Photo courtesy of Acorn Bluff Farms social media

Acorn Bluff Farms, Inc. in Columbus Junction is one of 26 recipients of the 2024 Choose Iowa Value-Added Grants. The awards were announced last week by Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig.

Acorn Bluff Farms, which specializes in Mangalitsa pork, was awarded $15,432. This will go towards a project that will expand cold storage capacity for direct-to-consumer pork sales. These cost-share grants match up to $25,000 per project for Iowa-grown, Iowa-raised, or Iowa-made products.

Choose Iowa Grants were first given in 2022 to assist Iowa farmers, businesses, and non-profits increase or diversify their agricultural product offerings, expand markets, and shorten supply chains. Since the program’s inception, more than $1 million in grants have been awarded to 67 projects, leveraging a total investment of more than $4 million.