Special Cares Act Grants

 

Through the state’s CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Fund, the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry received $10 million in grants for the Food Supply Stability Plan for Oklahoma meat processors. “Agriculture processing never stopped during this pandemic,” said Secretary of Agriculture, Blayne Arthur. “This grant money is an exceptional opportunity for our Oklahoma meat processing industry to add processing capacity. Changes within existing facilities, as well as adding more plants and expanding existing plants, would greatly help mitigate the effects we have seen on the food supply chain during this pandemic.” This grant funding of $10,000,000 would allow Oklahoma meat processors to build or expand their businesses and create additional meat processing capacity in Oklahoma, mitigating risks of plant shutdowns and ensuring continued meat availability. “In order to reduce Oklahoma’s dependence on the current limited processors and lessen the risk of consequences of a facility shutting down, it is pertinent for our state to bolster development of this industry through capital for new construction, expansion, and equipment to protect against spread of illness in current plants,” said Sec. Arthur. 

Video: Ask A Farmer: How are broiler chickens raised in Canada?

As more and more Canadians become removed from farms and ranches, many people have questions about how animals are being raised on Canadian farms. Tiffany Martinka is active on social media and has made a point of sharing how their family farm takes care of their chickens. In this podcast, Tiffany explains the audited programs that all Canadian farmers must follow and describes how this system of raising chickens is unique in a global setting.

The main points of this podcast include:

What it is like on a broiler chicken farm and the process that chicken farmers go through.

The different programs that farmers must follow, and be audited on, to be licensed to sell broiler chicken in Canada.

The full circle of practices on Tiffany’s family farm, including growing their own feed for chickens, then recycling the manure back onto the fields to grow future crops.