Creating Value Chains for
Niche Poultry Markets

January 18, 2002

About the workshop
More than 75 producers, educators, processors and other agricultural entrepreneurs attended a half-day workshop to explore specialty poultry and markets for organic, pastured-fed, free-range, antibiotic-free or other poultry raised with a unique story under special conditions. The workshop was hosted by the Leopold Center and Iowa State University Extension.


Derek Lee of Wisconsin Pasturelands discusses the potential for specialty poultry products, especially those processed in small facilities that do not use automation. Pictured with him are (left to right) Scott Froemming, Herman Hendrickson, Lee, Mike Mamminga, Pam Saunders, Ardith Buss and Harlan Martzhan.


Jon Jaksa of the Wedge Cooperative in Minneapolis addressed some of the consumer education challenges in marketing poultry products. Pictured with him are (left to right) Wende Elliott, Jaksa and Kurt Chause.


Herman Hendrickson of Whole Farm Coop in Sauk Center, Minn., talked about some of the challenges for poultry growers and processors. Pictured with him are (left to right) Scott Froemming, Herman Hendrickson, Paum Saunders, Ardith Buss and Harlan Martzhan.


Mike Mamminga, an inspector for the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, talked about the lack of state-inspected facilities in Iowa for processing poultry. Pictured with him are (left to right) Derek Lee, Mamminga, Pam Saunders and Ardith Buss.


Dan and Lorna Wilson of Paullina (in front) were among the producers who attended the poultry workshop.


Other participants at the workshop.


Other participants at the workshop.

Program
The workshop featured a facilitated discussion with the following people:

  • Kurt Chause, chef, Aunt Maude's restaurant, Ames

  • John Jaksa, Wedge Cooperative, Minneapolis, that sells organic and antibiotic-free meat

  • Wende Elliott, Wholesome Harvest, Colo

  • Harlan Martzhan and Ardith Buss, Martzhan's Processing, Greene, custom poultry processors

  • Pam Saunders, Organic Valley Cooperative, Wisconsin

  • Mike Mamminga, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship Meat Inspection Bureau, poultry

  • Derek Lee, Wisconsin Pasturelands, representing a cooperative of farmers near Decorah

  • Herman Hendrickson, Whole Farm Coop, Sauk Center, Minn.

  • Scott and Anna Froemming, Pilgrim's Way Farm, Browerville, Minn.

  • Carmen Fernholz, Madison, Wisc., poultry producer

Breakout sessions focused on these topics:

  • Production and direct marketing -- Cindy Madsen, Audubon County producer and direct market sales for Audubon County Family Farms; Tom Olsen, farm management field specialist at the ISU Allee Farm in northwest Iowa; and Jan Nitz, Stanley, Wisc., producer.

  • Networked marketing -- Wende Elliot, Wholesome Harvest, Colo; Derek Lee, Wisconsin Pasturelands; and Steve DeJong, Iowa Farm Fresh Poultry, Oskaloosa

Niche Market Poultry Resources
Profitable Poultry: Raising Birds on Pasture, 2002 publication available from the Sustainable Agriculture Network, the national outreach arm of the USDA's Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program.

Pastured Poultry -- A Heifer Project International Case Study Booklet, a summary of 35 Southern families who participated in a pastured poultry project of the Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA) in Fayetteville, Ark.

Pastured Poultry Q&A, produced by the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems at the University of Wisconsin.

Sustainable Poultry: Production Overview, from the Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA) in Fayetteville, Ark.

Resource Manual for Organic Poultry, an online guide produced by Iowa State University Extension and Jefferson County Rural Action. The guide is posted at ISU Extension's value added agriculture page.

For general information

Contact Iowa State University Extension's value-added poultry specialist, Marsha Laux, (515) 294-9511.