Meat and Poultry Processing North Carolina

Training Methodology:

Our team delivers both direct (in-person) and remote trainings throughout the year to maximize reach. These include a series of in-person trainings such as small regional presentations for more entry-level meat producers, as well as more advanced statewide trainings geared toward experienced producers. In addition to these, we offer remote presentations focused on training participants in the use of new pricing and marketing tools designed to support niche meat producers and/or producer trainers (e.g., Extension personnel).

Example 1:

Niche Meat Marketing Seminar

In April 2023, NC Choices hosted the Niche Meat Marketing Seminar—a one-day training event that sold out with 150 farmer attendees as well as Extension agents (farmer trainers). Additional participants included meat processors and service industry professionals who engaged through trade show booths.

The training featured 11 presentations focused on marketing local meat, including two newly developed MeatSuite training tools. The event also included keynote speakers and live, pop-up whole-animal utilization butchery demonstrations during breaks. A copy of the full program is available [HERE].

Key Metrics & Impacts

• 89% of respondents reported that the training:
  
  • Helped or significantly helped them gain new knowledge relevant to their business.
  • Will significantly increase their sales and/or production.

Detailed evaluations per session per day available upon request.

Participant Feedback Highlights:

"The day went well. Each session was informative and very beneficial and will help improve my operations. I’m looking forward to the next event!"

"Loved Jennifer’s talk and learned a lot from her! Oliver Lee’s talk was very engaging and practical too."

"All sessions were helpful to me as a farmer and also to help educate my students on marketing, muscle development, and budgeting."

"Very informative!"

Example 2:

ANS 641 Graduate Train the Trainer Niche Meat Course: 

Fall 2023, we collaborated with university faculty to co-lead a graduate-level course on niche meats for Extension agents. The course, ANS 641: Practicum in Animal Science, was offered both in-person and remotely. It provided three credit hours toward career advancement and was graded on a Pass/Fail basis. The course was organized by Extension agent Sara Drake, NC Choices' Lee Menius and Sarah Blacklin, and Dr. Matt Poore, professor of Animal Science.

Course activities included Zoom trainings, full-day field labs, and visits to processing facilities, niche meat businesses, and pasture-based livestock farms throughout the state. Students were also required to complete an end-of-semester paper. Guest instructors contributed to the course, and recordings of each session, along with corresponding quizzes, were made available to accommodate those unable to attend live.

Key Metrics and Impacts:

Seventeen agents completed the course from across the state.  This class dramatically increased the knowledge base of this diverse group of agents. This was a focused semester-long graduate class exclusively for Extension Livestock Agents so we were able to go in-depth on topics and that paid off in knowledge gained. For example, “Rate your understanding of direct-market sales channel opportunities and marketing strategies to address price risks?” on a scale of 1 (None) to 5 (High) showed a Pre-average  of 2.42; Post  of 4.46. For example, on a scale of 1 (None) to 5 (High), for understanding of direct-market sales channel opportunities and marketing strategies to address price risks, our agents pre-course average =2.42 and post-course average = 4.46!

Successes included one Extension Agent coaching a farmer to increase their pricing per pound because they were able to show them the finances and expenses. Because of this same issue with their producers, another agent planned and implemented a local training to help producers understand their true costs of production. Two other Extension Agents created fact sheets for producers: one is for farmers to understand yield expectations when taking animals to the processor and the second is for how to improve meat quality through breed selection and genetics. 

Participant Feedback Highlights:

“This class gave me the confidence to assist a producer with closely tracking input costs which allowed him to revisit his pricing to ensure he was profitable.”

“This class has forced me to get stronger in an area that I am weak (marketing and finding marketing outlets) which will definitely help me help the producers I come into contact with most often lately. It was also great to get to see how other farms and parts of the state are being successful. One thing I took away from one of the tours is the meat bundles and being creative with them. That will be something I will talk to producers I work with about.”

“[This class has helped me] be able to understand how to better explain pricing of meats to the public of how local producers come to those numbers using the Cornell Meat Price Calculator. I've also worked with a producer to begin selling his beef, pork, and poultry on Meat Suite.”

Example #3:

In July–August 2024, NC Choices hosted the Carolina Meat Conference, a multi-day event that SOLD OUT weeks in advance, reaching full capacity with 643 local meat supply chain participants from across the country. The program featured 50+ concurrent sessions, including farm tours, hands-on meat fabrication workshops, and targeted trainings. With the support of ~50 sponsors, the conference generated over $20,000 in programmatic income, helping to support long-term sustainability. Carolina Meat Conference Program.

To ensure relevance across the diverse supply chain—including farmers, buyers, distributors, educators, culinary professionals, and industry stakeholders—we organized topic-specific focus tracks. This year, the Carolina Meat Conference was held in partnership with the Southeast Value-Added Dairy Conference, expanding our reach and impact. This collaboration was funded by the Southeast Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives (SDBII) and included partners such as the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture’s Animal Science Department, the Center for Profitable Agriculture (CPA), NC State, University of Kentucky, and the Kentucky Dairy Development Council (KDDC), and the National Meat Summits group among others.

We also offered specialized training for FFA Agricultural Teachers, Family and Consumer Science and Livestock Agents, and culinary professionals. Detailed evaluations are available upon request: www.carolinameatconference.com.

Key Metrics & Impacts:

• 94% of respondents reported they
  • Gained new information;
  • Learned something that will help reduce risk, save money, or grow their business;
  • Will be more effective in their job or position.
• 95% said the speakers were knowledgeable and engaging, and that they would recommend the conference to a friend or colleague.
• 100% of respondents reported making new supply chain connections, with an average intent to contact 8 new individuals over the next 6 months.

Detailed evaluations per session per day available upon request.

Participant Feedback Highlights:

“This class gave me the confidence to assist a producer with closely tracking input costs, which allowed him to revisit his pricing to ensure he was profitable.”
“The conference broadened my industry knowledge. It brought together so many talented individuals making real impacts in meat and dairy. I left with tangible ways to apply what I learned on the farm and in the processing facility.”
“This will help me create a larger network to better serve the farmers and ranchers in my community. Personally, it gave me tools to move forward in my own farming journey.”
“New business connections and shared learning have a huge impact on our ability to grow and retain customers. We’ll be using what we learned—and who we met—for years to come.”
“As a regenerative farmer, I was encouraged by the number of knowledgeable people attending. It motivates me to do and share more about this work and its broader impact.”
“The conference experience truly opened my eyes to the growing need for a skilled labor force in agriculture. There's a real opportunity for educators, institutions, and industry to collaborate on solutions.”
“The new contacts are priceless.”

Example #4:

Technical Assistance and Workforce Preparedness for Independent Inspected Meat Processors. In addition to our ongoing Technical Assistance work, NC Choices also provides one-on-one or small group trainings to support workforce development within our independent meat processing plants exampled below:

June 2024: Beef Carcass Fabrication Workshop at Piedmont Custom Meats USDA Processing Facility. The small group training included cut fabrication and discussion on meat quality and marketable of value-added cuts. See FLYER.

June 2025: Peer to Peer Training Provided by Mitchells Meats and Briarwood Custom Meats. For this day-long training NC Choices worked with Briarwood Custom Meats to provide whole animal cut training for their staff prior to the opening inspected butcher shop. Working with Briarwood, NC Choices collaborated with a fellow inspected independent meat processor from Mitchells Meats to provide both the cut training as well as tips on operational flow and seasonality.

August 2025: NC Choices facilitated a peer-to-peer training between representatives of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and HG Meats in Richmond. Both independent meat processing operations utilize modular Friesla units. The visit was organized to support knowledge exchange and collaboration, allowing the two facilities to compare processing practices, budgets, operational workflows, and workforce needs.