$59 million nationwide to increase independent meat and poultry processing capacity, expand market opportunities for farmers, and create jobs in rural areas. This is what the secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Tom Vilsack has ordered.

"The investments support the Biden-Harris Administration’s Action Plan for a Fairer, More Competitive, and More Resilient Meat and Poultry Supply Chain, which dedicates resources to expand independent processing capacity", the statement said. Department - As President Joe Biden has highlighted, creating fairer markets and more opportunities for family farmers helps bring down prices at the grocery store".

"For too long, American farmers and ranchers have been asked to produce more to meet increasing demand across the country and around the world, while they and the rural communities they come from have struggled to see their fair share of the benefits”, Vilsack said.

"The Biden-Harris Administration and USDA - continues the Secretary - are taking action to advance a sustainable vision of agriculture that prioritizes the needs of our resilient producers and small businesses, strengthens our food supply chain and brings value back to rural people and places. Through investments like those I’m announcing today, USDA will continue to work tirelessly to give farmers and ranchers a fair chance to compete in the marketplace, which in turn helps lower food costs for the American people".

Secretary Vilsack announced the new investments while touring a processing facility in Harrisonburg that will be expanded with the funding. Vilsack and Deputy Secretary Jewel Bronaugh visited with local producers and members of the community to discuss the importance of these investments to the region’s economy.

USDA is providing the $59 million in grants to five independent processors under the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP). "The funding will help build new processing plants, create hundreds of jobs, give local producers and entrepreneurs more business options and opportunities, and give consumers more options at the grocery store", the Department note said.