Small Meat Processors Working Group (SMPWG)

The number of small-scale meat processors in Iowa has been in steady decline for several decades. The Small Meat Processors Working Group seeks not only to stop this decline, but to reverse it. Our mission is to help small Iowa meat processors expand, upgrade, or build new facilities in order to promote rural development. The working group has been meeting since the fall of 2006 and members include processors, regulators, Extension staff, producer groups, agricultural research centers, and business and economic development organizations. Having spent an initial period evaluating this sector, the working group is now supporting targeted assistance in several ways: product costing analysis workshops to help processors get a better handle on their costs and product pricing; the production of a “Resource Guidebook” to help processors identify what steps need to happen as they move to build their businesses, and where to find assistance at each step; and open house mini grants to help small processors improve public relations within their communities. We continue to work at analyzing labor training needs and human resources development. SMPWG is part of the Value Chain Partnerships project.


Contact:
Arion Thiboumery
North Central Regional Center for Rural Development (NCRCRD)
109 Curtiss Hall
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 5001
arion@iastate.edu
515-294-2882