On June 17th, Flower Hill Institute's Regional Director of Technical Assistance Chris Roper made a site visit to Barnsdall Meat Processing in Barnsdall, Oklahoma which made him stop and reflect on how fortunate we are after seeing the damage left from two deadly tornadoes that hit the small community within a five week period. 

That’s one of the three words the Biden administration used in January 2022 to describe its commitment to smaller meat and poultry processors nationwide: “A fairer, more competitive, and more resilient meat and poultry supply chain.”

Flower Hill's regional Directors, Chris Roper and Dave Carter, have met with hundreds of processors over the past two years as they traveled through 38 states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands as part of the Meat and Poultry Processing Technical Assistance (MPPTA) program.

As the pandemic impacts rippled throughout the food system in 2021, the incoming Biden administration launched the Meat and Poultry Inspection Readiness Grant (MPIRG), offering smaller processing businesses up to $200,000 to become USDA-inspected to equip them to develop and market products in retail stores and restaurants.

The first round of MPIRG grants awarded in 2021 is scheduled to be wrapped up this September, so my fellow Regional Director, Chris Roper, and I have been stopping by grant recipients during our travels to see if our network can provide technical assistance to help them cross the finish line.

Good things in life often require unlimited patience.

Just ask Rosemary Linares and Damian Rivera of Damian’s Craft Meats in Anne Arbor, MI.

A vision that began a decade ago is nearing fruition for Rosemary and Damian.

Damian was born in Mexico and grew up directly connected to the local butcher, or carincero, who provided the meat for his family’s table. He came to the U.S. as an entrepreneur in the meat industry and apprenticed in USDA-inspected and custom-exempt slaughterhouses. Along the way, he met Rosemary, whose great-grandfather had started a USDA slaughterhouse in his backyard in Michigan.

In recognition of October as Women in Small Business Month, Flower Hill Institute teamed with Yanessa TV and Meet My Neighbor Productions to produce three podcasts highlighting growing meat processing businesses being led by strong, resilient women.

The first podcast, issued on Wednesday, October 16th, featured Danielle Carillo, who owns and operates Clark’s Custom Meats in St. Joseph, MO, along with her husband, Max.

Chickens haven’t been part of many discussions about tribal food security. Tribal producers, Intertribal Agriculture Council (IAC) technical assistance providers, and others gathering for IAC’s first-ever Poultry Fly-In in Fayetteville, AR, in mid-October are changing that conversation.

[...] Nick said chasing buffalo is embedded in his genes. Still, he has learned to embrace the potential of poultry production and processing to significantly contribute to building food security for the Oglala Sioux people.

Laughing, he told the Poultry Fly-In attendees, “I’m now known around the area as ‘the chicken guy.’”  

The evolving humanization of pets creates significant opportunities for smaller meat and poultry processors…if we can create a new supply chain model to connect those processors with pet product brands catering to the demand of today’s “pet parents.”

Meet independent producers and processors from across the country at the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association’s 16th Annual Meeting this December 1-2 at the Embassy Suites in Fort Worth! You won’t want to miss keynote addresses from USDA Undersecretary for Marketing & Regulatory Programs Jenny Moffit, USDA Farm Service Agency Administrator Zach Ducheneaux, and Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller.

The recent PAWC (Professional Agricultural Workers Conference) was a tremendous success, drawing over 500 participants. The MPPTA hosted an added-value reception during the conference, providing an excellent opportunity for networking and collaboration among industry professionals. Additionally, we organized Meat and Poultry Technical Assistance Training, enhancing skills and knowledge within our community.

Mention disruption to the food supply, and people tend to think about the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, disruption has been coming in all shapes and sizes since 2020. Hurricanes, forest fires, droughts, and other climate-related disruptions are becoming more frequent. Cybersecurity breakdowns and geopolitical disturbances are also common.

The initial round of Meat and Poultry Inspection Readiness Grants (MPIRG) initiated in 2021 was among the first resources offered under the Biden Administration’s ambitious commitment to support smaller meat and poultry processors.

Regional Directors Chris Roper and Dave Carter have been visiting several processors who received those initial grants. Between the two of them, they have seen more than 45 processors from New York to Oregon since March.

These visits were overwhelmingly heartening, to say the least.

There’s no shortage of challenges facing meat and poultry processors each day. Servicing debt, keeping equipment operating, hiring and training qualified workers, handling byproducts, and dealing with demanding customers keep processors awake at night.