An Albemarle County farmer has a waiting list for ground turkey, and thanks to a state grant, will be able to offer the new product in time for the summer grilling season.
Kelly Turkeys LLC has been raising, processing and selling KellyBronze breed turkeys through direct and retail markets since 2015.
The Crozet company currently offers whole birds and bone-in breast pieces but now plans to expand into ground turkey – thanks to a $24,000 grant from the Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund Infrastructure Grant Program.
The AFID fund allows the governor to make discretionary, matching grants to localities through grants that support economic development related to agriculture and forestry in Virginia.
“The grant’s going toward the equipment needed to produce ground turkey and to convert one of our coolers into a freezer,” said Kelly Turkeys owner Judd Culver. “It’s going to expedite our ability to buy the equipment and produce ground turkey. If we had to do it on our own, it’d probably be another two years before we could afford it.”
Culver’s small, family-run business is one of 10 AFID grant recipients recently announced by Gov. Glenn Youngkin in the latest round of grants totaling $368,885. Since 2012, nearly $14 million in AFID funds have been awarded to more than 200 projects for planning, facilities and infrastructure.
Grants like these are important to local producers in growing their operations, while also helping the bigger picture of Virginia’s economy, said Whitney Perkins, assistant director for the Virginia Foundation for Agriculture, Innovation and Rural Sustainability. VA FAIRS helps farmers and entrepreneurs apply for grant opportunities.
“Together, through grants like AFID, our local economies and producers work hand-in-hand to strengthen our local and regional food systems,” Perkins said.
The biannual AFID grant program is administered by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Applications for the next round of the AFID program will be accepted from April 1 through May 15, with the awards announced in June.
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Crystal Graham
