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A Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network webinar Date: February 25, 2016 Duration: one hour Overview: Small-scale poultry producers are well aware that finding USDA-inspected processing is a big challenge. Very few inspected poultry plants do fee-for-service processing, far fewer than for red meat, largely because it is hard to be profitable. David Schafer, owner and founder […]
Employee Management at T&E Meats: We frequently hear from small-scale meat processors that finding, training and keeping good help can be a struggle. Joe Cloud, co-owner and manager of T&E Meats, shared with us his company’s approach to employee management, describes his apprenticeship program, and the T&E Meats Bonus Plan. Click here to download the […]
Overview Please Note: This webinar is no longer available in video form, however, the presentation materials remain active. Small and mid-sized meat processors are increasingly being asked by their customers to go through 3rd party audits for a range of standards and practices. On this webinar, auditors explain what to expect from – and […]
A Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network webinar Date: November 18, 2015 Duration: one hour Overview: The Finger Lakes Meat Project is a regional initiative in New York State to grow the freezer trade (sales of meat in bulk quantities such as whole, half and quarter animals) to benefit livestock farmers and consumers. The Project consists of educational efforts, […]
A Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network webinar in collaboration with Animal Welfare Approved. Please Note: This webinar is no longer available in video form; however, the presentation materials remain active. Date: June 17, 2015 Duration: one hour Overview: On this webinar, we learned about humane handling practices at the processing plant. We discussed steps producers […]
click here to download the worksheet (Excel file) This worksheet was developed by Matt LeRoux of Cornell Cooperative Extension – Tompkins County and recently shared at the Oregon State University Small Farms Conference. You can use this worksheet to determine your yield and cost and price your product to meet your revenue goals.
Profiles in Small-Scale Processing: Blue Ridge Meats Date: May 28, 2015 Duration: one hour Overview: What makes a small-scale processing plant successful? We get asked that question on a regular basis, by NMPAN members and many others. People want to hear from operators who are making it work, using creative and innovative approaches to tackle […]
Inyo County, 2009 Study title: “Final Report: Natural Livestock Feasibility Study” Author: Jeff Schahczenski Date of study: February 2009 Group behind study: National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) NCAT website Geographic area covered:Inyo and Mono Counties, California Funding for the study: Commissioned by Inyo County Link to full study: Media:Inyo_reportFINAL.pdf Objective This study looked […]
This article is a sub-article of the larger article Mobile Slaughter Unit Costs and Revenues: Projections from Nevada. Excerpted with permission from Curtis, K. R.*, M. Cowee, A. Acosta, W. Hu, S. Lewis, T. Harris. 2007. Locally Produced Livestock Processing and Marketing Feasibility Assessment. Technical Report UCED 2006/07-13: University Center for Economic Development, Department of […]
Overview Note: This webinar is no longer hosted, but the class materials and resources are still listed below. The 2008 Farm Bill included a provision to allow the interstate sale of state-inspected meat and poultry. In September, USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service published proposed rules for how this program will work. On this webinar, […]
Other Loan Guarantee Programs While a guarantee may be necessary under certain circumstances and can sometimes foster better loan terms (related to repayment period or interest rate) depending on the bank, often they have up front costs of a 1 to 3.5 percent of the portion guaranteed and have annual fees ranging from 1/8th to […]
A Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network webinar Date: Tuesday, July 26, 2016 Duration: one hour Overview: Livestock producer co-ops are often interested in owning and operating their own processing plants. On this webinar, we heard the story of one co-op, Cattle Producers of Washington, and their journey to build and operate their own plant, the CPoW LPCA Plant […]
A Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network webinar Date: March 30, 2016 Duration: one hour Overview: Managing, treating and removing solid waste and wastewater often comes at a significant cost for small-scale meat processing facilities. For those new to meat processing, or those looking for new ideas for their plant, this webinar provided a general overview on waste management […]
The following studies and reports, listed in order of publication date, look at different challenges related to meat processing in Oregon. Oregon Lamb Processing Feasibility Study Author: NEWCO Northwest, on behalf of the Oregon Sheep Growers Association Date: August 2003 Link to full report Solving the Local Meat Conundrum: Meat Production and Processing in Oregon […]
Adapted from Volume 3, Number 11 of Small Plant News As a small plant operator, you probably already know that FSIS issues directives to provide official communications and instruction to Agency personnel in carrying out their functions. These directives are usually issued for an indefinite duration and are identified by a series number and title. […]
Five Financial Assistance Programs that Work Many financial assistance programs at the state and federal levels will not work for small meat processors. If we had a dollar for every program out there that we were told could help small meat processors, well… we could buy a lot of bratwurst. While assistance programs do change […]
With the expansion of uncured, nitrite/nitrate-free products in the marketplace, there has been some confusion around the regulatory requirements. Uncured (or “nitrite/nitrate-free”) products require the same safe handling instructions* as cured products since they are both raw products. In addition, if you are producing an uncured product that uses a vegetable powder as it’s nitrite source, you will […]
Producer-Processor Communication Local meat and poultry can’t get to market without a processor, but processors are pulled in many directions: producers would like more processing options, the kind of processing needed depends on the market, the regulations are complex, and even with premium-priced meats, the profit margins are slim. The producer-processor relationship is a […]
If you are a meat processor, and you believe your inspector has given you an “NR” or noncompliance record that is unwarranted or an error, you have the right to appeal the inspector’s decision. Many processors are hesitant to appeal, for fear of damaging their relationship with their FSIS inspector . However, FSIS emphasizes that […]
