COLUMBUS — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted announced on Wednesday that 12 meat processors have been awarded a total of nearly $3 million to implement processing efficiencies, expand or construct facilities at existing sites, assist in training and certification and improve harvest services.

This is the third round of awards made through the Ohio Meat Processing Grant, and they will help businesses in 11 counties. Including the first two rounds, 128 grants have been awarded to Ohio meat processors in 59 of Ohio’s 88 counties, totaling nearly $28 million.

“We wanted to make sure that all meat processors in the state had an opportunity to benefit from this grant program, so we allocated more funding,” DeWine said. “These grants don’t just benefit the processors. They also benefit Ohio families who will find more meat products available to them at the store.”

“These grants help food processors invest in new machinery and technology that can deliver more food, less expensively,” Husted said. “This results in a new level of productivity that benefits the consumer with lower prices, business with more production, and the workforce with higher pay.”

Counties in which meat processing facilities have received grants through the Ohio Meat Processing Grant Program.

The DeWine-Husted Administration prioritized the creation of the Ohio Meat Processing Grant Program in the state’s 2022-23 operating budget, which was passed by the Ohio General Assembly last year.

The grants are administered by the Ohio Department of Development in collaboration with the Ohio Department of Agriculture. Each company will receive a grant of up to $250,000, with half the funds disbursed before projects are started and the other half awarded after the companies show that the initial funds were spent on eligible costs.

“We want to ensure these businesses have the opportunity to grow and prosper,” Development Director Lydia Mihalik said.

“These grants enable our state’s meat processors to make advancements and improve efficiencies faster, so Ohio consumers see the results in stores sooner.”