RBC | The Fitch Ranch Artisan Meat Co. LLC (formerly Brother’s Processing) is receiving a $6,995,528 grant to help support the construction of a new facility adjacent to the existing one and expand the company’s processing capacity under U.S. Department of Agriculture inspection while creating 65 new jobs. Fitch Ranch partners with more than 500 local producers to process and sell hogs, cattle and lamb into local direct-to-consumer and wholesale markets, according to a press release from the USDA.
USDA Rural Development Colorado State Director Crestina M. Martinez announced that the Biden-Harris Administration is investing $7,445,528 in grants in Colorado through the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP). These grants will strengthen American food supply chains, increase independent meat and poultry processing capacity, create more, new and better markets for producers, and lower food costs.
“Rural America is the backbone of our economy and the source of vital food, natural resources and infrastructure, and when it thrives, so does the rest of the country. The investments made will create new jobs in rural Colorado; increase the local food supply chain; and, lower costs for hardworking small and mid-size farmers and ranchers and at the grocery store for all of us,” said Martinez.
The investments are part of USDA’s efforts to create a more competitive agricultural system, advance President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda, and support the 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. Together these actions help to lower food costs by spurring competition and strengthening supply chains.
