Farm Bureau Announces Agriculture Innovation Grant Winners

The Loudoun County Farm Bureau has announced the two winners of its 2020 Agriculture Innovation Grants, Todd Morrison of Purcellville and Dorothy Butler-Landes of Hamilton.

With the COVID-19 pandemic magnifying the importance of locally grown and raised food, Loudoun Farm Bureau issued a request for grant proposals that would benefit the broader Loudoun agricultural community.

Both recipient’s projects do just that. Both applications are for the construction of poultry processing trailers that will allow rental and mobile processing for small scale poultry producers here in Loudoun.

The need for both meat and produce processing in Loudoun has been a long-term concern of Loudoun Farm Bureau. The only rental processing trailer was sold recently as the farm owners who maintained it moved away. With the two new poultry processing trailers, at least for small scale poultry producers, that need will start to be addressed.

“We decided to reestablish our grant program to help put some of our money on the ground with our local producers here in Loudoun,” said Chris Van Vlack, President of Loudoun Farm Bureau. “We were really happy to see two of our livestock producers step up to the plate with proposals to expand their own operations in a way that will serve their fellow farmers here in the county as well.”

“Loudoun County needs more resources for people who want to raise their own food,” said Butler-Landes. “Processing houses generally do not process poultry. I want to fill that gap, help people with that need and provide a service processing poultry.”

For more information contact Brian Walsh at [email protected] or Chris Van Vlack at [email protected].

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