Meat and Poultry Processing Kansas

This subaward supports two graduate students over the term of the project who will gain hands-on experience in a USDA FSIS inspected meat laboratory, as well as in-depth knowledge on the science of meat and meat processing, or in the area of legal research with agricultural law (1 at Kansas State University and 1 at LL.M. Program in Agricultural and Food Law, University of Arkansas School of  Law). Efforts will be made to identify potential graduate students with an interest in working directly with producers and processors on education and training, or in agricultural law. Kansas State University graduate students will be involved in Extension processing and regulation workshops held by Kansas State University and be available to assist with training and workshops held by Extension Specialists in the North Central region, and with other training opportunities such as through the Wallace Center at Winrock International in cooperation with Practical Farmers of Iowa.

1. In-person meetings – provide opportunities for collective information sharing and networking for a larger community beyond the working group (e.g., workshops, conferences, etc.).

Educational in-person workshops and trainings will be developed by Kansas State University, and a conference will be developed and held through the Wallace Center at Winrock International and Practical Farmers of Iowa for producers and processors in the North Central Region. In addition, a list of trainings held by other institutions and groups will be assembled and listed on a website hosted through Kansas State University.

Training that will be held with support from this subaward include:

1. HACCP workshops

            A minimum of 2 in-person HACCP workshops will be held annually in the North Central Region to educate processors and producers entering the processing business on HACCP, a mandated food safety program for meat and poultry processors. These 2.5 day workshops are accredited by the International HACCP Alliance and are taught by Lead HACCP Alliance Instructors.

2. Midwest Meat Processing Workshop

            At least once annually, a one-day in-person processing workshop will be held to update processors and producers on current topics associated with the meat industry, offer processing and/or cutting by current processors, and updates on government regulations.

3. Meat Cutting Workshop

            A 2-day meat cutting workshop will be developed and held to demonstrate how beef and hog carcasses are cut into primals, subprimals, and retail cuts. This workshop will be held twice during the subaward period. Given the high cost of holding this type of workshop, participants will be provided the opportunity to cut primals/subprimals into retail cuts instead of participants breaking down a carcass.

4. This subaward supports, in-part, the inaugural Midwest Meat Summit. This summit, inspired by the Carolina Meat Conference, gathered attendees throughout the Northcentral SARE Region for a two-day event in January 2025. The summit targeted an attendance of at least 150 people, with small to medium sized livestock producers making up 50% of attendees and the remaining seats prioritizing meat processors and value chain businesses from the region. Through a variety different sessions focused on topics popular with livestock producers and meat processors (including regulatory requirements, enterprise planning, meat cutting demonstrations, etc.), the summit was developed to highlight opportunities for livestock producers to grow profitable enterprises that produce and sell nutritious, environmentally sound meats to local and regional markets. This will include how to effectively work with processors, buyers, chefs, and other businesses and customers. Outside of sessions, attendees were invited to sign up for free 20-minute “curbside consulting” sessions with a variety of subject matter experts including business planners, marketing professionals, food safety experts, government officers, and more. These consultations helped attendees get their specific questions answered and provide a clearing house for technical assistance. The Midwest Meat Summit featured networking sessions, including a sellers and buyers match-making session to encourage new business relationships between producers, processors, and other businesses in attendance, and an exposition hall where agencies, companies, and other groups provided information. As a result of the summit, small to medium livestock producers in the Northcentral SARE Region are better informed about how to effectively engage with meat processors and other businesses to move their animals and products to market in an efficient and profitable way.

The Midwest Meat Summit was hosted in collaboration with The National Meat Summit Steering Committee and partner organizations in the Northcentral SARE region, including Practical Farmers of Iowa and the Wallace Center.  The National Meat Summits Steering Committee is a growing collaboration, composed of livestock specialists, meat, animal and social scientists, and other professionals from university Extension, and agricultural advocacy and support organizations.  A list of partner participants for the summits can be viewed at www.meatsummits.com. National Meat Summits works to build connections, increase knowledge, grow collective skills, and advance market opportunities for local and regional meat supply chains in the United States with long-term viability in mind. As a subawardee, we are committed to providing coordination and support for regional meat summits that serve many segments and scales of U.S. local and regional meat supply chains. The regional summits was strategic and coordinated educational and networking events for livestock producers, meat processors, distributors, retailers, and other buyers of meat products. We commit to sharing information, attending respective regional conferences when possible and participating in regularly meetings of The National Meat Summits Steering Committee to foster a collaborative, capacity-building approach supported by local, regional and national partners.

PFI held the 2025 Midwest Meat Summit at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, Iowa on January 9-10^th. The Summit included 9 unique sessions, each lasting between 70 and 90 minutes and was attended by 163 people. One session, “Nourishing Your Community and Your Business”, led by Oneida Nation Farm’s farm manager, had to be canceled, but Matt LeRoux was willing to step in and host his session a second time.

Sessions were led by farmers or experts including IDALS representatives, professors, and other industry professionals.

Day 1 Sessions included:

• “Demystifying Poultry Processing” led by Dr. Kristyn Van Donselaar, area veterinarian supervisor or the Meat and Poultry Inspection Bureau of the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS), addressed the most common points of confusion about poultry processing to determine what option works best for an operation, whether farm or abattoir. This session was attended by 49 people.
• “Pricing and Marketing Direct-to-Consumer Meat” led by Matt LeRoux, marketing specialist working with Cornell Cooperative Extension, focused on how to understand the customer to ease the dread of marketing, and how to be strategic in doing so. The session also dove into the MeatSuite Meat Price Calculator Tool to show methods of formulating prices on meat. This session was attended by 79 people.
• “Ecosystem-Oriented Supply Chain Management”, led by Diane Christofore, executive director of the Regenerative Agriculture Alliance, and Delicia Garcia-Hernandez, manager of the Stacyville Poultry Processing plant, focused on key issues and challenges involved in setting up Regenerative Agriculture Alliance’s poultry processing plant and opportunities for collaboration within the regional agricultural community. Attendees learned how ecosystem-based business models foster resilience among mid-sized farms while strengthening local food systems, thus benefiting farmers and consumers alike. This session was attended by 32 people.
• “Technology and Trends in Meat Sales” led by Katie Olthoff, agricultural communications and marketing specialist and cofounder of ChopLocal, focused on practical marketing strategies and innovative technology solutions that can help farmers and butchers significantly increase their annual sales. This session was attended by 73 people.
• “Organic Certification Opens Market Opportunities for Processors” led by Dave Carter, regional director of technical assistance for the Flower Hill Institute, focused on practical insights and strategies for processors to compete in the organic marketplace. This session as attended by 24 people.

Day 2 Sessions included:

• “How (Not) To Start a Producer-Owned Meat-Processing Cooperative” led by April Prusia, owner and operator of Dorothy’s Range, a small-scale pork operation, and Heidi Hoff, butcher and business manager for Meatsmith Co-op, focused on the journey of starting a producer- and worker-owned cooperative. This session was attended by 65 people.
• “Getting Serious with Salmonella” led by Sara Gragg, associate professor in the department of Animal and Dairy Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and associate director of the Meat Science and Animal Biologics Discovery program, focused on updates on recent salmonella research, with an emphasis on cattle and swine. This session was attended by 15 people.
• “Ask Your Processor Panel” included processors John Hogeland, Delicia Garcia-Hernandez, Ty Gustafson, and Lily Cooper, was a Q&A panel focused on questions from farmers and shared what will make work more sustainable for them as well. This panel was attended by 83 people.
• “Cooperative Interstate Shipment: What Is It and What Are the Rules?” led by Dr. Kathryn Polking, bureau chief of the Meat and Poultry Inspection Bureau for IDALS and veterinary officer in the US Army Reserve, focused on the history, rules and requirements of the CIS program, how meat processors can join the program and opportunities the program offers for meat processors and livestock producers alike. This session was attended by 13 people.