KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
A local ranching family, which grazes their herd on an island south of Kodiak, recently received a second federal grant for the cutting edge work they do on creating value-added products from their cattle. Bob and Nathan Mudd previously received a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to build a portable slaughterhouse and processing facility, which is set up on Sitkinak Island. Now, the USDA has given them another grant in the amount of nearly $132,000 to create more products onsite.
Chad Stovall in Palmer is the business and energy specialist for the USDA in Alaska.
— (USDA 1 28 sec "It met a lot of our … their agricultural commodity.")
The matching-grant will create 10 additional jobs at the processing facility:
— (USDA 2 25 sec "What they’re doing is … become a model project.")
More than $22.5-million has been distributed nationwide from the Value-Added Producer Grant program, but the Mudd’s grant is the only one in Alaska. However, Stovall points out there’s plenty of opportunity for producers in the state, including fishermen:
— (USDA 3 17 sec "This year we had just … agricultural harvesters.")
Stovall described the requirements to apply for the value-added grants:
— (USDA 4 33 sec "Traditionally, if you alter … an agricultural commodity.")
The Mudds were unavailable for comment on this new grant, but one year ago at the unveiling of their portable slaughterhouse, Nathan Mudd described the products they’ve since started producing on Sitkinak:
— (USDA 5 39 sec "We’re going to be producing … storing it at their house.")
The first grant the Mudd’s received for the portable slaughterhouse, also known as a" multi-location abattoir," (abba-t’wah) came from the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.
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