–Officials with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship stopped in Kossuth County Tuesday to recognize a local business that has been awarded a Choose Iowa Value-Added Grant for 2025. Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig traveled to St. Benedict to meet with Brad Thill, owner and operator of Farmer Sarge’s. Thill tells KLGA News that he will be using the $25,000 state grant to help with the purchase of new equipment that will allow him to expand his business that offers fresh fruits and vegetables, kettle corn, and various other products.
Thill says something he did during his time in the military helped get the business up and growing.
The St. Benedict based business was one of 33 Choose Iowa Valued-Added grants awarded for 2025 across 28 different counties, totaling over $463,00. The money will be used to expand the availability of Iowa grown food, beverages and ag products. To find out more about the program, you can go online to www.chooseiowa.com.
