SARANAC, Mich. — Mid-Michigan’s economy received a shot in the arm last month when the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) presented Ionia County officials with a $400,000 community development block grant.

The purpose of the grant is to help Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch expand its facility in Saranac, a town roughly midway between Grand Rapids and Lansing. The funds will be used for road improvements that will in turn enable Herbruck’s to expand. Herbruck’s has been operating in Michigan for the past 50 years, and currently employs 259 people.

According to the Michigan Department of Agriculture, Herbruck’s is the largest producer of organic eggs in the United States. The company is planning a new cage-free housing facility for 300,000 laying hens and an in-line egg processing plant.

The plant expansion is expected to produce at least 40 new jobs, which pay a minimum of $12.50 an hour. The average starting pay for new employees is $15 an hour.

The Ionia County Board of Commis-sioners, Ionia County Rural Task Force, Ionia County Road Commission, Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch and Berlin and Boston townships will combine to contribute more than $2.4 million to support the project. The Michigan Department of Transportation is also expected to contribute to the project.

“There are a fair number of new jobs that will be created,” said James Banks, chairman of the Ionia County Board of Commissioners.

“Herbruck’s has a very large presence in that industry. These will be decent paying jobs for hardworking folks.”

Banks said the impact will be especially significant, since Saranac and the surrounding area are not densely populated.

Five-and-one-half miles of road will need to be resurfaced in order to accommodate Herbruck’s expansion. The resurfacing and shoulder work will help the egg producer and processor, said Diane Smith, executive director of the Ionia County Economic Alliance. That’s because the bumpy road makes for a shaky ride, which is not good for eggs.

Smith credited the block grant money for helping make the project happen.

“Getting money from the state is always helpful, because otherwise you have to rely on local funds,” she said. “It’s always hard to get funds from local units of government. So yes, it’s helpful.”

Although the block grant was only a relatively small part of the money needed for the road improvements, the grant program is important, according to Bridget Beckman, spokeswoman for the MEDC.

“A community development block grant can be an important tool for stimulating or maintaining local economic growth,” Beckman said. “This type of targeted assistance is available to more than 1,600 counties, cities, villages and townships across Michigan, and we typically fund about 150 projects in any given year.”

Each year, Michigan receives about $36 million in federal block grant funds. The funds, which are usually awarded to local governments with populations fewer than 50,000, originate out of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The money is used for economic development, community development and housing projects.