The owners of nine small-scale meat processing shops in Iowa are splitting 355-thousand dollars in state grant money to expand their businesses. In southwest Iowa, Weaver Meats in Afton is included among the grant recipients.  Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig says the “Choose Iowa Butchery Innovation Grants” have to be matched by the business and these grants are leveraging nearly two million dollars worth of investments.”This is all about helping Iowa consumers access more locally grown protein,” Naig said. “…It helps small businesses, especially in rural areas, with equipment and facility needs — new smokehouses, freezer and cooler systems, processing line expansions and equipment modernization.” Naig says meat lockers faced challenging times, but the pandemic was a turning point.

“We’ve got more producers that are looking to sell through these channels, but we also have the consumers on the other end, absolutely increasing demand,” Naig said. “Overwhelming survey results will show you Iowans say that they will go out of their way to buy something local and they will even spend a little more on that product if they know that it’s coming from an Iowa farm or an Iowa business.” Lucas Van Wyk  — co-owner of the Ulrich Meat Market in Pella — is president of the Iowa Meat Processors Association. “This grant means more than just dollars to upgrade equipment or expand capacity for our establishments. It’s a recognition of the essential role in Iowa’s food supply chain,” he said. “It’s an investment in the people who are committed to doing this work the right way, with care, skill and pride with every cut.”

The grants were announced during a news conference a couple of miles from the Iowa Capitol, at a meat locker that’s been operating since 1869. Tucker Maxwell recently bought the business, is getting one of the grants, and expects to dramatically expand the number of cattle it processes.  “Right now we’re at 12 head a week,” Maxwell said. “…Now I’m kind of quickly realizing the constraints of what we have for cooler space and this equipment should help us get to 25, 30 — potentially even 40.” Lawmakers created the state grant program for butcher shops in 2021 and the first round of grants were awarded in early 2022.

Here are the grant recipients and grant amounts:

• Weaver Meats in Afton $40,000
• Cherokee Locker in Cherokee $75,000
• Maxwell Custom Beef $30,000
• Tiefenthaler Quality Meats in Holstein $45,000
• Milo Locker Meats in Milo $75,000
• Friedrichson Meat Company in Sutherland $25,000
• Skoglund Meats in West Bend $25,000
• Winthrop Locker in Winthrop $25,000
• Yetter Locker in Yetter $25,000