Wisconsin State Rep. Ron Kind | Facebook
Wisconsin State Rep. Ron Kind | Facebook
Applications are now being accepted until Nov. 22 as funding is now available in Wisconsin through the USDA’s Pandemic Response and Safety (PRS) Grant Program.
There is approximately $650 billion in funding available for the program and the minimum amount allowed to be requested is $1,500 and the maximum amount is $20,000, according to RAFI USA. The PRS Grant Program was developed in support of agricultural stakeholders that have not yet obtained substantial federal assistance due to a COVID-19 related crisis.
“The USDA’s Pandemic Response and Safety Grant Program is now open for applications. Learn more about the relief available for small producers, processors, distributers and farmers through this program here,” state Rep. Ron Kind (D-Platteville) wrote in a tweet.
Funding for the PRS Grant Program is being provided through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, a USDA press release said. The program is set to help small business dealing in certain commodities including "specialty crop producers, shellfish farming, finfish farming, aquaculture and apiculture; specialty crop, meat and other processors; distributors; and farmers markets" and will help cover COVID-related expenses. Those expenses can include workplace safety measures, retrofitting facilities for safety, online sales platform shifting, worker housing, medical costs and transportation, the release said.
The grant is set to only cover costs that occurred during Jan. 27, 2020, and Dec. 31, 2021, according to RAFI USA.
As Wisconsin has a dynamic, $21 million dollar industry, the state has more than 500 licensed meat establishments in 68 counties that employs more than 105,000 people and 27,777 farms and ranches with 3.5 million heads of cattle. In 2019, the state's case receipts for milk totaled $5.7 billion, $1.7 billion for cattle and calves, $731.2 million in soybeans, $445.2 million in vegetables and $136.5 million in cranberries, a Beef Tips report shows.
To apply for the grant, visit https://usda-prs.grantsolutions.gov/usda.
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