MARBIDCO Relief Act Programs
Agriculture and Rural Business RELIEF Act Programs
Designed to help Farm and Forestry Businesses
The Maryland Agricultural and Resource-Based Industry Development Corporation (MARBIDCO) has announced that five new grant programs have been established to provide immediate pandemic adjustment and economic development assistance to agricultural and rural businesses in Maryland. These programs are funded with $2 million that MARBIDCO will receive from the Recovery for the Economy, Livelihoods, Industries, Entrepreneurs, and Families Act, or “The RELIEF Act,” a bipartisan measure sponsored by Governor Larry Hogan and passed by the Maryland General Assembly. With this newly available funding, MARBIDCO is offering the following grant programs: the Maryland Livestock Processing Equipment Relief Grant Program, the Maryland Shellfish Aquaculture Relief Grant, the Maryland Urban Farmer Relief Grant, the Maryland Local Food Cold Storage Relief Grant Program and the Maryland Wood Products Industry Equity Incentive Relief Fund.
Relief Act Grant Programs
Please note that the Cold Storage Grant program is open, but those programs below it are now closed and no longer accepting applications.
The Maryland Cold Storage Grant Program Shellfish Aquaculture – provides grants of up to $1,000 (up to 50% of the cost) to help shellfish aquaculture businesses purchase the cold storage equipment that is needed to continue or expand operations.
The Maryland Urban Farmer Relief Grant – provides grants of $500 to urban farmers to assist with a portion of the costs associated with the urban commercial production of locally grown food products this spring. Urban farmers played a significant role in helping to feed city residents during the pandemic.
The Maryland Shellfish Aquaculture Relief Grant – provides grants of between $500 and $2,000 to persons holding State submerged land and/or water column aquaculture leases. The grants can assist shellfish aquaculture producers with their spring planting expenses, some of which are mandated under State law. There are approximately 175 oyster farms in Maryland, and many of these farms experienced large revenue losses in 2020 because of a dramatic decline in restaurant sales.
The Maryland Wood Products Industry Equity Investment Relief Fund (WIPPIE) – provides grants of 20% to 33% of a project’s cost up to $225,000, with the aim to help forest harvesters and wood fiber processors to purchase new equipment or construct facilities to increase the utilization and production of wood products in Maryland. The forest products industry has been devastated by the closure of mills and the loss of markets in recent years, and the pandemic has exacerbated this problem. There are more than 157,000 private forestland owners in Maryland (owning 10 or more acres of woodland).
The Maryland Livestock Processing Equipment Relief Grant Program – provides grants of up to $100,000 (at up to 75% of the cost) to livestock processors to purchase meat processing equipment to help expand the capacity of their processing enterprises. The demand for local meat products overwhelmed local processors during the pandemic which led to scheduling backlogs at small processing facilities and farmers having to hold their livestock for longer periods of time. This program will potentially help to relieve some of this demand by providing funds to facilities to expand their processing capacity.