USDA Plans $57M in Meat Processing Grants for 147 Projects in 40 States

USDA meat processing grants for 2026 are taking shape. Vice President J.D. Vance and Agriculture Secretary Brooke L. Rollins announced on October 26 that the U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to invest $57,424,130 through the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program, spread across 147 tentative awards to processors in 40 states (USDA). The awards are pending Congressional allotment (USDA).

What Happened

The program, known as MPPEP, is run by USDA Rural Development’s Rural Business-Cooperative Service (USDA). USDA said the grants are meant to help eligible independent processors expand capacity, create new and better markets, encourage competition and sustainable growth in the sector, and improve supply chain resiliency (USDA).

The Quincy Herald-Whig reported that the program funds equipment purchases, facility construction or renovation, and business scaling for independent processors (Quincy Herald-Whig). USDA did not name individual recipients or states in the release (USDA), so the specific plants that will be built or expanded have not been disclosed.

Who Can Receive the Money

USDA listed a broad set of eligible applicants (USDA):

• For-profit and nonprofit entities
• Producer-owned cooperatives and corporations
• Certified benefit corporations
• Tribes and Tribal entities
• State and local government entities
• Other business types, regardless of legal structure

Private entities must be independently owned and operated, and all recipients must be domestically owned (USDA). That rule keeps the money focused on smaller and midsize processors rather than the largest packers.

Program History and Policy Context

USDA said it has already awarded more than $200 million under MPPEP and that those projects have created thousands of jobs nationwide (USDA). The National Provisioner noted that the program’s web address refers to a Phase 4 round (The National Provisioner).

Rollins tied the new round to the President’s executive order on livestock markets, titled “Promoting Fair Competition in Livestock Markets and Expanding Market Access for American Meat Producers,” and to the goal of rebuilding what she called the “Great American Cattle Herd” (The National Provisioner). “President Trump is focused on putting American ranchers first,” Rollins said (Quincy Herald-Whig). She said more local processing would give ranchers confidence to help meet that goal (The National Provisioner).

It follows a separate USDA effort we covered, in which USDA fertilizer grants backed $1.34 billion in plant projects, another grant program tied to agricultural processing capacity.

What It Means for Food Plant Construction

The average works out to roughly $390,000 per award ($57.4 million divided by 147 awards), a WCG calculation from the USDA totals rather than a figure USDA reported. Actual award sizes have not been disclosed and will vary (USDA). Because the named uses include equipment purchases and facility construction or renovation (Quincy Herald-Whig), the program feeds directly into food plant capital work at independent processors.

Implications for Owners, Developers, Contractors and Subs

• Processors: Tentative awardees should be lining up design and pricing now so equipment and construction can move once Congress allots the money (USDA).
• Food and beverage contractors: Expect a scattered set of small and midsize projects across 40 states rather than a few large jobs (USDA).
• Refrigeration, process piping and electrical subs: Equipment purchases and facility renovation are named uses of the funds, which points to work in those trades (Quincy Herald-Whig).
• Rural economic developers: Independent processing capacity has been a stated USDA priority across several funding rounds, and more than $200 million has gone out under this program already (USDA).

What to Watch

Watch for Congressional allotment of the funds, state-by-state recipient lists from USDA Rural Development or members of Congress, and any next MPPEP round. Local announcements will show which processors are adding capacity and how much construction each award supports.

Bottom Line

USDA plans $57.4 million in meat processing grants across 147 tentative awards in 40 states, aimed at independent, domestically owned processors and pending Congressional allotment. Recipients have not yet been named (USDA).

Key Questions

How much is USDA giving in meat processing grants in 2026?

USDA plans to award $57,424,130 through the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program across 147 tentative awards, pending Congressional allotment (USDA).

Which states get USDA meat processing grants?

USDA said processors in 40 states are expected to receive funds but has not disclosed the states or the individual recipients (USDA).

Who is eligible for the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program?

Eligible MPPEP applicants include for-profit and nonprofit entities, cooperatives, benefit corporations, Tribes and state or local governments; private entities must be independently owned and all must be domestically owned (USDA).

What can the meat processing grant money be used for?

The MPPEP grants fund equipment purchases, facility construction or renovation, and business scaling for independent processors, according to the Quincy Herald-Whig (Quincy Herald-Whig).

Related Coverage

• Bell & Evans Plans $152 Million Expansion of Lebanon County Poultry Plant, 382 Jobs
• USDA Fertilizer Grants Back $1.34B in Plant Projects, Including Bartow, FL
• Food and Beverage Plant Projects: 65 New Planned Projects in September

Image credit: U.S. Department of Agriculture. Image from the source article.

Sources

• U.S. Department of Agriculture (press release), USDA to Invest $57 Million to Boost American Meat Processing Capacity and Support U.S. Ranchers, https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2026/10/26/usda-invest-57-million-boost-american-meat-processing-capacity-and-support-us-ranchers
• Quincy Herald-Whig, USDA announces $57 million investment to expand domestic meat processing capacity, https://whig.com/2026/10/27/usda-announces-57-million-investment-to-expand-domestic-meat-processing-capacity/
• The National Provisioner, USDA plans $57M investment in independent meat processing capacity, https://www.provisioneronline.com/articles/121423-usda-plans-57m-investment-in-independent-meat-processing-capacity