WASHINGTON — Thanks to the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion (MPPEP) program, Colorado is one of many states where processors are benefiting from investments in its processing capacity.

USDA Rural Development Colorado State Director Crestina M. Martinez announced that the Biden-Harris Administration would invest more than $7.4 million in grants for meat projects in Colorado.

“Rural America is the backbone of our economy and the source of vital food, natural resources and infrastructure, and when it thrives, so does the rest of the country,” Martinez said. “The investments made will create new jobs in rural Colorado; increase the local food supply chain; and lower costs for hardworking small and mid-size farmers and ranchers and at the grocery store for all of us.”

The first new project in Colorado will be Fitch Ranch Artisan Meat Co. LLC, which received a $6,995,528 grant to support the construction of a new facility adjacent to the existing one and expand Fitch Ranch’s processing capacity under USDA inspection. The grant will also help create 65 new jobs.

“Located in rural northwestern Colorado, Fitch Ranch Artisan Meat Company partners with over 500 local producers to process and sell hogs, cattle, and lamb into local direct-to-consumer and wholesale markets,” the agency said.

Another project would be Simla Frozen Food Locker Co. LLC in Simla, the recipient of a $450,000 grant to build a new facility across the street from its existing facility in rural Colorado and expand capacity.

The project would allow a family-run business to bring on USDA inspection and sell locally produced proteins into wholesale markets such as restaurants and grocery stores. Simla Frozen Food expects to serve 160 additional producers and create four full-time jobs with the grant.

The company expects to serve 160 additional producers and create four full-time jobs through this project.

These latest projects were a part of USDA’s announcement that it would invest nearly $110 million on July 11 into the MPPEP and the Local Meat Capacity Grant Program around the country.