(Algona) The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship awarded 33 Choose Iowa value-added grants totaling $463,000 to farmers and small businesses in 28 counties. Each project could receive up to $25,000 to expand or diversify Iowa-made food and ag products. These grants leverage a total investment of over $1.3 million.
The department received 99 applications totaling $1.74 million, showing strong demand. Since 2022, nearly $1.64 million has been awarded to 100 projects, fueling over $5.6 million in total investments.
Choose Iowa Value-Added Grants awarded in southwest Iowa include:
Bruck Hillside Acres in Audubon – $18,589.79 to install a well and irrigation system for strawberry production. The total project budget is $37,179.57.
Early Morning Harvest in Panora – $25,000 to add a semi-automatic bag filler for retail sized bags of flour and a pneumatic conveying product mover. The total project budget is $53,888.
Holdfast Farmstead in Mount Ayr – $9,541.50 to construct a licensed kitchen to expand the availability of CSAs and offer an on-farm retail location. The total project budget is $19,083.
Wetzel Honey Farm in Corning – $7,669 to improve honey harvest with the purchase of an uncapper, extruder and melter. The total project budget is $15,337.
