Contact: Allison Ross, [email protected]
This grant is now closed. We anticipate the next application period opening in Spring 2025. See the 2024 announcement here.
Background:
The Utah Food Security Processing Grant (UFSPG) was created in 2022 with a $1 million appropriation from the Utah State Legislature. With these funds, UDAF issued grants to Utah-based businesses to increase processing capacity of agricultural products produced in the state. UDAF received additional funding to continue this program during the 2023 and 2024 legislative sessions.
The UFSPG covers expenses including processing equipment, coolers/freezers, contractor costs (plumbing, draining, electrical work), portion cutters, slaughter equipment, sorting equipment, bottling equipment, etc.
Individual grant awards will be capped at $200,000. 50% of the funds will be set aside for meat and poultry processing. $20,000 will be held for microgrants of $5,000 or less.
Eligibility Requirements:
Grants of up to $200,000 are available to processors located in Utah with no more than 100 employees who use at least 51% of ingredients or product inputs that were grown/raised in Utah, or that sell at least 51% of their products to Utah consumers.
Meat/poultry processors wishing to apply must be either:
- A state-inspected “equal-to” slaughter and/or processing plant,
- A licensed custom-exempt slaughter plant, or
- A Talmadge-Aiken (TA) or very small federally inspected plant.
Eligible expenses must make an immediate impact on the state’s capacity to process or store Utah-raised protein or Utah-grown products including beef, dairy, pork, eggs, poultry, lamb, bison, fruit, vegetables, honey, etc. Reimbursement amounts are based on the applicable and reasonable project costs.
Reimbursement will be up to the amount stated in the contract and will require actual or copies of receipts, expenses, paid invoices and/or checks.
Eligible Expenses:
May include, but are not limited to: 
- Coolers/freezers
- Portion cutters
- Processing equipment (smoking units, sausage stuffers, etc.)
- Slaughter equipment (cradles, saws, hooks, scalders, sinks, etc.)
- Electronic sorting equipment (e.g. grading and sizing for apples, cherries, or peaches)
- Bottling equipment for juices
- Contractor costs (plumbing, draining, venting, electrical work)
- *Expenses not eligible for reimbursement include salaries, fringe, research, land purchases, and unrelated supplies and parts.
Important Dates:
- Public Comment Period: March 25 – April 5, 2024
- Applications Open: April 24, 2024
- Application Close Date: May 31, 2024
- Application Review Period: June 2024
- Awards Announced: Late June – Early July 2024
- Contracts signed and completed: July 2024
- Project Start Date: July 2024
Documents:
Utah Food Security Processing Grant Fact Sheet
Utah Food Security Processing Grant Ranking Criteria
Food Security Processing Grant Recipient Map
Video: Learn About The Utah Food Security Processing Grant
- A Wasatch County cheesemaker increased their processing capacity by 1,000lbs/week
- A Rich County produce processor increased their production by 200%
- A Utah County produce processor increased their packing capacity 80%
- A Weber County processor increased production by over 800 beef and 300 pigs annually
- A Utah County produce processor increased freezer storage capacity by 900%
Applications were opened May 1 – 31, 2024. Awards will be announced by June 30, 2024. For questions, please call Allison Ross at (385) 549-7987 or email at [email protected].
