(NAFB) – Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the USDA will make available $215 million in grants and other support to make America’s food supply chain more resilient. The financing will help expand meat and poultry processing options, strengthen the food supply chain, and create jobs and economic opportunities in rural areas.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association appreciates the effort to diversify the nation’s processing capacity. “Investing in packing capacity is critically important for the cattle industry,” says NCBA Director of Government Affairs and Market Regulatory Policy Tanner Beymer. “The expansion of regional processing facilities will bolster resiliency within the beef supply chain and help return marketing leverage to cattle producers.”

USDA Rural Development will make $150 million available through the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program. Another $40 million is available from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture for workforce development, and an additional $25 million will go to technical assistance.