Perry, Iowa – Iowa 3rd District Representative Cindy Axne, today (Friday) highlighted two businesses in Iowa’s Third District that this week received nearly $3.3-million in loan guarantees and grants from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The Kerns Farms Corporations in Taylor County received $167,019 to assist with market expansion and pork processing fees for specialty retail cuts and ground products, and another $40,504 grant to help process specialty retail cuts and ground products of Mangalitsa pork. The Kerns Farms Corporation is a leading producer of heritage breed Mangalitsa pigs in the United States and project funds will be used for market expansion.

This investment reflects Rep. Axne’s recent efforts to support small- and medium-sized meat producers and to improve market transparency in order to create more competition, fairness in the industry, and a more reliable supply chain.

T.C. And B. Corporate Wearables Inc. in Dallas County received $3,090,000 to help assist the customized apparel business in overcoming lost revenues created by closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. This funding will help TC & B, which employs 35 people in Perry, supplement working capital to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the economic impacts of the coronavirus by guaranteeing loans for rural businesses and agricultural producers. This loan guarantee comes from the CARES Act, COVID-19 relief legislation that Rep. Axne helped pass in March 2020.

More information about the more the grants and loans distributed by the USDA to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of lives for millions of Americans who are living in rural America can be found by clicking here.