About the Program
An Overview of the SARE PDP Project: Producer Managed Marketing of Livestock Products
John O’Sullivan, Ph.D.
Farm Management Marketing Specialist
The Cooperative Extension Program
N.C. A&T State University
Livestock production is the enterprise most commonly found on American small farms, and has a particular appeal to family and limited-resource farmers who measure their asset base in terms of land and labor. Defined in this project as - but not limited to - cattle, goats, hogs, sheep, poultry (eggs) and various cheeses, livestock production fits into a model of sustainability in many ways. Livestock can be valuable contributors to high quality rural landscapes and can be part of local food systems. Livestock production can also benefit land rotations, in terms of weed management and nutrient cycling- both on and off the land. Yet for all the benefits of livestock production, many farmers are still faced with the critical issue of how to market what they produce. Traditional marketing channels, particularly here in the South, are now closed to farmers who do not have a contract with a processor. Local processing plants also have been declining in the face of government regulation, modernization The Southern Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Professional Development Program project is addressing ways to help farmers and livestock producers market their livestock products. Livestock production is an important enterprise found on many American small farms. Yet these livestock producers have difficulty marketing their products because of a maze of complicated regulations, market controls, restricted access and lack of information.
The Goal
The goal of this SARE PDP project is to help producers and marketers increase their knowledge and their income, by training Extension and other personnel who work directly with farmers, ranchers and producers.
The main effort of the project is a train-the-trainer workshop , Producer Managed Marketing of Livestock Products, Sept. 13-15, 2005 in Greensboro, N.C. Marketing, producer-managed processing and slaughter, and other producer issues will be addressed in the six-session program. Representatives from across the South are invited to participate, with the expectation that they use information from the workshop to teach and train producers in their home regions.
costs and environmental and health regulation issues. These barriers have emerged at the same time that food safety concerns related to large-scale slaughter and long distance product management have created potential local niche markets. The goal of the SARE PDP Project is to help producers develop and manage marketing strategies to achieve fully successful livestock production.