The Ohio AgriBusiness Association and the Ohio Soybean Council have joined forces to assist individual cooperatives in pursuing mutually beneficial grant funding opportunities. At this time, the Council is seeking ideas and opportunities to collaborate on the submission of USDA Rural Development Value Added Producer Grant (VAPG) applications. The VAPG grant vehicle provides awardees up to $100,000 for feasibility grants or up to $300,000 for working capital grants. The primary objective of this grant program is to help agricultural producers enter into value-added activities related to the processing and/or marketing of bio-based value-added products. The goal is to expand markets for, and increase financial returns to, the agricultural producer-owners of the value-added venture.
To discuss how the Council can support your VAPG application, please contact OSC Director of Programs and Development Tom Fontana by phone at (614) 476-3100 or by email at tfontana@soyohio.org.