FENNVILLE, Mich. -- A U.S. Department of Agriculture official toured the Naturally Better Soil Products facility in Fennville on Friday.
Acting Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Lillian Salerno highlighted the U-S-D-A's recent grant of $2.2 million to expand farm-based alternative-production at the Naturally Better plant and at Brook View Dairy in Freeport.
The USDA provided more details in a news release:
“Under the leadership of the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA invests in rural America because we know strong communities are rooted in their people,” Salerno said. “By investing in Naturally Better Soil Products here in Michigan, we're delivering on the President’s promise to promote fair competition and lower costs for American farmers.”
Naturally Better Soil Products (formerly Scenic View Dairy) and Brook View Dairy in Freeport received a $2,262,399 grant to upgrade and expand farm-based nutrient alternative production facilities to increase the use of biofertilizers. The project will process anaerobically digested manure to sequester 85-95 percent of the phosphorus through solid/liquid separation, and then further process the separated solids. When completed, the project will increase the domestic availability of nutrient alternatives, increasing options available to agricultural producers and protecting the environment by reducing manure hauling and diversion from lagoon storage.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate-smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.
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