From September 2020 – March 2022, myself and collaborators Angela Blatt, Paul Dorrance, and ACEnet completed a USDA Local Foods Promotion Program (LFPP) project, “Planning to Advance Mobile Meat Slaughter and Processing in Ohio and Central Appalachia” from September 2020 – March 2022.

Demand for local meat continues to grow, but bottlenecks in the local meat value chain, especially the limited processing capacity, inhibit the market opportunities for livestock farmers in Ohio and Central Appalachia. This 18-month planning project tested the need for an additional local meat value chain intervention that serves red meat livestock farmers, processors, and consumers.

The primary activities of the project were to assess the feasibility of mobile meat slaughter and processing for small-scale family farmers in Ohio and Central Appalachia; develop a network of interested producers, processors, and consumers; and create the necessary organizational and financial plans for a cooperative business to meet the identified needs.

The project summary is below. View complete project results, including links to webinars presented, a full needs assessment, and more on ACEnet’s Local Foods Promotion Program webpage.