As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s American Rescue Plan, New Jersey-based poultry processor, Goffle Road Poultry Farm, was granted $4.2 million toward expansion.
“This investment in Goffle Road Poultry Farm, a fourth-generation family owned and operated business, represents a critical investment in local food supply infrastructure,” said New Jersey Rural Development State Director Jane Asselta. “Their expansion project will help them increase their business by a projected 300%, build a new stand-alone market and provide halal poultry to meet a growing market need.”
Goffle Road Poultry Farm’s expansion projects
The investment will go toward:
- Purchasing state-of-the-art equipment
- Constructing an evisceration room, offices for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and a training facility
- Increasing refrigeration space by 15,000 square feet
These upgrades are expected to increase processing capacity 150% by 2026.
“The strains on our nation’s supply chains, which began during the early days of the COVID pandemic, and which continue to this day, greatly underscore the need to increase and enhance localized processing of livestock products both in New Jersey and beyond,” said New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas Fisher. “This effort will help address those needs in the poultry sector and can serve as a model for other meat products in the Garden State as well.”
What is the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program?
A branch of the American Rescue Plan is the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP), which has invested a total of $223 million in grants and loans to 32 independent meat and poultry processing projects.
“Since President Biden laid out a commitment at the start of this year, USDA has worked tirelessly to give farmers and ranchers a fair chance to compete in the marketplace,” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said. “By jumpstarting independent processing projects and increasing processing capacity, these investments create more opportunities for farmers and ranchers to get a fair price, while strengthening supply chains, delivering more food produced closer to home for families, expanding economic opportunity and creating jobs in rural America.”
