A Newell business is among 33 recipients of Choose Iowa value-added grants.
Nieland Custom Meats is receiving 25 thousand dollars to go toward renovating an existing business facility to create a modern retail space for value-added meat products.
Country Pines Tree Farm in Marcus is getting over 20 thousand dollars to construct an addition to its farm store to allow expanded sales of Iowa Christmas tree products.
The Choose Iowa grants were announced this (Tues) morning by Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig. Recipients, including farmers and small businesses, are eligible to receive up to 25 thousand dollars in cost-share per project to increase or diversify agricultural product offerings, expand markets, and shorten supply chains.
Since the Choose Iowa value-added grant program launched three years ago, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has awarded nearly 1.64 million dollars in state-funded cost-share to 100 projects for a total investment of 5.6 million dollars to expand local production and processing.
