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A Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network webinar. Date: October 23, 2025Duration: 90 Minutes You already track production, labor, and yields—but are you tracking the right numbers? In this free webinar, NMPAN and Good Roots dive into their new, real case study about three different small meat processors who used simple Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to identify […]
Educational Opportunities and Webinars 2025 Check back soon! Conventions, Roundtables, Conferences and More! 2025 – Check Back Soon for More Events!
There are a limited number of independent USDA-inspected poultry processing plants that will do custom fee-for-service processing for farmers. Below is a table of the establishments we have located. Table organized by state and then alphabetical. Call first to see if they are still in business, still have USDA inspection, and are still booking slots. […]
Support NMPAN so we can support you! Too often, very small processors feel like they’re alone out here; like no one else understands and lives our challenges. It’s a rough business to make work; it can be a highly stressful business, economically and bureaucracy-wise. NMPAN matters because it shows that together we do have a […]
Processing Matters: Navigating Inspection Pathways for Direct-to-Consumer Beef Sales in Oregon By Kylie Burriss, NMPAN Outreach Specialist and Meat Scientist and Instructor at Oregon State University Today’s consumers are more interested in how and where their beef is produced than ever before. Retail meat counters have become flooded with marketing designed to communicate all the […]
Running Your Facility Operational Excellence Learn about ways to process efficiently, know your costs of production, price things accurately, and understand profitability. Deep dive into processor Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). This is an evolving page with more added each month. Business Planning Resources Here you’ll find resources for planning a new meat processing business or […]
This 38 page case study paper provides a deep dive into how small to mid scale meat processors successfully track and utilize Key Performance Indicators, or KPIs, to understand, sustain, and grow their business. This case study focuses on actual meat processors, and the KPI they use on a daily basis to make informed decisions […]
Rethinking How We Train in Meat Processing, Part II: Some Ready-to-Use Training Tools for Meat Processors By David Zarling, NMPAN Program Manager In our April feature, we explored why traditional “information dump” training often falls short in food manufacturing: without clear goals or hands-on practice, learners struggle to connect new knowledge to their day-to-day tasks. […]
Read NMPAN’s latest 2025 Annual Report marking 16 years of service to the niche meat industry! 2025 NMPAN Annual Report To mark a decade of operations from 2008-2018, NMPAN conducted a ten-year review in early 2018 to assess its effectiveness to date and adapt for the future. The review included: An online survey of listserv […]
You can use the NMPAN listserv to ask and answer questions and share information about meat and poultry processing. The listserv has 3,500+ members across the nation including small-scale processors, farmers, ranchers, Cooperative Extension personnel, federal and state employees, consultants, suppliers, and others. As one member said, “I find the listserv to be one of […]
Page updated in 2025. What is policy engagement? Well, most of the time you deal with rules after they are made. How about getting involved in the development and interpretation of the rules instead? At NMPAN, we believe it is important for small and very small processors to have a voice and be included in […]
Rebecca ThistlethwaiteDirector of NMPANOregon State UniversityCorvallis, ORthistler@oregonstate.edu David ZarlingNMPAN Program ManagerOregon State UniversityCorvallis, ORzarlingd@oregonstate.edu
Rethinking How We Train in Meat Processing By David Zarling, NMPAN Program Manager A wise plant manager once posed to me the following exchange between she and the owner of the plant she managed: Plant Owner: “What if we spend all of this money to train these people and they take their skills elsewhere?” Plant […]
These companies have designed and built MSUs, from bare bones rigs to complete, fully-equipped systems. Inclusion in this list does not imply endorsement. Friesla Friesla, located in Everson, Washington, builds both modular and mobile slaughter, cut & wrap units, and cooler/freezer units. They also occasionally sell used equipment on their site. They help walk you […]
This page will discuss retail butchering, which is cutting meat for *mostly* direct sales to consumers with perhaps a little wholesaling. These type of facilities generally do not co-pack for independent farmers. Types of Retail Butcher Shops: USDA Exempt– butcher shop buys in all USDA inspected carcasses (or primals/subs) but does retail cutting and processing […]
Freezing Grant Funds Puts a Chill on Rural America and Our Meat Supply By Rebecca Thistlethwaite, NMPAN Director *The views expressed in this article are those of Rebecca Thistlethwaite’s and not those of Oregon State University where NMPAN is housed. Feel free to reach out to Rebecca if you have a different opinion or if […]
<< Back This page was created by the Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network. Click on the link for more useful meat processing resources. What’s on this page: Why write a customer manual? How to get started Manual outline and sample Next steps and the last word Why write a customer manual? If you’re a meat […]
If you are a meat producer or processor and thinking about making a foray into wholesaling meat, this new guide is for you! Read the one page Executive Summary here. Download the newly published Wholesale Meat Guide 2024 here! This 32 page guide covers the following topics:
Meat Producer Resources Western Meat school Now available as a self-paced online course, take anytime! Click on the link to learn more. Regulations for selling meat Inspected or not inspected? Live animal or meat? Here are the basic rules. Building a Brand Tools for scaling up and building a branded meat company, including how to […]
By David Zarling, NMPAN’s Program Manager Contact: zarlingd@oregonstate.edu Continued from the newsletter: The Backbone of Operational Excellence Imagine this: It’s a regular day at the plant. The machinery is humming, the crew is banging through beef sides ahead of schedule, and the cutting, packing and grind lines are running at capacity. Suddenly, the rollstock (thermoformer) […]