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Upcycled sunflower protein project stalled by federal freeze; small processor and retail partners face cash and production risks
Summary
Midwest Processors and cereal maker 7 Sundays told a Senate committee that a $530,000 RFSI reimbursement grant has been delayed, leaving the processor with equipment orders, loans, and production halted until funds or approvals resume.
Tom Smooty, a farmer and owner of Midwest Processors, told the committee that his RFSI grant award of $530,000 was structured as a reimbursement and that federal delays left his processing line torn out and production paused. "This is a reimbursement grant. So we went out and got a loan or a temporary loan to cover everything," Smooty said. He told the committee he and his wife personally guaranteed roughly $250,000 of the project and that equipment has been ordered and partly received but the processing line is out of service while reimbursement is on hold.
Brady Barnstable, co‑founder of 7 Sundays, which uses the sunflower protein in a…
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