Seeking input from Upper Peninsula livestock producers
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EmailInput being sought from Upper Peninsula livestock producers for USDA Multi-Species Processing Feasibility Study.
The demand for local food products continues to increase but sourcing local products continues to be a challenge in some regions. In Michigan’s Upper Peninsula there has been much feedback regarding access to processing for meat products. As a result of input received from producers and buyers, a group of stakeholders applied for and received a Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Strategic Growth Initiative grant in the fall of 2015 to be able to conduct a feasibility study to determine if more processing is needed and what type of facility might be feasible.
The Upper Peninsula Multi-species Processing Feasibility Study Project is a cooperative venture between several stakeholders including Marquette County, MSU Extension, Upper Peninsula Food Exchange, Farm Bureau, and regional planning organizations, and has hired Karen Karp & Partners along with John-Mark Hack of Marksbury Farm and BJH Advisors to conduct a feasibility study. The study is designed to understand the needs of livestock producers relating to harvest and processing and what additional resources are needed to support livestock producers in the UP.
Livestock producers are critically important to the study. The project team needs to understand the number and type of animals in the region that could be harvested and processed in the UP, the areas in the UP that are underserved, and the specific types of services that are needed.
The survey for livestock producers in the UP can be completed online or may be completed over the telephone by contacting Jan at the Chippewa county MSU Extension office at 906-635-6368.
The survey will be open from May 1 through May 31, 2016.
For additional information about the project, contact me, Michigan State University Extension educator, at walkmich@msu.edu or 906-635-6368 or Thyra Karlstrom, Marquette County, at tkarlstrom@mqtco.org or 906-225-8192. For questions about the survey please contact Ben Kerrick at Karen Karp & Partners at ben@kkandp.com or 212-260-1070.
