Some further details about USDA’s recently announced Strengthening Processing for U.S. Ranchers (SPUR) program.
“Processors that fall under the classification of small- or medium-sized processors. And with the price of beef and the price of fed cattle today, what it costs for those small- and medium-sized processors to procure cattle to run through the plant. This program is assisting processors, but in a way supporting beef producers and ensuring that we’re offering support for the processing industry so that that infrastructure stays in place through these high prices.”
Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation Richard Fordyce says up to $500 million in SPUR funding is available as temporary support for eligible beef processing facilities. Eligibility requirements start with …
“Any small- to medium-sized processor that was processing cattle in 2025.”
Another eligibility component is reflected in the unique administrative aspect of SPUR: a joint effort between two USDA agencies, FPAC’s Farm Service Agency and the Food Safety and Inspection Service.
“They have to be federally inspected, or they have to be a participant in some cooperative agreements like the Talmadge-Aiken Cooperative or the Cooperative Interstate Shipment Program.”
Undersecretary Fordyce says 2025 processing numbers will be the method for determining payments.
“Part of the money comes up front, basically, for processing cattle in ’25. The other half comes when you have hit that 60% processing number now here in 2026.”
FSIS provides processing numbers to FSA.
“We have emailed or sent out to the facilities, and the application was partially pre-filled. So, we had the number of cattle that had been processed. We have the name of the entity. We have the entity’s unique ID number, and then there’s a few more blanks that need to be filled out by the applicant. But what I would say, the hard work is already done, and it’s already in that partially pre-filled application.”
And once applications are received and processed for payment:
“Those processors ought to have those dollars in hand in around two weeks. So, pretty quick turnaround.”