{"id":3920,"date":"2026-07-22T17:08:30","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T17:08:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=3920"},"modified":"2026-07-22T17:08:30","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T17:08:30","slug":"state-announces-investments-to-keep-utah-grown-food-in-utah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=3920","title":{"rendered":"State announces investments to keep \u2018Utah-grown food in Utah\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Utah announced more than $9 million in grant funds will be awarded to local farmers this year as part of an expanded program to help strengthen the state\u2019s food supply.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s the first investment in what is expected to include up to $50 million over the next half decade, thanks to federal Rural Health Transformation funding. Utah is using the money to expand its Food Security Grant, which will help farmers and ranchers improve processing, storage and distribution.<\/p>\n

\u201cStronger rural communities means a stronger Utah,\u201d Gov. Spencer Cox said Tuesday while announcing the grants at Cross E Ranch in Salt Lake City. \u201cEvery Utahn deserves the opportunity to succeed, no matter where they live. This investment that we\u2019re talking about here today will help ensure that rural communities have the same opportunities to grow and succeed as anywhere else in the state.\u201d<\/p>\n

The governor noted that supply chain issues dating back to the COVID-19 pandemic era have highlighted the need to have strong local supply chains, particularly when it comes to food.<\/p>\n

\u201cFood security is about more than just agriculture, though. It\u2019s about resilience. It\u2019s about economic opportunity, and ultimately, it\u2019s about healthy communities,\u201d he said. \u201cThat means new opportunities for farmers, ranchers, food businesses and local communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Utah plans to invest a total of $11 million this year, with $9.3 million going directly to local farmers and ranchers through competitive grants, according to Utah Department of Agriculture and Food Commissioner Kelly Pehrson. Those include standard grants up to $1 million, microgrants of between $1,000 and $10,000 and awards up to $50,000 to help startup businesses within their first year of operation.<\/p>\n

Businesses must use at least 51% Utah-grown or Utah-raised ingredients, sell or distribute at least 25% of their product to consumers in rural Utah and use the money to produce at least one food item. Grants applications opened Tuesday and run through Aug. 31.<\/p>\n

The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food has been administering the Food Security Grant for several years, but this year\u2019s injection of capital is thanks to federal funding appropriated by Congress through last year\u2019s so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act, according to Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper. The department partners with Utah\u2019s Department of Health and Human Services and the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to provide the grant.<\/p>\n

He said the money fits in with the \u201cMake America Healthy Again\u201d movement and will help local farmers compete against national corporations that have dominated the agricultural sector.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThat system has its efficiencies, but it also has its vulnerabilities,\u201d the speaker said. He said the grant is \u201cabout making sure our communities aren\u2019t entirely dependent upon a handful of national companies to feed our families. … It\u2019s about keeping more Utah-grown food in Utah.\u201d<\/p>\n

As little as one-fifth of the agricultural products grown or raised in Utah are actually processed and consumed in the state, according to Wade Garrett, Utah Farm Bureau vice president.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of our cattle \u2014 which is our biggest cash crop \u2014 go somewhere else to be processed and come back through one of the larger processors,\u201d he said. \u201cWe do keep most of our fruits and vegetables, but unfortunately, we don\u2019t grow enough of them right now. Hopefully, this will help encourage people to plant more of those.\u201d<\/p>\n

The grants can be used to address a variety of needs, from equipment to marketing, according to Pehrson.<\/p>\n

The way produce is processed is another hurdle, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy don\u2019t school districts just take local vegetables? It\u2019s got to be processed in a form that they can accept it,\u201d Pehrson said. \u201cThose are the big gaps we\u2019re seeing and so this grant, hopefully, can entice companies to come and do packing … the way that it needs processed, so that can get to hospitals, schools, institutions.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said Utahns already \u201cknow the value of local food,\u201d from peaches grown in Brigham City to watermelons from Green River.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe demand is there,\u201d he said. \u201cOur job as an agency is to help close the gaps in between.\u201d<\/p>\n

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