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Production to Market-Ready Products: Developing the Training to Equip Female Farmers, Processors, and Retailers with the Skills Needed To Reduce Risk and Maximize Profitability

Sarah Blacklin and April Schaeffer

Summary

To be successful, local niche meat producers must understand production and marketing risks along the entire supply chain: production through processing, packaging, and sale. The SRMEC funded project, “Integrated Risk Management for Women Producers, Processors, and Retailers in the Local Meat Product Value Chain,” combines small classroom intensives from production to processing for women under the guidance of NC Choices and Amazing Grazing, two NC State University initiatives with vetted and developed programming and led by a mix of in-house and professional contracted instructors.

The successful outcomes from the following two coordinated workshop intensives will be shared with attendees: Amazing Grazing’s “Leadership and Cattle Handling for Female Producers” and NC Choices’ Two-Day “Women Working in the Meat Business”. Workshops curriculum included production training (such as proper cattle vaccination, ear-tagging, and deworming) to product development, financial assessment, marketing, and sales (including the development of a whole animal pricing tool) for women farmers, processors, and retailers.

An overview of the activities conducted and a discussion of how successful strategies, including coordination with partners across the niche meat sector and the development of small peer-to-peer learning environments, were implemented to reduce risk, maximize impact, expand participant reach, and raise public awareness around the emerging role women play in the meat and livestock industry will be presented. Photos and examples of resources will be provided as well as time for question and answers.

Details

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