Coordinators
Lauren Gwin
Dr. Lauren Gwin is research and extension faculty in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at Oregon State University. She works with Oregon’s small meat processors and the livestock producers and local/niche markets that depend on them, focusing on supply chain logistics and legal/regulatory issues.
Email: lauren.gwin[at]oregonstate.edu
Arion Thiboumery
Dr. Arion Thiboumery is Vice President of Lorentz Meats, a medium-small sized processor in Minnesota, and an Extension Associate at Iowa State University. He received his doctorate from Iowa State University in Rural Sociology and Meat Science. He also coordinates Iowa’s Small Meat Processors Working Group.
Email: arion[at]iastate.edu
Advisory Board
(Listed alphabetically by state)
ARKANSAS: Dr. Anne Fanatico is assistant professor of sustainable development at Appalachian State University. She has nearly two decades of experience researching small/mid-scale poultry production and processing; she developed farmer-friendly information on these topics at the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT)/ATTRA project, the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service.
Email: fanaticoac[at]appstate.edu
Phone: (828) 262 6813
IOWA: Dr. Joseph Cordray is the Extension meat specialist at Iowa State University (ISU) and has over 40 years experience in all facets of the meat industry. He is responsible for the ISU series of sausage and processed meat short courses. He works extensively with Iowa meat processors on food safety training and regulatory compliance.
Email: jcordray[at]iastate.edu
Phone: (515) 294-4266
MONTANA: Jeff Schahczenski is a program specialist with the National Center for Appropriate Technology. He is an agricultural economist and has expertise in the economics and marketing of organic and grass-finished beef.
Email: jeffs[at]ncat.org
Phone: (406) 494-4572
NORTH CAROLINA: Jennifer Curtis is the project director of NC Choices, a Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) initiative utilizing a farm-to-fork approach to enhance sustainable animal agriculture, pasture-based production systems, small-scale, decentralized meat processing, and consumer access to local, healthy food choices. (CEFS is a partnership of North Carolina State University, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University, and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture).
Email: jennifer[at]ncchoices.com
Phone: (919) 967-0014
PENNSYLVANIA: Dr. Catherine Cutter is an associate professor in the Department of Food Science and Food Safety Extension Specialist in muscle foods at Pennsylvania State University. She works with small processors in the northeast U.S. and co-leads a national project on food safety outreach to small and very small plants.
Email: cnc3[at]psu.edu
Phone: (814) 865-8862
WASHINGTON: Bruce Dunlop, a livestock producer and member of Island Grown Farmers Cooperative, built the first mobile USDA-inspected red-meat abattoir and has consulted on many others. Previously, he was a chemical engineer in the bio-ag and food industries.
Email: bruce[at]lopezislandfarm.com
Phone: (360) 468-4620
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Keith Payne, Office of Outreach, Employee Education and Training, in the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Email: Keith.Payne[at]fsis.usda.gov
Phone: (202) 690-6522
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Ralph Stafko, Office of Outreach, Employee Education and Training, in the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Email: ralph.stafko[at]fsis.usda.gov
Phone: (202) 418-8897
WISCONSIN: Pam Saunders is the operations and quality manager for Organic Prairie, the meat subsidiary and brand of CROPP Cooperative/ Organic Valley, which is the largest organic farmer cooperative in the US. Organic Prairie manages relationships with about a dozen certified organic co-packers for beef, pork, chicken, and turkey processing, from harvest to ready-to-eat branded products.
Email: pam.saunders[at]organicvalley.com
Phone: (608) 625-2666, ext.3260.
