Charles City’s Pure Prairie Farms Awarded Almost $7 Million USDA Grant
Charles City’s Pure Prairie Farms (PPF) will receive an almost $7 million grant from the United States Department of Agriculture.
The USDA announced the financial award to the premium chicken integrator through the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP). MPPEP was launched in 2021 in response to supply chain disruptions in recent years for meat and poultry products during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a statement, Brian Roelofs, chief executive officer and president for PPF said, “The grant was tailor made for smaller food companies like ours who are partnering in ownership with growers in a unique way for the industry. It will allow us to reach our state-of-the-art processing plant’s full potential much quicker and restore a market for area jobs and regional farmers.”
Earmarked as part of an almost $52 million dollar improvement project, Roelofs said the grant will help fund an 18,000-square-foot addition to include a warehouse and distribution center, improve the plant’s existing employee wellness area, and redesign its second-processing area.
Roelofs added that the improvements will allow PPF to maintain a beneficial and safe work environment for our team members and provide a premium choice for a growing interest in locally and responsibly-sourced chicken products.
PPF also recently received a $2.3 million dollar training grant from the Iowa Economic Development Authority as well as an almost $39 million dollar USDA-backed loan designed to invest in smaller agriculture manufacturers.
The company says its first production run is planned for mid-November with approximately 40 farmer-partners and 50 team members. Their goal is to reach full production capacity by 2024 with more than 100 farmer-partners and 400 team members: while processing around 600,000 chickens weekly.
