Business Notebook: USDA will give funds to farms for water-quality improvements

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced $33 million will be given to farmers and ranchers to make conservation improvements to improve water quality in more than 170 watersheds.

The funding is provided through the National Water Quality Initiative, which "builds on efforts to target high-impact conservation" in areas such as the Mississippi River basin, the Gulf of Mexico and the Great Lakes, according to a news release from the department.

"Eligible landowners will receive assistance under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program for installing conservation systems that help avoid, trap and control runoff in high-priority watersheds," the release said. The practices may include conservation cropping systems, filter strips and edge-of-field water quality monitoring.

Also, the USDA is accepting applications for loans and grants to support business expansion, job creation and community development projects.

The assistance is provided through the Intermediary Relending Program and the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program, which were reauthorized by the farm bill through 2018, according to a news release from the department.

For fiscal year 2014, $18.9 million in Intermediary Relending Program loans are available for economic development intermediaries, such as not-for-profit organizations and public bodies, that re-lend funds to the rural businesses, according to the release.

For the same fiscal year, $25.4 million in Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program loans and grants are available for Microenterprise Development Organizations to help businesses with 10 or fewer employees access microloans to start or develop businesses.

Business roundup

* The Southeast Missouri Food Bank relocated to a 64,000-square-foot distribution center in Sikeston, Missouri, the Sikeston Standard Democrat reported. The distribution center first opened on Keystone Drive in Sikeston, then moved to Nash Road in Cape Girardeau in 2007. In June 2012, the food bank purchased the building at 600 Route H in Sikeston, and the building has since undergone an estimated $1.7 million in renovations and improvements. The move provides the food bank the necessary room to expand hunger-relief services for residents in a 16-county service area surrounding Sikeston.

* Advanced Orthopedic Specialists, 48 Doctors' Park in Cape Girardeau, is celebrating its 80th anniversary. The orthopedic and sports medicine provider offers specialized bone, joint and muscle care.

* Lil Darrell's Kutz and Designz, 1606 Independence St., No. 3A, in Cape Girardeau, will celebrate its opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. The business is a barber shop and salon that also sells clothing for men, women and children.

Four agriculture businesses receive state grants

The Missouri Department of Agriculture awarded four area agriculture businesses with funds totaling $128,665 through the Missouri Value-Added Grant Program.

The money is to be used for the development of business plans and market analysis to allow businesses to expand and diversify in order to aid rural economies.

Hamra Farms in Sikeston is seeking to grow a hydroponic greenhouse operation to market produce to local vendors. Midwest Aquaculture LLC in Montgomery City, Missouri, is looking into the viability of an indoor shrimp processing facility. Sunrise Farm LLC in Bland, Missouri, is developing plans to create a local meat processing plant. Eco Tec Surfaces, LLC in Kansas City, Missouri, is researching new eco-friendly building materials.

ashedd@semissourian.com

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