Two area meat processing businesses have received grants from a new state program.

The money is from the Choose Iowa Butchery Innovation Grant program.

Skoglund Meats in West Bend received $25,000 to help pay for the addition of a smokehouse. The estimated total project cost is $292,180.

Yetter Locker in Yetter also received $25,000. That money will help to pay for harvest floor improvements, a rail processing cooler and finished product walk-in freezer. The total project cost is estimated at $388,872.

Businesses in Afton, Cherokee, Des Moines, Holstein, Milo, Sutherland and Winthrop also received grants.

The awards were announced by state Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig.

“Choose Iowa is growing rapidly as more Iowans seek fresh, local products and more farmers and food businesses recognize the networking and promotional benefits offered to members,” he said in a written statement.

“These grants are helping small meat processors across Iowa expand their operations to better serve both producers and customers,” he added. “Iowa’s livestock industry depends on accessible, high quality processing and these projects are a smart investment in that infrastructure.The strong demand for this Choose Iowa program also shows just how competitive these grants were, with far more applications than funding available.”

The Choose Iowa Butchery Innovation grant replaces a previous program that was created in 2021 and administered by the Iowa Economic Development Authority.

Choose Iowa received 23 grant applications totalling more than $1.5 million.