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Agriculture committee backs $5M CARES grant to expand small meat processors; Farm Bureau urges broader eligibility and bigger pot
Summary
The Senate agriculture committee recommended state concurrence for a $5 million CARES Act grant to expand small meat processing; stakeholders urged broader eligibility (including state‑inspected facilities) and a 90/10 cost‑share, and the committee also approved a separate IT reimbursement proposal.
Wes Ward, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Agriculture, asked the committee to recommend two CARES Act proposals: a roughly $215,000 IT reimbursement and a $5,000,000 grant to expand small meat‑processing capacity affected by pandemic disruptions.
Michael Lee, Arkansas Farm Bureau beef division chair, told the committee that limited inspected capacity had delayed scheduling into 2021–2022 and that grant funds would help producers meet local demand. "This proposal . . . will safeguard the food supply," Lee said, urging approval.
Jessica Clauser Burkeham of the Arkansas Farm Bureau supported the grant and recommended increasing the amount to $10 million, and asked that state‑inspected facilities be eligible. The Farm Bureau also urged a larger state contribution to reduce the processor cost share, proposing a 90/10 cost‑share instead of the department's 75/25 draft.
Committee members discussed timing constraints tied to federal spend‑down rules; officials said the department would seek federal flexibility if needed and recommended structuring the grant similar to programs in Missouri and Oklahoma. Following discussion the committee voted to recommend concurrence with the Department of Agriculture's $5 million meat‑processing proposal, adding flexibility and a recommended 90/10 cost‑share for the steering committee to consider. A separate recommendation to approve the $215,000 IT reimbursement also passed by voice vote.
The committee's action was a recommendation to the state's CARES Act steering committee; it does not appropriate funds directly but signals legislative support for the program parameters discussed.
