Blog for Rural America

The Center for Rural Affairs, a private, non-profit organization, is working to strengthen small businesses, family farms and ranches, and rural communities. Permission to reprint items from this web log is hereby granted, on the condition that clear credit is given to the original source of the material. If the blog provides information for a story, please let us know by sending an email to johnc@cfra.org.

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Organic Livestock Marketing

Organic and Natural Livestock Marketing Information Meeting Offered in Columbus

Producers interested in learning more about the growing demand for organic and natural meat products can attend an Organic and Natural Livestock Marketing Information Meeting from 1-4:30 p.m. Jan. 13 in Columbus.

The meeting, sponsored by University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension and the Nebraska Chapter of the Organic Crop Improvement Association, will be in Room 205 at Central Community College, 4500 63rd Street. To register, call (402) 584-3837.

"Opportunities exist right now for livestock producers to profit from the rapidly growing demand for organic and natural meat products," said Liz Sarno, UNL Extension educator and organic project coordinator. "This meeting will help answer your questions."

Topics include: increasing livestock market value, how to sell livestock to natural or organic markets, how to diversify an operation, what it takes to transition a herd and the cost of organic certification and new opportunities for a son or daughter to stay on the farm.

Participants also will meet with other organic farmers and find out about their market strategies.

Panel presenters include: Allen Moody, beef and pork coordinator of CROPP Organic Valley Cooperative/Organic Prairie of La Farge, Wis., one of the largest organic market distributers in the U.S.; Klint Stewart, field agent for the Niman Ranch Pork Co., which buys hogs from more than 400 family farmers; Paul Rorbaugh, a leader in the direct marketing of meat to consumers in Nebraska, also a grass-finished beef and pastured poultry producer and director of the Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society; Randy Wattermann, a driving force behind the start of Nebraska Food Cooperative, which is a year-round, online farmer's market; and Lori Tatreau, local liaison for Whole Foods Market in Omaha and part-time UNO instructor, who will provide more details on Whole Foods' quality meat standards, approval process and new animal compassion program.

Post a comment here or contact John Crabtree, johnc@cfra.org

Center for Rural Affairs
Values. Worth. Action.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home