By Morgan Sheeder | Times Vedette
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced in late March that the Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship awarded 30 Iowa farmers, small businesses and organizations Choose Iowa Value-Added Grants. Grant recipients, like That Iowa Girl in Panora, were eligible to receive up to $25,000 in cost-sharing funds, with hopes to increase the production of Iowa grown and produced items.
This year, $500,000 of value-added grants were awarded, leveraging the $1.7 million requested by grant recipients. The Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship received more than 120 applications this year. The cost-share funding is designed to support projects of Iowa farmers and small businesses by expanding production, reaching new markets and increasing the value of the items they produce. Investments include commercial kitchen equipment, cider and winery production equipment, refrigerated trucks and farmers market infrastructure.
Secretary Naig says, “By investing alongside these businesses, we are helping meet growing consumer demand while creating economic opportunity in communities across the state. The overwhelming popularity of this value-added program highlights the momentum and growing interest in local food as well as the high quality of the projects proposed across Iowa.”
The Choose Iowa Value-Added Grant Program was launched in 2022 and has since awarded more than $2.1 billion in state-funded cost-share for 130 local projects. The projects have leveraged more than $7.3 million in total investments to help support local Iowa businesses, farmers, and producers.
The following businesses were awarded the 2026 Choose Iowa Value-Added Grant:
- Mustard Seed Community Farm, Ames
- Treasure Acres Farm, Blairsburg
- Batige’s Transparency Project Farm, Cedar Rapids
- Afro-Iowa Unity Farm, Cedar Rapids
- Grand View Beef, Clarion
- Buser’s Produce, Conesville
- InConvenience Inc., Davenport
- Iowa Food Hub, Decorah
- Global Greens – Lutheran Services in Iowa, Des Moines
- Pie Bird Pies, Des Moines
- Jefferson County Ciderworks, Fairfield
- Mundo Lindo Farm, Fairfield
- Pickle Creek Herbs, Fairfield
- Soldier Creek Winery, Fort Dodge
- Prairie Produce, Grinnell
- Carlson Tree Farm, Hampton
- Mint ‘N More Foundation, Knoxville
- Rooster Ranch, Knoxville
- Yoder Family Farms Pork, Lone Tree
- Fireside Winery, Marengo
- Enchanted Evergreens, Newton
- EcoPrime, Osage
- That Iowa Girl, Panora
- Golden Hills Apiary, Riverside
- Home Kneads, Slater
- Local Harvest CSA, Solon
- Wilson’s Orchard, Solon
- Kittleson Bros., St. Ansgar
- Minerva’s Meadow, State Center
- WW Homestead Dairy, Waukon