USDA and Montana Award $3.1 Million to Projects That Strengthen Food Supply Chain Infrastructure

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced it has partnered with Montana to award $3.1 million for eight projects through the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program (RFSI) to build resilience across the middle of the supply chain and strengthen local and regional food systems.

“Projects funded through the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure program are building strength and resilience in Montana’s food system, diversifying agricultural markets, creating new revenue streams for small and mid-sized producers and providing economic opportunities for local communities,” said USDA Marketing and Regulatory Programs Under Secretary Jenny Lester Moffitt. “USDA is grateful for Montana’s support strengthening local and regional agricultural supply chains.”

Through this program, the Montana Department of Agriculture will fund eight projects, including five infrastructure grants and three equipment grants to support middle of the supply chain infrastructure.

Examples of funded projects:

• Central Montana Food Hub in Harlowton, Mont., is receiving an infrastructure grant to build a state-of-the-art warehouse and processing facility. This project will address critical gaps in the middle of the supply chain in Central Montana, enhancing the capacity and efficiency of agricultural producers, processors and distributors in the region.
• Western Montana Growers Cooperative in Missoula, Mont., is using RFSI funding to modify an existing facility to expand cold storage, improve transportation capacity and enhance worker safety.
• Yellowstone Valley Food Hub in Billings, Mont., is receiving funding to enhance aggregation, storage and distribution capacity of local food products and establish value-added processing at an existing facility to expand retail and wholesale markets within the Yellowstone Valley.

“Montana’s producers are the backbone of our economy,” said Montana Department of Agriculture Director Christy Clark. “Through this program, we will be able to invest in our small and mid-sized producers so they can keep more of what they earn, bolster our state’s food system resiliency and keep rural dollars in our rural communities.”

This awarded funding is part of the $420 million available through the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure grant program to build capacity within the middle of the supply chain and support local and regional producers. It is funded by President Biden’s American Rescue Plan. Through this program, AMS has entered into cooperative agreements with state agencies, commissions or departments responsible for agriculture, commercial food processing, seafood or food system and distribution activities or commerce activities in states or U.S. territories.

For more information, visit the AMS Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure webpage. The status of each state and territory’s RFSI program is available on the program’s State Grant Webpage.