Bainville Meats Among Department Of Agriculture Grant Recipients
Director Jillien Streit and the Agriculture Development Council have announced recipients of the state’s $915,360 investment in innovative, value- added agriculture projects through the Montana Department of Agriculture’s Growth Through Agriculture program.
The winners included Bainville Meats with a $17,500 grant for “State Certification Expansion.”
From Opheim to Stevensville, a total of 25 ag businesses throughout the state were awarded funds to advance Montana’s agricultural economy.
“MDA’s Growth Through Agriculture program has gained serious momentum because it focuses solely on giving our agricultural businesses an opportunity to grow and expand. These awards are often that extra boost that takes a business or operation to the next level,” said Streit. “The Department of Agriculture is proud to invest in these innovative projects that will add value to Montana agriculture as well as contribute to economic development and local communities.”
The GTA program was established by the Montana Legislature in 1987 to strengthen and diversify Montana’s agriculture industry through development of new agricultural products and processes.
The program offers funding in the form of a grant or loan or both and funding is determined by a seven-member Agriculture Development Council. Growth Through Agriculture funding requires the investment of at least a $1 in matching funds for every $1 in program grant or loan assistance received.
Recipients
DAJ Ventures LLC dba Missouri River Meats, Great Falls, $50,000 grant, “Missouri River Meats Federally Inspected Commercial Kitchen” Montana Premium Processing Cooperative, Havre, a $50,000 grant, “Montana Premium Processing Cooperative Cooler Expansion Project for Increased Capacity, Value Added Aging Flexibility, Redundancy, and Employee Hire Growth” Deer Creek Meats, Glendive, $18,894.50 grant, “Deer Creek Meats Distribution Expansion” Missoula Grain and Vegetable Co LLC, Stevensville, $42,502 grant, “Expanding the Scale of Sales & Distribution of Montana-grown Vegetables, Fruits, & Other Whole Foods Through an Online Store and Winter CSA Program” Flocking Good Farms, Big Sandy, $25,000 grant, “Strengthening Montana’s Food System: Expanding Poultry Operations and Rural Access” Everyday Foods, Red Lodge, $18,500 grant, “Wholesale Bakery/ Retail Expansion in Red Lodge: connecting local food infrastructure to consumers, scaling artisanal sourdough baking production and increasing desirable local jobs” Coyote Smile Farm LLC, Charlo, $15,500 grant, “Coyote Smile Farm Garlic Cleaning Efficiency Improvement Project” The Rancher’s Daughter Montana LLC, Kalispell, $42,500 grant, “The Rancher’s Daughter Farm to Table Retail Store Expansion” Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Pablo, $50,000 grant, “Expanding Zero- Waste Solutions for CSKT Meat Processing Facility and the Flathead Reservation” Value Add Montana LLC, Bozeman, $18,500 grant, “Equipment, refrigeration and promotion of local tallow rendering business” Fundamental Feed Montana LLC, Kasson, Minn., $50,000 grant, “Sainfoin: revitalizing Montana’s rural economy with the forage of the future” Cherrywood Orchard, Bigfork, $15,604 grant, “Cherrywood Value Added Processing and Equipment Investment” North Frontier Farms Inc., Shonkin, $33,500 grant, “Color sorter for high-antioxidant black/purple corn seed and food production” North of Nowhere Farm LLC, Opheim, $15,125 grant, “Expanding Value-Added Production in northeast Montana - Beef Jerky for School Backpack Programs” Tongue River Vineyard & Winery LLC, Miles City, $13,201.62 grant, “Canning a ‘Totally Montanan’ Wine” Beaverhead Meats, Dillon, $50,000 grant, “Beaverhead Meats Expansion Plan Proposal” Sun Ag Power Corp, Bozeman, $20,325 grant, “Increasing Montana Farmer Viability Through Solar Development” Farmer Meets Foodie LLC, Havre, $23,400.51 grant, “Farmer Meets Foodie Expansion Project” Conservation Grains LLC, Choteau, $5,792.50 grant, “Grain - Moving & Storing to Achieve 5-Year Growth Plan” Ten Mile Distilling LLC dba Gulch Distillers, Helena, $25,000 grant, “Gulch Distillers Factory Expansion and Tasting Room Relocation” Valhalla Meadery, Bozeman, $20,375 grant, “Valhalla Meadery Business Expansion” Treasure State Sires LLC, Havre, $50,000 grant/ $100,000 loan, “Purchase of equipment and supplies for boar stud barn” Amaltheia Organic Dairy LLC, Belgrade, $94,140 loan, “Increasing Regional Access to Montana Goat Milk” Hay Montana LLC, Toston, $50,000 loan, “Hay MT Manufacturing and Export”
