🌾 Iowa Farmers, Businesses, and Non-Profits: $25k Choose Iowa Grant Opportunity Now Available!
Choose Iowa is delighted to announce the commencement of the application process for the highly sought-after Value-Added Grant.
This initiative is tailored to support Iowa’s farmers, businesses, and non-profit organizations in their endeavours to augment and diversify their agricultural offerings, broaden market horizons, and streamline supply chains.
📌 **For comprehensive information, visit:**
Choose Iowa Grants
Here’s how this grant can be a game-changer (though the possibilities are boundless):
- Procurement and setup of equipment pivotal in the production of value-added agricultural goods.
- Establishment of on-farm stores or commercial kitchens.
- Advancement or enlargement of food hubs.
- Direct-to-consumer technological integration.
- Incorporation of cooler walls and refrigeration units.
- Acquisition of grading, packing, labelling, packaging, or sorting apparatus.
- Deployment of refrigerated trucks to tap into fresh markets.
- Participation in food processing short courses and workshops.
The window for submitting applications for the Choose Iowa Value-Added Grants is now wide open!
The deadline for submissions is set at noon on the 15th of December, 2023.
🔗 **Read the official announcement:**
Choose Iowa Grant Announcement
🔗 **For a detailed breakdown of the grant particulars, visit:**
Choose Iowa Grant Details
Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity to elevate your agricultural pursuits in Iowa!
In the news
Expanding Access to Iowa Grown, Raised, and Made Products: Secretary Naig Unveils Grant Opportunity
Iowa’s Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Naig, has announced a pivotal funding opportunity through the Choose Iowa initiative.
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is reintroducing the Choose Iowa value-added grants aimed at broadening the accessibility of locally sourced foods, beverages, and various agricultural products.
These grants, with a potential match of up to $25,000 per project, are designed to empower farmers, businesses, and non-profit entities in augmenting or diversifying their agricultural offerings, thereby providing consumers with a broader array of local food choices.
“Choose Iowa grants provide assistance to farmers, small businesses, and non-profits to make investments that will help them add value, diversify their product offerings, tap into new markets and connect directly with more customers,” said Secretary Naig.
“By building on the growing demand for local foods and investing in value-added projects, Choose Iowa is all about connecting consumers to the very best that Iowa can produce.”
Recipients of Choose Iowa grants can allocate funding towards implementing innovative processing, packaging, or sales techniques that amplify the value of their crops, livestock, and other produce.
For instance, a farmer may invest in an on-farm store or cold storage to directly supply consumers with meat, eggs, or fresh produce. Similarly, a produce grower might upgrade their commercial kitchen to handle larger quantities of seasonal produce at their peak freshness.
Additionally, the grant can be used for employee training and ongoing educational programs.
It’s worth noting that separate funding programs are available for meat processing and dairy processing projects through the Butchery Innovation and Revitalization Program and the Dairy Innovation Fund, respectively.
Since its inception, the Choose Iowa grant initiative has received a substantial response, with hundreds of applications requesting nearly $3.3 million in funding over the first two years.
In 2022, thirteen projects were selected, including dairy farms, direct-to-consumer meat businesses, a food hub, a CSA, and a brewery.
The following year, twenty-eight recipients were chosen for projects spanning from expanding cold storage to enhancing processing capabilities and distribution networks, as well as improving production efficiency.
Individuals, businesses, and non-profit organizations currently operating in Iowa are eligible to apply for Choose Iowa value-added grants.
Preference will be given to small and medium-sized enterprises. Detailed information about the grant program, including financial matching requirements, application procedures, and eligibility criteria, can be found on the Choose Iowa website
Applications must be submitted through the online portal on the Choose Iowa website and are due by 12:00 p.m. on December 15, 2023.
Grant recipients will be announced in March 2024. For any inquiries regarding the Choose Iowa value-added grants, please contact [email protected].
Date: October 17, 2023 – 12:00
Administered by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, the Choose Iowa Program is funded by the State of Iowa, supplemented in part by Specialty Crop Block Grant Funding.*
Embrace #ChooseIowa and unlock a brighter future for your ventures. 🌾🌟 #IowaAg #OrganicAgriculture #OrganicFarming #OrganicFood
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