What’s on this page? The right equipment can make a world of difference in a small meat processing facility. On this page we have videos of several processors sharing their favorite pieces of equipment and processor-to-processor advice about equipment. What do other processors buy? Any suggestions on what to get? Equipment Videos Processor-to-Processor Equipment Advice Equipment […]
Meat Processing Equipment Read More »
With the expansion of uncured, nitrite/nitrate-free products in the marketplace, there has been some confusion around the regulatory requirements. Uncured (or “nitrite/nitrate-free”) products require the same safe handling instructions* as cured products since they are both raw products. In addition, if you are producing an uncured product that uses a vegetable powder as it’s nitrite source, you will
A Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network webinar Date: April 23, 2015 (note: new date) Time: 10 am PST / 1pm EST for one hour To attend: Go to https://connect.extension.iastate.edu/nichemeat 5-10 minutes before start time and log in as a guest. All NMPAN webinars are free and open to the public. Overview: Many small-scale
Open-Sourced HACCP: Making Cured Meats Production More Accessible Read More »
Processors who make small batches of sausage for independent meat producers often use commercial, pre-blended mixes. Mixing a producer’s own specialty sausage recipe is time consuming and can be a logistical headache: processors must keep unique ingredients separated and communicate numerous different recipes to staff with individual batch calculations, increasing the chance of error. Custom
Sausage Formulation Spreadsheet Read More »
If you are interested in preparing jerky in your processing facility, you will need to demonstrate lethality in your jerky-making process. Typically this means cooking under controlled humidity per Appendix A, and then drying. This AskFSIS question addresses this: http://askfsis.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/902/ A few words of advice on jerky making from our listserv: “A real smokehouse
What’s on this page? Upgrading or expanding an existing meat processing plant, building a new facility, buying equipment… it all costs money, and plenty of it. The information on this page will help you understand and navigate financing options that fit your processing plans. Q: What are my financing options? Which one is best
Finding Capital: Financing Options for Meat Processors Read More »
<< Back Cost Analysis: Are you Making Money? How do you know if you’re making money? And what can you do if you’re not? Most small processors (like most small businesses) don’t fully understand why they are or aren’t making money and what they can do about it. Here, Arion Thiboumery, co-founder of the Niche
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Cost Analysis: Are You Making Money? A Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network webinar Date: March 19, 2014 Duration: 1 hour All NMPAN webinars are free and open to the public. Overview Many meat processors watch their checkbook balances and hope for the best. Some wade through P&L statements looking for answers and often come up short. Most
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A Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network webinar, presented in collaboration with USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service. Date: February 4, 2014 Duration: 1 hour The Cooperative Interstate Shipment Program, authorized by the 2008 Farm Bill and launched by USDA-FSIS in 2012, allows state-inspected meats from qualifying plants to be shipped across state lines. The goal of the program
Cooperative Interstate Shipment: How’s It Working Out? Read More »
Here are a set of blueprints for a mobile poultry processing unit (MPPU) built to operate under “equal to” state inspection in Vermont. The MPPU was built by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, with funding from the Vermont Legislature and the Castanea Foundation, in 2008. It was leased by a small poultry processor for several years, then sold to a farm
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