ABOUT THE PROJECT
ACEnet and collaborators Angela Blatt, Paul Dorrance, and Rachel Tayse are excited to embark on a USDA Local Foods Promotion Program (LFPP) project, “Planning to Advance Mobile Meat Slaughter and Processing in Ohio and Central Appalachia”.
Demand for local meat continues to grow, but bottlenecks in the local meat value chain, especially the limited processing capacity, continue to inhibit the market opportunities for livestock farmers in Ohio and Central Appalachia. This 18-month planning project will test the need for an additional local meat value chain intervention that serves red meat livestock farmers, processors, and consumers.
The primary activities of the project will be to assess the feasibility of mobile meat slaughter and processing for small-scale family farmers in Ohio and Central Appalachia; develop a network of interested producers, processors, and consumers; and create the necessary organizational and financial plans for a cooperative business to meet the identified needs.