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Use our simple tools to plan your pastured poultry enterprise.
Access WSU resources on preventing H5N1 bird flu.
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© 2004 Lane County Food Coalition |
Small farm entrepreneurs who would like to direct-market their farm products
encounter significant hurdles that go beyond simply finding customers. Some of these
barriers are regulatory and some are due to a lack of infrastructure for processing. For
this project component, we chose a test case—small-scale poultry processing for direct
sales—which allowed us to identify and address the full range of barriers faced by producers. Through efforts
led by our team, producers in the Northwest now have new options for on-farm processing of
pastured poultry.
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© 2005 WSU Small Farms Team |
While the rules governing poultry processing for sale are determined at the federal level,
these rules are vague and enforced differently in each state. To achieve our goals, we took
the following actions, involving producers every step of the way:
- Researching current state and federal rules governing the processing of poultry.
- Hosting roundtable discussions with poultry producers and regulatory agents in each state
to assess the current situation. With this task, our goals were to a) Map the current
regulatory landscape; b) Create an open and safe forum for discussion about barriers; and
c) Collaboratively identify solutions that meet health and safety standards while allowing
small-scale producers to direct-market their products.
- Conducting an economic analysis of poultry production and processing under state
and federal license. Our new web-based tool helps producers determine the costs of producing
and processing poultry so they can make informed decisions.
- Reporting on the results of each component of the project component while providing
recommendations for improvement in each state.
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© 2005 WSU Small Farms Team |
We are pleased to report the following positive outcomes:
- Passage of new legislation in Washington state that allows on-farm processing of pastured poultry.
- New producer networks that are securing state-licensed mobile processing units and building
fixed-site facilities through cooperatives.
- Thorough documentation of barriers faced by small-scale poultry producers in each state.
- State policy changes that allow for exempt processing without veterinary inspection.
- Development of new tools for producers.
- Models of successful dialogue between producers and regulatory officials that nurtures small
farm enterprise.
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