APUC Awarded $192,640 of Value-Added Ag Grants
Posted on February 26, 2002

BISMARCK, ND-APUC announced the newest Agricultural Products Utilization Commission (APUC) project grants. APUC heard 8 funding requests; eight projects will receive $192,640 in value-added grants.

Schepp�s Dakota Deli, Inc. is a wet salad manufacturer locally owned and operated in Lansford North Dakota. Schepp�s received $67,640 to expand their marketing efforts, targeted are is central and eastern South Dakota, western Minnesota and eastern North Dakota. Primary North Dakota products used are potatoes and pasta.

Southwest Feeders-NDSU Hettinger Research Extension was awarded $35,000 to research the feeding, management and marketing of growing beef calves and fattening lambs fed locally produced feedstuff. Emphasis will be placed upon systems of feed production and marketing, as well as, interactions among different phases of production.

$15,000 was awarded to Maple Valley Meat Locker in Enderlin, ND for marketing. Maple Valley processes domestic and wild game produced in North Dakota for retail and wholesale markets. Marketing efforts will take place in North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota.

Equidistant Planter Group, Cogswell, ND received at grant in the amount of $25,000 to conduct field tests on a new planter attachment designed to increase existing yields of numerous crops, with no increase in variable costs of production.

The Commercial Vegetable Growers was awarded a grant for $50,000 for the continuation of hiring an Executive Marketer. The marketer will work on bringing markets and potential processing to North Dakota. Crops worked on to date are: carrots, cabbage, onions, and pumpkins.

APUC is a division of the state Economic Development and Finance Department, administers four grant programs for researching and developing new and expanded uses for North Dakota agricultural products: basic and applied research, market/cooperative marketing and utilization, farm diversification, and agricultural prototype. The grants are competitively awarded based on merit and likelihood of success. APUC funds are derived from farmers� off-road gasoline tax, state funds, and USDA grants.

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For more information, contact: John F. Schneider at 701-328-5350