Governor Mark Gordon has relaunched the Wyoming Meat Processing Expansion Grant Program (WMPEG). The Wyoming Department of Agriculture (WDA) is now accepting applications for the program, which will continue to provide support for Wyoming meat processing facilities and Wyoming citizens impacted by supply chain disruptions and regional shut-downs of processing facilities resulting from the COVID-19 public health emergency.

The Governor has allocated up to $2 million in Federal CARES Act funds for WMPEG 2.0. The grant is based on the ongoing need to increase Wyoming’s local food supply chain security and capacity across the state.

“The significant processing bottlenecks that surfaced last year have not gone away,” Governor Gordon said. “This program will continue to help improve our meat processing capacity and ensure Wyomingites have access to high-quality products. Our work assisting independent processors is important to our overall agriculture diversification efforts and helps to expand an important sector of our ag economy.”

Initial priority will be given to entities and businesses who did not previously receive funding from WMPEG. Following this priority batching, applications will be accepted on a first come, first served rolling basis until funds have been expended. Applications will be reviewed for accuracy, eligibility, and completeness by the Wyoming Business Council, the Wyoming Department of Agriculture, and the Governor’s Office. The program offers grants of up to $500,000 to eligible businesses with a 50% match component for funding.

For complete eligibility requirements, updated rules, and application for the Wyoming Meat Processing Expansion Grant Program 2.0, please visit http://agriculture.wy.gov/.

Source: Wyoming Department of Agriculture