Pipestone Lamb Marketing Project

Pipestone Lamb Marketing Project

Summary

"This project will address the following problems: 1) limited marketing opportunities for lamb producers and 2) currently no vehicle for lamb producers to market a value-added product."

Objectives: To allow Pipestone Area Sheep Producers to stabilize the price of lamb. To demonstrate the role of sheep production in sustainable agriculture. To enable a group of area sheep producers to control their production beyond slaughter, develop a value-added product, expand the demand for lamb and market the product.

Funds will be used to assess what consumers want in a lamb product; to develop an appealing, higher value lamb product; to conduct ocnsumer focus groups to determine consumer demands and market potential; to make final product refinements and develop packaging; and to develop a business plan and prospectus for the Pipestone lamb processing and marketing company.

Results: The project has been extended for one year. The group successfully developed nine quality lamb products, emphasizing ease of preparation for consumers. A marketing advisor was hired and consumer focus groups were initiated. Initial findings of the surveys of producer membership showed that high confidence was placed on two products that are manufactured by restructuring the muscle tissue of the lamb carcass and reforming it into a consistent product. The marketing group learned that marketing and placement of new meat products is capital intensive, and they will meet in early 1998 to discuss this obstacle.