MECHANICSBURG, Pa. — Recently, Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding made a trip to Route 174 Roadside Market in Cumberland County, one of the state’s small businesses that has the support of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s “Very Small Meat and Poultry Processor Reimbursement Grant Program.”
The grants reimburse costs associated with opening a new processing operation or the expansion of a current operation or getting a USDA Food Safety Inspection Service inspection, according to the PDA.
“Small meat processors are essential partners for Pennsylvania farmers and critical to strong local economies,” Sec. Redding said in a statement. “The Shapiro Administration is helping these businesses get stuff done so they can grow, create jobs, and give customers what they want and farmers more opportunities to save transportation costs and sell their products close to home. When we invest in small businesses, we strengthen rural communities and build a more resilient food supply chain in Pennsylvania.”
Route 174 Roadside Market is part of a fourth-generation family farm that received a $100,000 grant in 2022 from this grant program, which allowed them to add equipment and expand storage to meet the growing demand for local meat.
The market is one of 54 small meat and poultry processing businesses that Pennsylvania has invested in since 2019, providing more than $3.1 million through the Very Small Meat and Poultry Processor Grant Program, PDA added. This money helps reduce processing congestion at USDA plants, increases efficiency to market for livestock producers, and stimulates the local Pennsylvania economy.
“During the pandemic, we could not get our cattle processed to keep up with the demand in the store,” Steve Paulus, owner of the farm and market, said. “We decided we needed to do as much of the process here on the farm as possible. The grant helped us achieve that goal. Without the grant, we would not be able to give the variety of meats to our customers. This grant also helped save this small family farm.”
For the 2025-2026 round of grants, there is a total of $500,000 available, with individual awards up to $100,000. Applications must be submitted through the PDA’s Single Application for Assistance online system, which opened on March 23, and received by May 8, PDA explained.
Since taking office, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has shown that he understands how important the state’s rural communities and farms are to the state’s economic success, and this grant program is another way to support this industry.
For more information about the grant program, visit the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture website.
