Three local businesses with ties to the meat processing industry are getting assistance from a state grant.

Salmon’s Meats, Otto’s Meats, and Paulie’s Chop Shop, all in Luxemburg, are among the 91 meat processors receiving up to $150,000 in matching funds from the Wisconsin Meat and Poultry Supply Chain Resiliency Grant Program. The American Rescue Plan Act partly funded the $10 million program. This is the second state grant Paulie’s Chop Shop has received ahead of the opening of its new building this fall. It also received a $50,000 grant earlier this year to help fund its new butcher shop's development and construction and outfit it with new equipment.

Five million additional dollars was also earmarked to help attract students to meat-related fields. The grants hope to get more people into the industry while developing more productive and efficient operations.

A similar grant was awarded to dairy processors earlier this year. Renard’s Cheese received a $24,000 grant earlier this year to purchase new equipment to ease the physical demands of artisan cheese-making and increase production capabilities. Renard’s Cheese produced over three million pounds of cheese last year but had to turn away orders for almost as much because of production limits. 

Picture courtesy of Ebert Enterprises and Salmon's Meats