Oregon Announces $755K Award to Grain Mill Project that Strengthens Food Supply Chain Infrastructure
By Oregon Department of Agriculutre,
Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) is announcing an additional award of $755,077 to Northwest Mills and Specialty Grains (DBA Cairnspring Mills) for a grain milling infrastructure project at Coyote Business Park, a development owned and operated by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR).
The award is made possible in part through the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program (RFSI) Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). RFSI aims to build resilience across the middle of the supply chain and strengthen local and regional food systems. The middle of the supply chain refers to the processing, aggregation, storage, wholesaling, or distribution of food products.
Coyote Business Park is a 170-acre development project located 7 miles east of Pendleton that provides shovel-ready commercial and industrial sites. Coyote Business Park’s economic and community development team is committed to helping businesses thrive in partnership with the CTUIR. Its business development team assists with the planning/permitting process, partnering with developers or contractors, workforce recruitment and development, local marketing and other activities required for successful business growth.
Through partnership and collaboration between ODA, USDA-AMS, CTUIR and Northwest Mills and Specialty Grains, this RFSI funding will facilitate the development of a regenerative flour mill that produces fresh milled products from regionally grown grains. This funding entails the construction of a critical grain storage and milling facility, two grain silos, and a truck scale. The Northwest Mills and Specialty Grains project will provide much needed grain processing capacity in Eastern Oregon to help build regional food security for grains.
“The CTUIR celebrates the ODA funding that will benefit the Tribe’s Farm Enterprise and local farmers. The grant to Northwest Mills and Specialty Grains will provide value added returns for the region,” Bill Tovey said.
ODA is the administrator of the federal funds and has previously selected 24 projects recommended by an advisory committee, representing a total investment of $4M that will directly support middle-of-the-supply-chain infrastructure.
“This is a win-win situation for both agriculture and the Umatilla Tribes,” said Lisa Charpilloz Hanson, Director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture. “The grant will enable Northwest Mills and Specialty Grains to support local farmers, create markets for our unique grains, and reduce the distance between farmers and customers. At the same time, the Umatilla Tribe will benefit by seeing their Coyote Business Park flourish with successful businesses.”
This awarded funding is part of the $420 million available through the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure grant program to build capacity within the middle of the supply chain and support local and regional producers funded by the American Rescue Plan of 2021. Through this program, AMS has entered into cooperative agreements with state agencies, commissions, or departments responsible for agriculture, commercial food processing, seafood, or food system and distribution activities or commerce activities in states or U.S. territories.
For more about RFSI activities in Oregon or to view the complete list of projects, visit ODA’s Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure webpage.
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