Thirty projects aimed at boosting Wisconsin’s food production industry are getting $23.2 million through a USDA infrastructure program, state and federal officials announced.
Funding for the projects comes from the agency’s Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program, which aims to strengthen the “middle of the food supply chain,” expanding markets for small farms and food businesses, according to the USDA’s overview. The dollars allocated in Wisconsin are part of $420 million in total funding being awarded, coming from the American Rescue Plan Act.
Gov. Tony Evers says the awards will “help strengthen our supply chains and bolster economic opportunity and resilience” across Wisconsin.
“Wisconsin’s farmers, producers, and our agricultural industries are a critical part of our state’s economic success and help make sure we’re getting food to tables, grocery stores, and restaurants across our country and the world over,” he said in a statement on the funding.
The largest award in the state at nearly $2.9 million is going to farmer-owned processor Doudlah Farms Organics, based in Evansville. The company grows more than 20 varieties of products ranging from pinto and kidney beans to rye wheat and grains, as well as sunflower seeds and honey.
Its 20,000-square-foot processing facility, funded by the USDA program, is estimated to benefit 550 local and regional agricultural producers. It’s meant to make it easier to enter the market while improving sales channels for “organic, value-added” farm products, an overview from the agency shows.
Meanwhile, the Waupaca-based Wisconsin Food Hub Cooperative will use its $460,000 award to expand its existing warehouse space and trucking fleet while improving distribution routes to connect with other supply chain initiatives in the state. The project is expected to benefit 250 local and regional food producers, the USDA says, with an emphasis on small-scale grocery and food service buyers and others.
And Red Door Family Farm, based in Athens, will use a nearly $400,000 award to build a packing shed and cold storage facility for its organic vegetables, as well as those produced by 20 other farms. The farm is also buying a refrigerated truck to transport produce from partner farms to local and regional wholesalers and retailers, along with charity groups including Feeding America and the Marathon County Hunger Coalition.
