Livestock producers in Iowa will be eligible for grants of up to $10,000 and biofuel producers for grants of up to $750,000 to offset the impact of the pandemic on agriculture in the state, announced Gov. Kim Reynolds on Tuesday, the same day she was expected to speak at the Republican National Convention. Reynolds designated $100 million of federal coronavirus relief funds for the agricultural assistance.
Some $60 million was allocated for grants to livestock producers, from pork to dairy and fish, to use as working capital to stabilize their operations, and $15.5 million was earmarked for grants to ethanol and biodiesel producers, based on gallons produced. The grants, to be administered by the state economic development agency, were capped at $10,000 for livestock producers and $750,000 for biofuel producers.
Funds were also tabbed for debt relief for beginning farmers, expansion of small meat processors, a “produce and protein” program that provides grants to schools to buy locally produced food, and an initiative to defray the expense of culling and disposing of livestock.