The Indiana State Department of Agriculture worked with other state agencies and the Indiana Meat Packers and Processors Association to help find good economic use for nearly $4 million in federal CARES Act money in 2020. ISDA created the Indiana Meat Processing Expansion and Development Program. Forty meat processors spread across some three dozen Indiana counties used the funds to upgrade, update and/or expand their operations.

The local meat processors were required to provide at least 50% cash matching funds to participate. All grant money was required to be spent by Dec. 30, 2020.

Related: ISDA program helps smaller meat plants

“We are proud of the way everyone stepped up and made this program a success,” says Bruce Kettler, director of ISDA. “We had to create a program from scratch and do it very quickly.”

Leveraging funds

Here is the first of two examples that illustrate how these Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act funds helped Hoosier businesses. In Muncie, Ind., Munsee Meats, a decades-old company with a proud history, was floundering as the pandemic began to unfold. Jonathan Lamb and Jason Mauck headed up a group looking for storage space for farm-raised beef. They discovered that the owners of Munsee Meats wouldn’t rent space, but they were ready to retire and would sell the business.

After the new owners took over, they began making improvements and focusing on rebuilding a customer base, supplying products to multiple school fundraising groups and finding new restaurant customers. When the grant opportunity came along in the fall of 2020, they wanted to participate, but were short on cash.

“We were able to obtain a loan from an arm of the city of Muncie, and we’re thankful they believed in us,” Lamb says. “It helped us obtain the grant and continue making improvements.”

Part of their grant funds went toward purchasing a new vacuum-sealing machine, which wraps and seals various cuts of meat, making them ready for distribution quickly and easily. The company also established a self-serve, free-standing meat locker just off the parking lot of a local Harley-Davidson dealership. Customers preorder meats and then pick up their order there using a QR code. No staffing is required.

Ramp up capacity

In nearby Henry County, Ind., Dan Titus of Knightstown Meats and Catering was looking for a way to grind and handle ground beef faster. Business picked up dramatically when COVID-19 hit, adding people looking for any source of meat to their normal customer base. Some of those have become regular customers.

This business matched grant money and invested in different machines that handle ground beef faster and more efficiently. These new processes require less physical labor, making the work easier and safer for employees.

The increase in capacity helps Knightstown Meats and Catering meet demands of an increasing retail sales business. The goal is to expand slaughtering facilities in the future, just to meet needs, Titus says. Even then, the business will still have a long list of people waiting to bring animals for custom butchering. Right now, some people have kill dates scheduled for animals that aren’t even born yet.

To see photos of these businesses, click through the slideshow.