USA: USDA opens wallet for meat processors

OMAHA (DTN) -- Following the fallout over livestock markets and the influence of the country's largest meatpacking companies, USDA on Wednesday announced $223 million in grants and loans to expand meat and poultry processing around the country. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is expected to visit Omaha on Wednesday to further spotlight one of $73 million in grants that will go to 21 meat-processing projects in the first round of the "Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program." "We're excited about these projects," Vilsack said on a call Tuesday with reporters. "We think it's going to expand capacity of beef, pork and mixed processing by over 500,000 head a year, and we think it will expand capacity in poultry of nearly 34 million birds a year." The focus on meatpacking competition stems from supply chain problems that hit livestock producers and consumers during the peak of the COVID-19 lockdowns. President Joe Biden also started 2022 meeting with producers and laying out ...