A Drovers article
Monday, Oct. 26, USDA injected more than $382 million into programs targeting working agricultural lands and independent meat processing.
Unveiled through coordinated actions by Vice President JD Vance and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, the dual federal announcements commit $57.4 million across 147 regional processing awards through the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP) and $325 million across 42 projects via the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).
While both initiatives are wrapped in standard federal program language, their intersection points directly at the central challenge facing the U.S. beef industry today: how to rebuild the nation’s historically tight cattle inventory while expanding market access outside the Big Four packers.
For the full article click here