Producer Managed Efforts in Marketing of Livestock - Livestock Products

View the project final report

• 2003 annual report
• 2004 annual report
• 2005 annual report

Commodities

• Animals: bees, bovine, poultry, goats, rabbits, swine, sheep, fish, ratite, shellfish
• Animal Products: dairy

Practices

• Farm Business Management: new enterprise development, cooperatives, marketing management, market study, risk management, value added

This project made an important contribution to livestock product marketing education in the Southern Region. Extension and other educators gained knowledge and skills in addressing issues relevant to successful marketing of livestock products. They also were provided with and used a planned educational program in that area that was developed based on a Program Logic Model. It included an evaluation plan and tools The curriculum for the educational program was developed, field tested, revised and is being made available on the North Carolina SARE PDP website. Extension, Departments of Agriculture, non-government groups and farmers were actively involved as program planners, presenters and evaluators in the entire process.
The program covers six topics. Five are content. The other is process. The five content areas are: agro-entrepreneurship; food safety; regulations, permits and licenses; marketing; and business assessment. The process sessions covered the program logic model and reporting results.
After the workshop program participants returned to their states and territories and conduct training using the program materials. Four states/ territories (Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina and North Carolina) reported impacts. The materials or design model were used in other states such as Texas and Tennessee as well and in the development of supporting materials for a WKKF project (NC Choices) and an additional SARE PDP project in North Carolina.

After participating in the regional workshop educational programs, at least 25 extension faculty, 20 other agricultural educator- partners will have become informed about issues relating to marketing livestock products. They will then return home and will conduct Extension in-service training and other educational programs in their states and territories so that 500 field faculty and information providers from across the region will become knowledgeable about marketing livestock during the coming year.

Of that number, after participating in the state level educational program, at least 10 extension faculty, 15 farmer partners and 3 non profit group partners who work specifically with limited resource farmers will demonstrate and report educational outreach programs in their counties or with their constituents so that 100 limited resource farmers will be knowledgeable about marketing livestock and livestock products in North and South Carolina, Virginia Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands.

After participating in the educational program 15 sustainable agriculture coordinators or their designated representatives along with 15 partners will bring the information to their states/ territories for dissemination so that at least 2000 additional producers across the Southern region will be able to market livestock and livestock products in a more knowledgeable way or are able to dialogue with regulators and legislators about rules and regulations governing such marketing.