Grant aids Kodiak Cattle Ranchers.

• Author: Pounds, Nancy
• Position: Inside Alaska Business

Operators of the Sitkinak Cattle Ranch near Kodiak were chosen to receive a $131,749 federal grant to develop a new value-added product. The U.S. Department of Agriculture included the Alaska ranchers in its Rural Development Value Added Producer Grant program. The Alaska ranchers expect to add at least 10 new jobs as part of the project. The Alaskans plan to process their own livestock on the ranch and deliver fully cooked, shelf-stable beef products to local, statewide and national markets. The Value-Added Producer Grants total more than $22.5 million nationwide.

The grants will be used...