Updated 3:52 p.m. July 1.
Four Centre County businesses have been awarded a combined $451,000 in federally-funded grants aimed at strengthening Pennsylvania agriculture and the commonwealth’s food supply chain, Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration said on Friday.
A total of 77 farms and food manufacturers received $21 million in grants through through Pennsylvania’s Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) program, a cooperative agreement between the commonwealth and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“Pennsylvania is investing to feed our future through a stronger local supply chain, which means healthier communities, thriving businesses, more job opportunities and more resilience in challenging times,” Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding said. “Historically, partnerships with the federal government have expanded Pennsylvania’s capacity to feed local growth. This partnership builds on that longstanding tradition of cooperation that benefits our national and local economy as well as families across Pennsylvania.”
The grants will support equipment upgrades, safety improvements and facility modernization to “allow manufacturers to expand product lines and better connect farmers with consumers,” according to the a state Department of Agriculture news release.
Centre County’s recipients:
• Centre Markets received a $111,985 equipment grant for the renovation of a commercial kitchen at its planned new facility in Pine Grove Mills. The commercial kitchen, which owner Sabine Carey said will be made available to entrepreneurs with small community food-related businesses, will “support product development and expand distribution for regional producers,” according to the Department of Agriculture.
• Common Ground Farm in Spring Mills received a $140,000 infrastructure grant to convert a seasonal packing house into a solar-powered, on-farm food processing facility. The project will expand processing, aggregation, and storage for organic vegetables and grains. It is expected to “benefit at least 16 regional organic farmers, support job creation and generate new revenue through food hubs, food banks, distributors, and wholesale markets,” according to the release.
• Inside Out Cookie Co. in Spring Mills received a $99,144 grant for commercial kitchen equipment “to increase baked goods production with local ingredients,” according to the release.
The project will support at least five regional producers.
“Since starting Inside Out Cookie, we’ve been selling cookies as fast as we can make them, but production capacity was always limited by our smaller equipment,” owner Nick Freed said in a statement. “With larger and more efficient equipment we can produce and sell more products, which will require a greater consumption of Pennsylvania agricultural products and allow us to expand to more markets.”
• Nittany Meadow Farm in Boalsburg received a $100,000 grant for Centre County’s first goat-specific dairy processing facility “to produce and distribute a variety of goat dairy products.”
“Strengthening our local food networks not only supports small farms and businesses but also helps ensure that families in central Pennsylvania have access to fresh, nutritious foods from local producers,” state Rep. Paul Takac, D-College Township, said in a statement. “I’m proud to stand with these local businesses as they upgrade facilities and diversify their product lines. When we invest in our food supply chain, we invest in healthier communities and a stronger economy for everyone.”
The program offers two types of grants: infrastructure and equipment-only. For infrastructure grants, a 50% match is required, but for qualifying historically underserved, women-owned and veteran-owned small businesses, the required match is reduced to 25%. No match is required for equipment-only grants.
