Access to value-added food processing equipment is vital to small farms. For small-scale farmers who cannot scale-up to make more money, it is especially helpful to squeeze more revenue out of the smaller amounts of product they produce.
The Olive Oil Times reports that mobile mills now process and bottle product right at the grove. These mobile mills allow growers to put smaller, artisanal batches on the market at more affordable prices. The shortened time between harvesting and pressing also makes for a far superior product. More and more farmers are turning towards mobile logistics solutions like this. We have all heard of the push for more mobile slaughter units. Mobile wine bottling has been around for years, too.
Equipment like this falls into the USDA’s definition of “rural development”. Financial assistance in the form of grants and guaranteed loan programs are available to assist with financing. If you would like to turn your milk into cheese or your wheat into a nice, foamy weissbier, rural development funding is something to definitely think about.
