Local Meat Processing Support Program

About the Program

The Local Meat Processing Support Program aims to improve processing bottlenecks for livestock farmers in the Berkshire-Taconic Region, supporting livestock producer viability and the availability of local meat products for consumers.

The rationale for this program emerged from a series of feasibility studies performed by Kitchen Table Consultants, a nationally recognized food and farm business consultancy.

The cornerstone of the program is the work BAV is doing with existing processors, providing them with technical assistance; supporting them in applying for state and federal grants; offering them low interest flexible loans for plant improvement, working capital, new equipment, updated food safety plans, and workforce training and retention.

Livestock Working Group Meeting Reports

As a direct follow-up to the study BAV applied to and was awarded a USDA Regional Food System Partnership (RFSP) grant. A key aspect of the grant project was the convening of a Livestock Working Group (LWG) made up of 10 members across the regional meat processing value-chain. The group met on a bi-monthly for 2.5 years. The goals of the LWG were twofold:

● One, to help facilitate stronger communication and relationships within the regional meat processing value-chain.

● Two, to help identify key areas of opportunity where BAV can help to support the development of infrastructure and resources for meat processing.

Some of the key areas the LWG group identified as needing further support were workforce development, transportation/logistics, expanded cold storage, aggregation or co-branding systems, and increased value added production opportunities.

BAV’s Value Added Processing and Cold Storage Expansion Study

As a result of the LWG’s findings and funding from the commonwealth of Massachusetts BAV contracted Food Works Group (FWG) to conduct a landscape analysis and feasibility study for expanding value added production opportunities and cold storage for livestock farmers. BAV is currently actively working on implementing these findings. Below you can read the reports that came out of the FWG work.