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Iowa Meat Processors’ Resource Guidebook
A guide to building, upgrading or expanding a small meat processing facility in Iowa.

Growing the Pasture-Grazed Dairy Sector in Wisconsin
Growing the Pasture-Grazed Dairy Sector in Wisconsin is the summary report of a team of researchers, dairy farmers and chefs who conducted a comprehensive investigation of the chemical and physical properties of pasture-based milk when made into cheese, butter or other products. The group, led by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, also explored the production, […]

Comparing Advertising Channels for Direct Marketing
Buckeye Valley Beef Cooperative was formed in 2016 by southwest Ohio farmers looking to expand their markets for locally raised beef and to increase the incomes of their farmer members. The young co-op markets beef to retailers and directly to consumers. Recognizing the importance of effective marketing strategies in reaching consumers, the co-op used an […]

Planning for a Farmer-to-Farmer Butcher Shop
Liz and Nate Brownlee teamed up with specialists at Indiana University to conduct a feasibility study on creating a small-scale butcher shop capable of serving producers who focus on direct sales in their area of Indiana.
Developing a Woman and Farmer-Led Meat Processing Cooperative
Wisconsin needs more butchers. That’s what April Prusia, Betty Anderson, and Bethany Emond Storms determined during their farmer-led research project in 2017. The three livestock producers raise beef, pork, poultry, and goats in south central Wisconsin. While they all have big dreams of charcuterie plates made with their meat, they lack processing options in the […]

Feasibility, Planning, and Purchase of Mobile Processing Unit (MPU)
Pasture poultry, with its quick turn-around and minimal equipment needs can be attractive to small farmers looking to diversify their farming operations. Chris Sramek is a pasture poultry producer and a member of the High Plains Food Co-op (HPFC); in 2013, customer interest in their poultry was so high that the producer members were unable […]

Marcoot Jersey Creamery Comprehensive Food Safety Program
When the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was passed in 2011, farmers across the country recognized a need to develop a food safety plan. Marcoot Jersey Creamery in Greenville, Illinois was no exception. In 2013, Marcoot family member, Beth Marcoot, applied for and received a $7,495 NCRSARE Farmer Rancher grant to develop a food safety […]
Developing Michigan’s Local, Pasture-Based, Beef Production System
Whether it’s on dinner tables, in restaurants, in schools, or at markets, consumers are seeking more local food. More than 167,000 U.S. farms produced and sold local food through direct marketing in 2015, representing $8.7 billion in revenue (USDA-NASS, 2015 Local Food Marketing Practices Survey). In 2010, the Traverse Bay Economic Development Corporation and Michigan […]

Finishing Time and Weights of Grass-fed Beef Animals
For more than 20 years, Jane Jewett has owned WillowSedge Farm near Palisade, Minneosta. She and her family raise and direct-market pork, poultry, lamb, and grass-fed beef on 113 acres. An increasing interest in grass-fed beef operations led Jewett to make the transition to grass-fed beef in 2008. Her interest in applying for an NCR-SARE […]
Developing a Goat Meat Market in the Black Hills of South Dakota
Goat production is a growing enterprise for small and limited resource farmers. Goats can be adapted to different production systems and can be raised with relatively few inputs, but they can present production and marketing challenges. Susan and Tom Barnes live on 120 acres along Pleasant Valley southwest of Custer, South Dakota. Susan’s family homesteaded […]
Bovine Mastitis Treatment
While mastitis is the most frequent disease condition in dairy cattle, the most common treatment for it -antibiotics- aren’t used in organic milk production. Mastitis affects animal health, longevity in the herd, and the production of quality milk. Although non-antibiotic products for mastitis have been marketed, limited data is available regarding the safety and efficacy […]
Profitable Rabbit Production
Rabbit meat is high in protein and low in fat, cholesterol, and sodium when compared to most of the meats eaten in the U.S. Rabbit meat has great potential to feed people in developing countries and could be promoted in the U.S. as a healthful, natural meat and a small farm asset (Fanatico, Anne. “Rabbit […]

Internship Curriculum for Food Farmers
With the help of an NCR-SARE Farmer Rancher Grant, three farmers worked with interns to develop 26 educational power point modules as part of a comprehensive intern educational program. The internship curriculum is useful for small farmers to use on their own to educate themselves and to provide a rich experience for interns.

Dairy Management
The sustainability of a dairy farm relates to many factors revolving around farm management, use of resources, and quality of life. NCR-SARE has supported research and education opportunities in a wide variety of dairy topics including organic dairying, value-added dairy options, pasture productivity, animal management, milk marketing, small ruminant dairies, and farm energy.
Ohio Milk and Cheese Initiative Explores New Market Opportunities in Ohio
Abbe and Anderson Turner’s Lucky Penny Farm is a family-owned dairy goat farm located on a once-fallow century farmstead in Northeast Ohio’s Hiram Township. The 14-acre farm includes Nubian, La Mancha and Alpine dairy goats. They also run a creamery located in Kent, OH. “I love working with small ruminants,” said Abbe Turner. “The size […]

Video: From Pasture to Plate: Exploring Grass-Based Dairy in Wisconsin
Wisconsin researchers were awarded a SARE grant to investigate the properties of grassfed milk when made into cheese, butter, or other products. This 13 minute video summarizes the research they’ve done and the development of the grass-based (or pasture-grazed) dairy industry to date.
The Artisan of Cheese
Charuth van Beuzekom-Loth grew up in Holland. Her family raised goats and good cheese was plentiful. Eventually, she moved to the United States and years later settled down with her husband on a small farm named Shadowbrook near Lincoln, Nebraska. The transition went along nicely except for one thing. The cheese just wasn’t the same. […]

Talking Chicken: Practical Advice on Heirloom Chickens & Eggs
Farmer Rancher grant recipient, Kelly Klober, provides valuable insight into rare, heritage and heirloom breed selection, chick raising, breeding and marketing to help producers start their own fully sustainable heritage chicken flock and raise eggs and meat for family or small farm business.
Wisconsin
Highlights and a portfolio of North Central SARE Grants in Wisconsin
South Dakota
Highlights and a portfolio of North Central SARE Grants in South Dakota