WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) ) – a senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee – announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has awarded Larad, Inc. in Wooster $97,218 as part of its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. NIFA’s SBIR program provides small businesses with resources for agricultural research and development. Larad will use this funding to advance innovative technologies that safeguard our food supply and protect farm animals.
“Small businesses in Ohio are hubs for innovation but they often require help raising the capital needed for research and development,” Brown said. “These federal resources will allow Larad, Inc. to make breakthroughs in agriculture that will serve consumers across the state and nation.”
Brown is the first Ohioan to serve on the Senate Agriculture Committee in more than 40 years. In 2014, he was part of the Senate Farm Bill Conference Committee that successfully negotiated a five-year farm bill that had been stalled for more than three years. Brown supported a strong Rural Development title in the 2014 Farm Bill to encourage economic development in rural communities.
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