Outreach, training, and education for small-scale poultry producers using MPPUs in Massachusetts

The project began with the recruitment of Massachusetts poultry producers to join the MA poultry listserv and the distribution of an informational survey. Listserv membership surpassed the target of 125 in 2010; it included over 250 members before being combined with a similar listserv early in 2011. The informational survey was developed and distributed in 2010, with 82 responses returned. The survey results confirmed the importance of processing availability for small-scale poultry producers in the area, with 83% of potential/prospective poultry farmers listing “Ability to process” as an entry barrier. Nearly half of producers expressed willingness to serve as part of an MPPU leadership team, and 69% said they were willing to pay an annual membership fee. Additionally, 55% said they would increase production if they had access to an MPPU. A training curriculum was developed in 2009, with a classroom-based regulations workshop held in the winter and a hands-on practical skills workshop in the spring. The two primary guidance documents for producers, Handbook for Small-Scale Poultry Producer-Processors and Farm and Food Safety Management Guide, were created, distributed to all workshop participants, and made freely available online. The Handbook for Small-Scale Poultry Producer-Processors describes step-by-step how to apply for licensure to process poultry using a Massachusetts-inspected MPPU, which at that time was regulated under “pilot status” by MDPH. The Farm and Food Safety Management Guide included Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), Standard Sanitation Operation Procedures (SSOPs) and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) for farmers using a mobile poultry processing unit. Both guides reflected the project’s focus on MPPUs as the primary option for on-farm processing; while stationary on-farm facilities were considered another option, it was generally believed that MPPUs would serve as a lower-risk, lower-cost stepping stone for producers who wished to scale up to a level at which it would make sense to invest in the equipment and infrastructure necessary for a licensed stationary facility. As interest in using the MPPU grew and the trainings drew strong participation in 2009 and 2010, our third milestone was partially reached: At least 50 producers did receive individual technical assistance, and between workshop participants and web visits, even more accessed the Handbook for Small-Scale Poultry Producer-Processors; however, for various reasons, only a handful attempted to apply for an MDPH state slaughter license. One reason was MDPH’s decision to extend “pilot status” of the MPPU in 2010, which allowed it to cap the number of licensed MPPU users at eight. Additionally, producers who opted against applying for licensure cited the $225 license application fee and the “regulatory headache” involved in the application process, including obtaining local Board of Health approval, arranging for testing of well water, developing MDEP-approved compost sites, and scheduling flock health certification. Although initial producer interest was very strong, after learning all of the requirements of state licensure, the majority of producers ultimately decided that they did not raise enough birds or their start-up costs outweighed the cost and effort of pursuing licensure. Nevertheless, attendance at trainings remained strong, as150 producers and other individuals participated in the trainings between 2009 and 2011. Although the original plan called for three separate regional iterations of the trainings, participants proved willing to travel to a single central location, given that there were no comparable training events around. The hands-on practical skills training also proved to be a rather involved undertaking, and holding it in three different locations every year would have proved impractical. The target figure of 45 producers to participate in the training events was appropriate: Each year the trainings have drawn between 40 to 50 participants. Based on evaluation forms and follow-up correspondence, at least half of participants have used the information from the workshops, guides, and individual technical assistance to adopt new production, processing, or food safety practices in their operations. The project’s fifth milestone called for three regional producer groups to develop models for shared investment and management of an MPPU in their region. Several producer groups were convened, and collaboration with producers was educational for all involved. Organization of producers has occurred among those using the MPPUs, and a statewide alliance of growers and advocates emerged with the goal of expanding processing options in Massachusetts. At the level of developing models for shared management of MPPUs, however, producers have generally shown insufficient interest to form self-sustaining regional groups. This may happen in the future, as past attempts may have been undermined by the uncertainty of MPPUs’ regulatory “pilot status,” which has only been lifted since mid-2011. Another intervening trend may be the rise of licensed stationary on-farm processing facilities, which for the first time accounted for the majority of new MDPH slaughter license applicants in 2012. With regulations in place to allow producers to obtain licensure for their own facilities (thanks in large part to the efforts and materials produced by this project), many poultry farmers currently appear to prefer this option to shared use of an MPPU. Although most Massachusetts producers have not shown great interest in collective ownership or management of an MPPU, mobile units have grown in both use and number. In 2008, the one licensed MPPU in mainland Massachusetts generated over $51,500 in direct poultry sales, serving 3 farms. Between 2009 and 2011, the mainland Massachusetts MPPUs generated over $300,000 in direct sales of over 14,000 processed chickens and turkeys, serving 9 farm enterprises and another 15 growers who processed small batches for home consumption. With funding from a USDA Rural Business Enterprise Grant and private donors, New Entry and NESFI coordinated the construction of a second Massachusetts MPPU. In 2011 and 2012, the new unit, an enclosed model (rather than open-air, like the original), operated in eastern Massachusetts while the original MPPU operated in the Pioneer Valley in western Massachusetts, bringing the MPPU project closer to the original goal of regionalized shared infrastructure. Additionally, a third MPPU built by a poultry farmer in the Berkshires with training and technical assistance from this project, will be available next year for rental by farmers in that area. In order to meet producers’ needs—and accommodate the considerable commitment of managing an MPPU—new models of use have been explored, including contracting a dedicated MPPU manager to deliver the unit and assist with processing, and a concept known as “neutral site” processing, which allows producers to bring small batches of birds to a dedicated processing site (where no other poultry is raised per MDAR biosecurity requirements) rather than paying to transport the unit to their individual farm. The project’s impact has also extended beyond Massachusetts. In fact, we might very soon claim to have reached the project’s sixth milestone, in which “At least one producer group … identifies resources to construct and license a shared MPPU to serve their geographic area.” The project provided substantial training, technical assistance, and regulatory support for the MPPU set to go online in the Berkshires of Massachusetts in 2013. Although the unit itself is the product of a single producer rather than a cooperative group, this does not mean it will have any less impact. We have provided even more training and technical assistance to an effort to build an MPPU in Connecticut, led by the Connecticut Poultry Producers Association. The group recently received enough funding to construct the unit, and we have agreed to share our own experiences and provide further technical assistance as they plan and construct Connecticut’s first MPPU. Additionally, we have provided technical assistance to more than 20 organizations and other projects across the country interested in building their own MPPUs. Our latest guide, Building an On-farm Poultry Processing Facility, provides extensive but accessible advice for anyone interested in building a mobile or stationary on-farm poultry processing facility, and is easily the most comprehensive resource available on the subject. The landscape of small-scale poultry processing has changed a great deal since 2009, and this project has been the catalyst for many of those changes—including many we would not have predicted three years ago. We envisioned at least 3 MPPUs operating regionally in Massachusetts, constructed, owned and managed by groups of producers; next year there will be 3 MPPUs operating regionally in the state, but they are owned and managed by a single organization or individual rather than a group of producers. We envisioned at least 30 producers increasing profits and market access through MPPU-based poultry operations; 30 or more producers will likely see increased profits and market access through improved access to poultry processing in 2013, but more than half may be using their own licensed on-farm facility rather than an MPPU. And with all of the buzz generated by this project’s push for expanded small-scale poultry processing access, new ideas and solutions have come forward, including a plant in Rhode Island in the process of becoming the first USDA-licensed poultry processing facility to serve Rhode Island, eastern and central Connecticut, and eastern Massachusetts. Even if the results look different than we anticipated, they all contribute to the goal of expanding access to legal, affordable processing options for small-scale poultry producers—and this project has had a very important hand in all of it. The formerly MPPU-centered poultry processing trainings have been adjusted to meet the needs of those operating stationary on-farm facilities; all of the 2012 state slaughter license applicants came through our training programs, and most have also received at least one hour (often quite a bit more) of our technical assistance; and, perhaps most crucially of all, this project’s training and education materials formed the basis for the new MDPH rules which allowed on-farm processing to finally enter “routine status” and for the first time provided a framework for the licensure of both mobile and stationary on-farm processing facilities.