Kentucky's Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program (RFSI)

The Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) was awarded $8.6 million through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) program. The money, which will be provided through a competitive grant process, is part of an overall $420 million the USDA committed to states to build resilience in the middle of the supply chain and strengthen local and regional food systems by creating new revenue streams for producers. Eligible projects include those that expand capacity for aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storing, transporting, wholesaling, and distribution of food products, for specialty crops, dairy, grains for human consumption, aquaculture, and other food products, excluding meat and poultry. The funds for RFSI come out of the American Rescue Plan (ARP) for states and territories via formula funding. To award its share, KDA will work in partnership with USDA to make competitive subawards to support infrastructure and equipment grants.