Vermont Meat Processing Task Force Featured as Case Study in USDA-ERS Meat Processing Report

Vermont's F2P Meat Processing Task Force is featured as a case study in a recent report published by USDA-ERS.

The report concludes that greater coordination, communication, and "hard" committments between farmers and processors can alleviate the unstable "boom-and-bust" cycles that afflict the meat and poultry processing industry. The "hard" committments involve: farmers committing, individualy or in coordinated groups or brands, to providing processors with sufficient and steady business; with processors committing livestock processing to farmer specifications, consistently and on time.

Senior Agricultural Development Coordinator and Meat Processing Task Force Chair Chelsea Bardot Lewis says in the report that "Much can be done to address inefficiencies in the current slaughter and meat processing system without a significant increase in the total number of commercially inspected meat processing facilities in the State”.

The reports findings are consistent with the findings of Chapter 3.3: Livestock and Meat of the Farm to Plate Strategic Plan.

The report, titled From Convenience to Commitment: Securing the Long-term Viability of Local Meat and Poultry Processing, was written by Lauren Gwin of Oregon State University and Arion Thiboumery of Iowa State University and Lorenz Meats. The two are co-coordinators of the Niche Meat Processors Assistance Network.

Read the full report here.