From the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced that the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has awarded 33 Choose Iowa value-added grants to Iowa farmers and small businesses located in 28 counties. Grant recipients were eligible to receive up to $25,000 in cost-share per project to increase or diversify their agricultural product offerings, expand markets and shorten supply chains. Choose Iowa awarded $463,000 in value-added grants to leverage a total investment by grant awardees of $1,325,710.05 to expand the availability of Iowa grown, Iowa raised, and Iowa made food, beverages, and ag products. The Choose Iowa grant announcement was made as part of Iowa Horticulture Week at Farmer Sarge’s in Algona, a veteran-owned produce farm, Choose Iowa member, and one of the 2025 grant awardees.
“Consumers increasingly want more locally grown food, beverages, and ag products, and that’s great news for Iowa farmers and small businesses,” Secretary Naig said. “These Choose Iowa value-added grants are designed to help small, young, and beginning farmers grow their businesses to meet this rising demand. By investing alongside them, we’re not only helping to expand the availability of Iowa products, but we’re also fueling economic opportunity in communities all across the state.”
This year’s grants will support a wide variety of projects including produce processing and production, expanding farm-to-table dining, commercial kitchen construction, on-farm retail, refrigeration and freezer capacity for more direct-to-consumer sales, honey production and value-added processing, Christmas tree and popcorn sales, and more.
Individuals, businesses and nonprofit organizations that are currently living or operating in Iowa were eligible to apply for the Choose Iowa value-added grants, and preference was given to small- to medium-sized entities. This year, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship received 99 eligible grant requests totaling $1,741,704.41 — more than four times the available funding — underscoring the interest and demand for funding to support local foods programs.
Since the Choose Iowa value-added grant program launched in 2022, the Department has awarded nearly $1.64 million in state funded cost-share to 100 projects, for a total investment of $5.6 million to expand local production and processing.
|
YEAR |
NUMBER OF PROJECTS FUNDED |
TOTAL VALUE-ADDED FUNDING |
TOTAL BUDGET PROJECTS |
|
2025 |
33 |
$463,000 |
$1,325,710.05 |
|
2024 |
$463,000 |
$1,993,190.47 |
|
|
2023 |
$463,000 |
$1,413,952.72 |
|
|
2022 |
$248,000 |
$860,956.00 |
|
|
TOTAL |
100 |
$1,637,000 |
$5,593,809.24 |
Choose Iowa Value-Added Grants awarded today include the following 33 projects, listed in alphabetical order:
Bochner Farms | Indianola | $19,250
Improve an existing barn to expand space for hosting workshops and educational classes and create more farm-to-table dining options.
Total project budget: $38,500
Bruck Hillside Acres | Audubon | $18,589.79
Install a well and irrigation system for strawberry production.
Total project budget: $37,179.57
City Girl Farming | Dubuque | $4,825
Expand business offerings to include a fresh salad and sandwich pop-up location featuring local ingredients.
Total project budget: $9,650
Country Pines Tree Farm | Marcus | $20,064.86
Construct an addition to the farm store to allow expanded sales of Iowa Christmas tree products.
Total project budget: $41,585.31
Culinary Gardens | Cedar Rapids | $3,013.59
Build a modern root cellar for storage of fresh produce to better serve customers.
Total project budget: $6,027
Dudley Creek | Osage | $1,364.50
Acquire freezer storage to expand direct-to-consumer meat sales.
Total project budget: $2,729
Early Morning Harvest | Panora | $25,000
Add a semi-automatic bag filler for retail sized bags of flour and a pneumatic conveying product mover.
Total project budget: $53,888
East to West Farm | Columbus Junction | $10,468
Construct storage and on-farm retail space to expand meat and egg sales.
Total project budget: $20,936
Farmer Sarge’s | Algona | $25,000
Increase the production and processing capacity for produce by constructing a commercial kitchen and by purchasing a freeze-drying machine, an apple processor, and an enclosed trailer.
Total project budget: $69,670.65
Grade A Gardens | Earlham | $6,000
Expand a farm stand to include electricity and a refrigerated case.
Total project budget: $12,200
Holdfast Farmstead | Mount Ayr | $9,541.50
Construct a licensed kitchen to expand the availability of CSAs and offer an on-farm retail location.
Total project budget: $19,083
Honey Hollow Apiary and Gardens | Indianola | $2,676.99
Purchase a labeling machine to increase production of Iowa mead.
Total project budget: $5,353.98
Iowa Orchard | Urbandale | $25,000
Purchase a walk-in freezer and freeze-dryer equipment for apples and produce, which will help extend the season.
Total project budget: $52,974.33
Lone Oak Honey Company | Sioux City | $1,164.54
Purchase a honey extractor and chest freezer to improve the efficiency of honey production.
Total project budget: $2,329.09
Millstream Brewery | Amana | $25,000
Purchase essential storage, filtering, and canning equipment to facilitate the launch of a new line of hard cider.
Total project budget: $270,000
Mockingbird Hill Kettle Co. | Archer | $2,800
Acquire a seed cleaning machine and seed bag sewing equipment for popcorn production.
Total project budget: $5,714.38
Mogo Farms | Mt. Pleasant | $25,000
Construct a new wash and packaging building to extend the freshness of produce and enhance food safety practices.
Total project budget: $80,500
Nieland Custom Meats | Newell | $25,000
Renovate an existing business facility to create a modern retail space for value-added meat products.
Total project budget: $60,209.14
Nupolu’s Emerging Farms | Cedar Rapids | $9,000
Purchase a refrigerated van to better reach and serve customers.
Total project budget: $18,000
Paha Cider | Waverly | $25,000
Create an on-site canning operation by purchasing a canning line and associated equipment.
Total project budget: $57,874.95
Plantpeddler, Inc. | Cresco | $25,000
Purchase and install a form-flex overhead plant display to increase horticulture sales year-round.
Total project budget: $56,241
Iowa Bee | Latimer | $13,050
Purchase equipment to produce honey straws.
Total project budget: $26,100
Rose Farm | Norwalk | $18,478.50
Construct a commercial kitchen to facilitate more farm-to-table dinners.
Total project budget: $36,957
Singing Goat Farms | Iowa City | $21,540
Establish a shared-use vegetable pack facility to enhance area vegetable production.
Total project budget: $43,073
The Ardent Apiary | Lake Mills | $2,237.50
Add honey extractor and lavender distillation equipment to expand operations.
Total project budget: $4,475
The Community Orchard | Fort Dodge | $6,642.76
Purchase of a Kronen AS4 apple peeler to more efficiently process apples.
Total project budget: $13,285.52
the Market-Osage | Osage | $9,000
Add a walk-in freezer and a chamber vacuum packaging machine to preserve the freshness of locally sourced products and inventory.
Total project budget: $18,191.48
The Martelle Market | Martelle | $10,376
Construct a farm market and licensed commercial kitchen to better serve customers.
Total project budget: $20,742.53
Tranel Aronia Products | Madrid | $25,000
Implement an aronia berry cleaning and de-stemming line.
Total project budget: $51,100
V&B Farms | Ames | $1,847.56
Increase freezer and refrigerator space for locally made ice cream.
Total project budget: $3,695.12
Wetzel Honey Farm | Corning | $7,669
Improve honey harvest with the purchase of an uncapper, extruder and melter.
Total project budget: $15,337
Wild Spirits Farm | Fairfield | $13,400
Transform a cabin into a welcoming, community-centered agricultural hub.
Total project budget: $30,000
Yellow Table Farm | Tripoli | $25,000
Construct a building to include a wash and pack station and storage facility for produce.
Total project budget: $142,098
Choose Iowa is the state’s signature branding and marketing program for Iowa grown, Iowa raised and Iowa made food, beverages, and ag products. The Choose Iowa program was initiated by Secretary Naig and is administered by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. The Choose Iowa value-added grant accompanies similar Choose Iowa grants to support dairy innovation projects and expand meat processing. Choose Iowa’s marketing and brand program, now with 254 statewide members, continues to build momentum and visibility. Questions about Choose Iowa and its member benefits, grants and programs can be emailed to ChooseIowaGrant@IowaAgriculture.gov. Find members or nearby farm at ChooseIowa.com.