Mppep - wild-caught catfish

The Department of Agriculture Rural Business Cooperative Services awarded $1 million to BSA Seafood LLC on March 2, 2026, under the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (CFDA 10.381) to expand wild-caught catfish processing capacity. The award carries a performance period through March 2, 2028, with place of performance in Maryland. BSA Seafood will use the funding for one or more eligible activities within meat and poultry processing expansion, which include construction or modernization of facilities, processing and manufacturing equipment upgrades, automation technology, climate-smart equipment, food safety compliance infrastructure, worker safety improvements, and workforce recruitment and training. The Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program provides grant funding to meat and poultry processors—including for-profit entities, non-profits, tribal entities, and state or local government entities—for start-up and expansion projects that expand processing capacity and increase processing options for producers. Eligible applicants must operate under USDA, tribal, or state-equivalent inspection, be domestically owned and operated, and hold no market share greater than or equal to the fourth-largest processor in beef, pork, chicken, or turkey. Proposed projects must be completed within 48 months.