For the Gazette
STEVENS POINT – United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development State Director for Wisconsin Julie Lassa today announced the Department is investing $777,300 to help rural Wisconsin through job creation, business expansion and technical assistance.

“The projects I’m announcing today are great examples of how the diverse needs of Wisconsin’s rural economies are being met by Rural Development,” Lassa said. “USDA wants to ensure that we are doing our part to help bring economic opportunities to even more rural areas across the state.”

Lassa highlighted five investments that will assist entrepreneurs as well as help rural businesses hire more workers and reach new customers. They will open the door to new economic opportunities for communities and people who historically have lacked access to critical resources and financing. The investments will help entrepreneurs, business cooperatives and farmers create or save jobs, grow businesses, and find new and better markets for the items they produce.

For example:

-CAP Services of Portage County will use a $75,300 Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program grant to provide technical assistance and training that will mobilize local resources needed to bring about a permanent increase in the ability of low-income communities to become economically self-sufficient.

-In Marathon County, dairy farmer Joseph M. Tomandl will use a $45,000 Value-Added Producer Grant to explore the feasibility of producing high quality butter from organic milk processed on the farm. This investment will help to create one new job.

-ICON Meats in Chippewa County will use a $250,000 Value-Added Producer Grant to market and process bison into snack sticks. This investment will help to increase the customer base by 10,000 people, increase revenue by $772,000 and create four new jobs.

-In Marathon County, independent producer Cattail Organics will use a $250,000 Value-Added Producer Grant to package, store, market and distribute organic vegetables, herbs, and maple syrup. This project will increase their customer base by 580 people, increase revenue by $240,000 and create two new jobs.

-One rural business located in Langlade County received a $157,000 loan guarantee through the Business and Industry Loan Guarantee Program to replace gasoline dispensing equipment at locally owned fueling stations.

Today’s investments are part of a larger statewide announcement of 19 investments totaling $37.4 million recently made by Lassa, and a nationwide announcement made by U.S. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack who highlighted 751 investments totaling $1.4 billion. USDA is funding these investments through eight programs specifically designed to create economic opportunities for people and businesses in rural areas. These programs include Business and Industry (B&I) Loan Guarantees, which provided record-breaking investments in fiscal year 2021, and the B&I CARES Act Program, which has helped create thousands of jobs with funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Programs also include Rural Innovation Stronger Economy (RISE) Grants, Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant Program, Rural Cooperative Development Grant Program, Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program, Intermediary Relending Program and Value-Added Producer Grants.

These programs are part of a suite of business and cooperative services that are projected to help create or save more than 50,000 jobs in rural America through investments made in fiscal year 2021.

In recognition of National Entrepreneurship Week earlier this month, USDA unveiled a resource guide that features information on how rural entrepreneurs can use USDA and other Federal programs to access financing and other assistance to help start and expand their businesses.

It includes tools to help them:

-expand their access to capital to create small business incubators.

-create value-added agricultural products.

-access high-speed internet to connect their businesses to national and global markets.

-cut energy costs.

-access health care resources to enhance the quality of life for their employees.

-access workforce development and training opportunities to improve their skills, products and services, and more.

Additionally, USDA recently announced that it is making up to $150 million available in grants to fund startup and expansion activities in the meat and poultry processing sector. Funding is being made available through the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program.

For additional information, applicants and other interested parties are encouraged to visit the MPPEP website: www.rd.usda.gov/mppep. Questions may be submitted through the website or sent to [email protected]

All application materials can be found at www.rd.usda.gov/mppep or at www.grants.gov. Applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on April 11, through www.grants.gov.