Rancher to Consumer Meat Connection

Project Overview

WPDP21-024
Project Type: Professional Development Program
Funds awarded in 2021: $75,648.00
Projected End Date: 12/31/2023
Host Institution Award ID: G214-22-W7903
Grant Recipient: University of Wyoming
Region: Western
State: Wyoming
Principal Investigator:
Cody Gifford
University of Wyoming

Commodities

  • Animal Products: meat

Practices

  • Animal Production: meat processing, meat product quality/safety
  • Education and Training: demonstration, extension
  • Sustainable Communities: community services, local and regional food systems

    Proposal abstract:

    The Rancher To Consumer project is designed to develop and distribute professional training through a video series to meat marketing entrepreneurs, livestock producers and meat consumers so that when the security of the food chain satisfying human nutrition needs and economic viability of farms/ ranches are threatened by unexpected impediments to normal delivery, alternative food processing channels can be utilized. Additional materials such as factsheets will be generated to allow educators and producers to teach others to maximize alternatives for processing, sales and consumption. This effort is designed to develop trainers and others to instruct western residents on enhancing their quality of life while stabilizing food security. This course work would be delivered also at a number of in-person trainings and conferences as safety guidelines allow. The digital information will be made available on public sources and stretch distribution nationwide.

    Project objectives from proposal:

    A. To train and empower a core of Educators and Producers who can promote and train others on alternative meat processing and meat marketing techniques which can strengthen the agriculture industry. This would include Agriculture and Nutrition Extension Educators and producers within all major organizations with Wyoming.
    B. To expand meat processing and marketing option knowledge for consumers.
    C. To build stronger links between processors, consumers, and producers by directly providing resource linkages between service providers and consumers.
    D. To enhance the technical capacity of both agriculture producers and ag-related marketers in establishing alternative food chain implementation which could also then be applied to other products.

    Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or SARE.