State Grants $415K to Michigan’s Potato Industry

LANSING - The Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) awarded $415,000 from the Agricultural Innovation Grant program to two companies within Michigan’s potato industry. The Michigan Potato Industry Commission and L. Walther & Sons, Inc. received awards of $100,000 and $315,000, respectively, to further the growth of Michigan’s $61-billion agriculture industry.

"The expansion of Michigan’s potato industry demonstrates the strength of agriculture in our state," said Mitch Irwin, MDA Director. "These grants will be instrumental in diversifying our economy."

The $315,000 grant awarded to L. Walther & Sons, Inc. will be used to construct a large value-added processing, packaging and transloading facility of potatoes and other vegetables in St. Joseph County. The facility will provide at least 37 new full-time jobs and enable shipments of more processed potatoes and other vegetables not only to Michigan, but also into the Midwest and Southern United States.

The Michigan Potato Commission received $100,000 to construct a potato storage facility to prevent spoilage problems.

The Agricultural Innovation Grants are part of an aggressive effort to spur growth in several economic sectors and is a key component of the 21st Century Jobs Fund. The 21st Century Jobs Fund is a $2 billion, ten-year initiative proposed by Granholm, approved by the Michigan Legislature, and administered by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation to accelerate the diversification of Michigan’s economy.

Grants from the Agricultural Innovation Fund, also known as the Julian-Stille Value-added Program, are competitive and designed to establish, retain, expand, attract or develop valued-added agricultural processing and related production operations in Michigan. MDA reviewed more than 200 proposals and recommended the funding of 40 proposals, which cover 27 Michigan counties. For program information or to view a list of Agricultural Innovation Grant winners, visit www.michigan.gov/mda.
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