COLUMBUS, Ohio — The United States Department of Agriculture announced the federal government is investing $110 million in the nation's meat supply chain with nearly $9 million being spent in Ohio.

The money will be invested through the Meat and Poultry Expansion Program and the Local Meat Capacity Grant Program.

“We have a meat industry that is really dominated by a few large multi-national processors - very efficient. That's why we can have a cheap, affordable and safe food supply, but as we learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, disruptions in that system can cause problems up and down the line, so we want to support local food, so people can have options and access and that there is more resiliency in that food supply chain," agriculture expert Andy Vance said.

According to the USDA, Case Custom Meats will build a new cattle, hog, lamb and goat processing facility. Seven new jobs are expected to be created.

Meanwhile, Whitewater Processing LLC will build a new processing facility, expecting to add 80 full-time positions, serving four new turkey producers.

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