Value Added Producer Grant Workshops

I'm Lacy Gray with Washington Ag Today.

The USDA Value Added Producer Grant Program is for farmers who want to add value to their products and sell the end products to consumers. Two examples of value added products are jam from berries or cheese from milk. USDA Business Specialist Roni Baer and USDA Senior Loan Specialist, Melanie Drecksel, are conducting workshops this month for farmers who want to apply for value added producer grants. The January 9th workshop will be held in Yakima at the USDA Rural Development Office on Perry Street from 9:30 a.m. to noon. The next workshop will be January 14 in Chehalis from 9:00 a.m. to noon at the USDA Service Center on Bishop Road. Drecksel talks about what the workshop discussions will include.

DRECKSEL: We will be going over the eligibility requirements for the program. We will go into more detail about how funds can be used for the different kinds of applications. And then we will be going over the application itself. It is a rather complicated application - there are a lot of different forms to fill out. So, we will go through those, and also give some tips on how to answer some of the questions that are asked in the application.

Drecksel explains who is considered an eligible applicant for a value added producer grant.

DRECKSEL: There are different types of entities that might qualify, but the underlying requirement is that they have to actually produce the agricultural commodity. The goal here is to aid the farmer to use his product that he has grown or produced and then turning it into something more valuable.

Drecksel says there is still room available for the two remaining workshops, but it is recommended that those wishing to attend should RSVP by calling 360-428-4322 ext. 158. The deadline this year for applying for a value added producer grant is February 24.

That's Washington Ag Today.

I'm Lacy Gray on the Ag Information Network.