The State of Sustainable Meat Processing - What Laws and Policies Make a Difference?

Approach and Methods 

Our research approach includes multiple sources of data and information to identify possible or certain conclusions regarding policies that will foster a more sustainable meat and poultry sector. Our team will investigate where opportunities exist to strengthen and expand the small processing supply chain that serves grassfed and pasture-raised farmer-owned meat brands. We will assess where gaps continue to exist even after the influx of millions of dollars to increase meat and poultry slaughter and processing access.

Our approach focuses on Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, but we hope to expand beyond this area into other Southern SARE regions in the future after this grant is completed. This problem and the policy solutions that are being proposed impact sustainable livestock and poultry producers nationwide. 

Our first four learning objectives (1-4) are focused on our research methods, which include surveys, interviews, and reviewing existing data. 

Research team members including the University of Arkansas LL.M. Program, Food System 6, Shirah Dedman, and the University of Arkansas Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, will lead the research methods for objectives 1-4. For objective 1, we will research the policy options a state considered, policy options passed and implemented at the state and federal levels, and assess the impact these policies have on the sustainable livestock and poultry production in this region. 

The research team will use derived and compiled data from USDA, Bureau of Economic Analysis, state, legal, and other academic databases to aggregate Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas laws, policies, grant programs, and processor data. Our mixed method research design includes closed- and open- ended questionnaires for farmers, ranchers, and small processors, along with semi-structured and unstructured interviews. We will ask questions regarding which policies have impacted processing operations. We will ask farmers and ranchers how long they are required to book a processing date, how far the closest processor is to their farm, and other questions about how processing impacts their operations. 

Members of the review team, including Oregon State University Niche Meat Processors Assistance Network (NMPAN), Cypress Valley Meat Company, Quapaw Services Authority, Dr. Fernandez, Ratcliff, Davis, and Maginot will assess and offer feedback on the questions to eliminate bias. All grant team members will share the survey with their contacts. Our goal is to conduct 5-7 interviews in each state, and to share the survey with all of the small, independent area processors. We aim to share the survey with at least 100 farmers and ranchers. We plan to interview 2-5 farmers in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Each interviewee will receive a stipend for participation. A dataset will be developed in order to analyze and review the findings. Data will be reviewed using coding and organization of question responses to ensure we can distill clear information for the final report, and statistical analysis that will allow us to categorize the various responses. We will track demographic data and include any notable differences among participants.  

The development of our survey instrument will be informed by the area farmers and processors on our team to ensure specific needs and appropriate solutions are adequately addressed. We plan to have the survey accessible in both English and Spanish, via hardcopy and digital forms and possibly through phone interviews. Our research and assessment endeavors will include a broad range of sustainable livestock and poultry production perspectives based on species produced, size of operation, different regions in these states, and racially diverse stakeholders to ensure a complete assessment of the impact of these policies on this sector food system and to thoroughly assess their racial equity impact (Race Forward 2009). 

Additional data collection will include phone interviews to obtain a more nuanced analysis of the problems and possible solutions.  Our interview outreach will target different ownership demographics, including plant or farm size, species processed, species raised, race, ethnicity, gender, and geographic region.   

We will also take a systems-based approach to our questions by covering topics in our small processor survey beyond expansion and access to processing, including: 

• Small processing workers safety and wages; 
• Number of farmers served; 
• Animals processed or slaughtered; 
• Jobs added; 
• Workers trained;
• New plants created; 
• Number of new plants that increased access; and
• Business viability. 

Our outreach methodologies for the surveys and interviews include the following: drafting questions based on stakeholder input, selecting the appropriate communication channel, explaining our research process, unbiased listening, tailoring questions to our target audience's language, and respecting participants' time. Farmer and processor team members will carefully review the survey for its appropriateness and language as well as its deployment for the target audience. We plan to work with our team members to tailor this survey to their specific communities. Our surveys should take less than a few minutes and will only include essential research questions. 

Based on our preliminary research of USDA and state level data, there are approximately 145 federally inspected meat and poultry processing and slaughter facilities in the multi-state region that are classified by USDA as small and very small. (USDA FSIS 2023). We also estimate based on USDA data that approximately 250 state inspected plants in the multi-state region are operating under state inspection (Oklahoma Department of Agriculture 2021, Texas Department of Agriculture 2023), and approximately 200 custom exempt plants. Thus, we will set a goal of surveying or interviewing a statistically significant population sample size based on these numbers.  

Farmer and processor participants and NMPAN will share the processor survey widely, as well as all team members. Our goal is to conduct 7-10 processor interviews in this region and to share the survey with all of the small, independent processors in the region. All grant team members will share the farmer survey widely with their contacts. We will gather input and qualitative data from farmers and ranchers in the multi-state area and plan to share the survey with at least 300 farmers and ranchers. Five to seven farmers in Arkansas and Oklahoma will be interviewed and each participant will receive a stipend for their participation. Statistical analysis will allow us to categorize the various responses to meet Objective 3. The project team includes graduate students who will have the opportunity to develop strong legal, policy, and economic analysis skills which will be useful for their future food and agriculture-focused careers. 

We will use the data from Objective 1-4 to create the educational resources and materials to achieve Objectives 5-14. 

The processor contact map will help area farmers and ranchers find hours of operation, contact information, species slaughtered and/or processed, and other key information well beyond the life of this grant project. This will help accomplish Objective 12. 

Objective 6 materials will include a report and toolkit that share the results of the research and provide a guide for farmers and processors who hope to access processing funding and influence local policies. The toolkit will include steps that advocates should take to discuss these issues with lawmakers and identify opportunities to engage. The toolkit will provide farmers with information regarding the bodies responsible for determining processing access policy, such as their state department of agriculture, state legislature, USDA or Congress, and will include simple steps for reaching out to the relevant contacts. 

The report and toolkit will be applicable to multiple sectors and disciplines, as we will assess and analyze those policies which have not only supported a strong sustainable livestock and poultry sector, but also where policies further racial equity in the food system, support worker safety and well being, increase consumers access to local food, and strengthen the sustainability of small businesses. 

Overall, the report and toolkit will provide a summary of evidence on certain policies that impact the meat processing bottleneck for small, grassfed and pasture-raised farmers and ranchers, with the idea that locally informed and evidenced-based solutions can provide a framework for future solutions by farmers and ranchers, processors, advocates, and policymakers. 

Our approach includes teaching the next generation of food and agriculture professionals how to draft clear, concise information in an educational format. The drafting of the educational report and toolkit will involve graduate assistants and provide them with an invaluable learning and skill-building opportunity. Students will learn how to present complex information in a usable, farmer-friendly format. 

We will use data gathered in learning Objectives 1-4, and in particular, small processing plant employee or owner interviews, to draft the case studies. These case studies will focus on achieving the learning objectives in 7-8 by providing clear examples on what financial amount, business planning, grant writing tips, and priorities helped small processors succeed in their expansion efforts. The case studies will provide real-world examples of where policy both did and did not support small processor expansion in this region. The case studies will also provide tips and best practices in a practical way so other processors looking to expand and farmers and ranchers interested in starting a processing facility have useful guidance on what steps may lead to their success. Each case study will focus on one small processor expansion story. We will ensure case studies cover geographic and racial diversity, as well as plants processing different species of animals and with different business sizes (for example it may be a plant classified by USDA as “very small” or “small”).  

These tasks will also involve students and provide them with practical skills and knowledge about how expansion can be crafted either through independent or government funded efforts. The students will also learn how to draft case studies that are practical for the target audience. 

We will also create short videos with these tips and host two webinars that explain our results to a farmer, processor, and policy maker audience to accomplish objectives 9-11. We hope these videos will be simple advocacy tools that key stakeholders can use to inform complex policies that provide solutions to this problem. One webinar will include a training for farmers and processors who hope to shift state policies to support increased access to processing. All webinars will be recorded and shared.

Along with our outreach plan listed below, the two virtual webinars are where we plan to share our findings, learnings, and educational materials with our target audiences. We will use the information gathered from Objectives 1-5, along with the materials created in Learning Objectives 6-8, to accomplish Learning Objectives 9-11.  We will host a virtual half-day webinar that explains our results to farmers, processors, policy makers, and other food systems advocates and stakeholders. During this webinar, we will not only share results but allow time for important discussion on next steps and moderate those discussions among participants. For this first virtual webinar we will expand our invitations to producers and small processors, their employees, and policy makers and advocates throughout the entire Southern SARE region. We believe that by sharing this first webinar beyond our multi-state region, the dialogue from the half day workshop could lead to stronger policy solutions not just in this multi-state area, but in other Southern SARE states.  

We will also host a second virtual-half day webinar that is an online-training for farmers and processors who hope to work together on processing bottleneck issues and shift policies that will support an increase in access to processing. The target audience will include our research’s target audience of small processors and farmers and ranchers, providing a unique opportunity for dialogue around the barriers in this multi-state area between the two sectors most impacted by these policies. The webinar will allow for processors and farmers to discuss the key policy impacts and needed advocacy support along with other crucial topics like the supply and demand needed for expansion, workforce issues, and environmental impacts. 

These webinars intend to focus the dialogue and presentations around this goal.  However, the two half-day webinars are just the start of how we hope to share our research and educational materials. Similar presentations and discussions will be replicated beyond the life of the grant at farmer, processor, and food systems stakeholder conferences.

Learning Objectives 6-12 are how the team plans to disseminate our findings and begin the educational process of sharing and implementing our researched solutions.

The research and educational resources created from Objectives 6-12 will assist in achieving Objectives 13-14. We also hope to publish peer-reviewed articles that can be strong advocacy tools for achieving objectives 13-14. 

Impact and Persons Reached 

We plan to share these findings with our networks, including the University of Arkansas press outlets, area farmers and ranchers and small processors, the NMPAN listserv of more than 1,000 small processors, and policy makers. We may include the following in our outreach plan: press releases, blog posts, conference presentations, webinars, printed handouts, and other efforts to reach the multi-state area meat processor associations, small processors, farmers and ranchers, and relevant organizations. Given NMPAN’s stakeholder reach and our team’s network, we estimate that these education materials will reach over 300 stakeholders that are part of this sector of sustainable agriculture. We will share a follow-up assessment for all educational materials that seeks feedback from the farmer, rancher, and processor stakeholders, to evaluate our results. We intend to use this research beyond the life of the grant in future educational presentations to advocacy groups, lawyers, policy makers, processors, and farmers to help support a stronger supply chain and increase processing access for grassfed and pasture-raised farmers and ranchers with their own, independent meat brands. Other professionals working with these sectors will also benefit from this research through peer reviewed journal articles that publish the findings of the project. 

The overall outcome will include supporting a stronger processing supply chain for area farmers and ranchers looking to either expand, shift, or begin their grassfed or pasture- raised independent meat or poultry businesses.

Project Team Plan Summary:  

Our team has submitted letters of support that affirm our approach and methods: 

Food System 6: Lauren Manning - LOS SSARE Grant (1)

Kimberly Ratcliff: Meat Grant (1)

James Maginot: 0274_001 (1).

Howard and Clarice Turner: SARE Research Grant_ LLM Program Turners.docx

Carol Bansley: Bansley LOS Meat Processing Policies Grant

Emory Davis: SSARE_LOS_Emory Davis (1)

NMPAN: LOS from NMPAN - SARE (2)

University of Arkansas Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness: LOS_Popp_2023 (1)

Cypress Valley Meat Company: LOS Cypress Valley - SARE Research Grant_ LLM Program (2)

Quapaw Food Services Authority: Payne LOS

Dr. David Fernandez: Small Meat Processing Policy Letter of Support 2023-24

Shirah Dedman: SARE Research Grant_ LLM Program Dedman

Additional biographies and team qualification can be found here: SSARE Grant Team Bios.