the grants and 16 percent of total funding has been awarded to beginning farmers and ranchers. The 2014 Farm Bill increases mandatory funding for the program from $15 million to $63 million over five years (while also reauthorizing an additional $40 million in discretionary funding). Learn more.