Mountain State Times

Charleston, WV – On June 27, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced $2,157,000 from the Small Business Administration (SBA) for three West Virginia business development projects through the West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA). The federal awards are three of the Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) requests Senator Manchin secured on behalf of West Virginia through the Fiscal Year 2023 funding bill.

“I’m proud to have secured direct funding for the West Virginia Department of Agriculture to support three important agricultural business development projects across our great state,” said Senator Manchin. “West Virginia’s farmers, ranchers and producers play a critical role in our state’s economy and provide nutritious food for their communities, and these investments will bolster our statewide agricultural industries. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will continue advocating for funding through Congressionally Directed Spending and other programs to strengthen business development and spur economic growth across the Mountain State.”

The Senate Appropriations Committee allows members of Congress to submit CDS requests, which provides an opportunity for state and local governments, non-profits, and other public entities to receive targeted funding for projects that bolster their communities and directly support West Virginians. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Manchin works to ensure taxpayer dollars are allocated to priorities that benefit all West Virginians, boost economic growth and support the needs of communities across the Mountain State while remaining fiscally responsible.

Individual awards listed below:

• $1,107,000 – West Virginia Department of Agriculture: Dairy Workforce Development
  • This funding will assist the WVDA in building a mobile dairy processing unit, as well as allow the WVDA to provide demonstration assistance for a robotic milking unit.
• $819,000 – West Virginia Department of Agriculture: Agribusiness Development
  • This funding will support local and regional farmers and producers by providing technical assistance and training to start-up and scale up agribusinesses in West Virginia.
• $231,000 – West Virginia Department of Agriculture: Process Authority
  • This funding will support reestablishing an entity for the validation of thermal process for makers of acidified and low-acid canned foods in West Virginia, known as process authority.

Original source can be found here.