5 Big Island Farms to Receive Nearly $1M From USDA to Help Businesses Grow

Six farms and community organizations on Hawai‘i Island and Maui will receive $1,149,316 in funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz’s office announced today, Feb. 15.

The money will go to help the businesses, five of which are on the Big Island, to create new products and better advertise their goods and services. The support is geared to allow these organizations to grow their operations and become more successful in accessing new markets.

“Small farms and agricultural businesses help feed families with fresh, home-grown food,” Schatz said in a Feb. 15 news release. “This new federal funding will invest in our local farmers and give them more resources to grow their businesses and support their local communities.”

The Big Island grants are:

$200,000 for The Kohala Center

$49,999 for Mother Nature’s Miracle

$250,000 for Hawai‘i ULU Producers Cooperative

$214,379 for Island Harvest

$184,938 for Spicy Ninja Sauce

Schatz is a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture and Rural Development.

The new federal funding is provided though the USDA’s Value Added Producer Grant (VAPG) Program and the Rural Cooperative Development Grant (RCDG) Program.

The VAPG Program helps agricultural producers increase benefits to customers through the processing and marketing of new products. The RCDG Program improves economic conditions in rural areas by helping individuals and businesses start, expand, or improve mutually-owned businesses like rural cooperatives.

These grants can be used by the recipients to cover processing costs, develop business plans, and conduct feasibility studies.